Tecno-economic and environmental assessment of a full electric smart city eco-district

Cities are the main locations with high energy consumption. Usually, their energy demand exceeds the availability of the local resources and they are served by multienergy systems comprising thermal, electrical and gas supply systems. Recent sustainability common views of cities, small districts or single buildings, are pushing to save energy, increase renewables and reduce import dependency on fossil fuels. One of innovative concepts and technologies available to tackle these needs is to develop smart energy systems within the broader smart city paradigm. The paper provides a comprehensive techno-economic assessment of a possible development of an existing district towards a “Smart City eco-district” characterized by zero local CO2 emissions. Various scenarios of development towards a full electric district are compared and discussed considering a technical, economic, and environmental assessment.