Context

The building sector is one of the largest consumers of energy and contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union (EU), representing 35% of energy-related EU emissions in 2021 (source). In response, the EU has set ambitious targets, aiming to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050 (source).

This objective is at the heart of the European Green Deal and is legally binding under the European Climate Law. The EU seeks to significantly reduce emissions through increased energy efficiency and a higher rate of building renovations (source). Achieving these goals requires innovative approaches to urban planning and energy management.

In support of this effort, the CoE Hidalgo2 project is developing advanced high-performance computing (HPC) solutions to model and simulate complex urban environments. A key focus within this project is the Urban Building pilot application, which aims to create detailed and scalable simulations of urban areas to optimize energy consumption and inform renovation strategies (source).

This pilot application leverages cutting-edge CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) methodologies to streamline the development and deployment of simulation tools across various computational platforms. These platforms include EuroHPC JU supercomputers, which provide the necessary computational power to handle the large-scale simulations required for accurate urban modeling (source).

By integrating detailed terrain modeling with building and vegetation data, the Urban Building application seeks to create a comprehensive and realistic representation of urban environments. This model will support various analyses, such as energy efficiency assessments and solar mask calculations (source), contributing to the EU's broader objectives of reducing carbon footprints.


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References