Evaluating local energy sharing potential for enabling net zero energy communities

The transition to Net Zero Energy Communities (NZECs) is a critical pathway to reducing carbon emissions from the built environment, which accounts for nearly 40% of global CO₂ emissions. While individual net-zero buildings have been extensively studied, fewer investigations address the collective benefits and implementation challenges of NZECs. Prior research highlights the potential of energy sharing, renewable integration, and microgrids, but there remains limited understanding of how building diversity, temporal demand alignment, and retrofit strategies influence community-scale energy performance. This study aims to assess the technical and economic feasibility of NZECs through simulation modelling of mixed-use communities incorporating solar PV, heat pumps, and micro-grid integration.

Using dynamic energy modelling and building performance simulations, we analyse energy flows across residential, hospital, and school/community buildings, evaluating shared energy capacity, storage behaviour, and retrofit needs. Preliminary findings indicate that temporal complementarity in building demand profiles significantly enhances energy sharing potential, particularly during spring and summer. Older buildings require more intensive retrofits, yet long-term savings and surplus energy revenues offset high capital costs. The study also explores policy and financing mechanisms to support scalable NZEC implementation.

These findings inform urban energy planning by demonstrating how tailored retrofits, strategic storage use, and regulatory support can enable cost-effective, resilient, and scalable NZECs.