Schenk, C. (2011). Sustainable urban energy metabolism : analysis of energy flows and optimisation potentials in Vienna [Master Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://resolver.obvsg.at/urn:nbn:at:at-ubtuw:1-52363
Sustainable and resource-efficient urban development needs to be based upon profound knowledge about a city's throughput of energy and materials and the main drivers behind these flows. Thus, this work aims at characterizing the urban energy metabolism by taking the example of Vienna, based on an energy flow analysis of the key activities to nourish, to reside and work, to transport and to clean. Furthermore, a juxtaposition of the direct and embodied energy requirements of an average Viennese household is conducted by means of an energy balance based on the cumulative energy demand values presented by the GEMIS database. Based on the identification of the most energy-intensive activities, several possibilities for a reduction of the most dominant flows and the regional potential for electricity and heat generation from renewable energy sources are discussed. The activities to reside and work and to transport were identified as the main consumers of energy in the urban metabolism of Vienna. Within these activities, most energy is used as electricity or fuel in transport and for space heating and cooling purposes, which could be cushioned by a comprehensive shift towards electric vehicles and the establishment of the passive house standard as a minimum criterion in the regional building codes. Relevant technical potentials in terms of renewable energy sources exist within the municipal boundaries, although a high degree of self-sufficiency seems hardly achievable on an urban scale. The analysis of embodied and direct energy requirements in private households revealed the dominance of energy flows embodied in the goods and services consumed, which should thus garner greater attention in the future planning for a resource-efficient urban development.