Research Group TestReal

Involved professorships:

• Siedlungswasserwitrschaft
• Betriebswitschaftslehre im Bauwesen
• Urban Energy Systems
• Interaction Design

Advisory Board:

• Stadtwerke Weimar Stadtversorgungs-GmbH
• IAB – Institut für Angewandte Bauforschung Weimar gGmbH
• Energieversorgung Apolda GmbH
• ENVISYS GmbH & Co. KG
• Jena-GEOS – Ingenieurbüro GmbH
• KNOTEN WEIMAR GmbH
• MAZeT GmbH
• SWE Energie GmbH
• Stadt Weimar
• Stadtwerke Energie Jena-Pößneck GmbH

Cities are focal points of energy consumption. They account for about two-thirds of global energy requirements. In 2050, 70 percent of the world's population will live in cities. In the face of this growing energy demand, developing climate-friendly urban energy solutions is imperative. Furthermore, the German Federal Government has set ambitious targets for energy efficiency such as reducing the primary energy consumption by 20% until 2020. The gross electricity consumption is to be reduced by 10% in the same period. These goals cannot be achieved without an efficient use of energy in citys.

The main objective of the TestReal research group is the development of a planning tool for increasing energy efficiency in the city. For this purpose it is necessary to investigate urban infrastructure and urban design in terms of their energy flow (production, transformation, consumption) as well as their energy-related streams (waste and wastewater). The analysis and planning tool should enable local decision makers to identify options for action for the efficient use of energy in cities.

The main areas of research are:

• Energy analysis and categorisation of urban structures

• Integration of energy-relevant mass flows

• Economic reflection of urban infrastructure

• Visualization of energy.