Panel Talk: Evaluating the Food-Energy-Water Nexus in an Urban District
Food-Energy-Water Nexus
2019
2019 Food-Energy-Water Nexus
Abstract Submissions
Panel 1: City-as-lab INFEW RCN: Research Gaps, Current Models and Tools Available for the Stakeholders
Thursday, December 5, 2019 - 11:05am to 11:30am
The work examines how urban data and urban models helps to characterize the food, energy and water Nexus on an urban district level. A bottom up approach is used to model urban system development.
To assess the energy-saving potential in the food sector in Borough Hall district, the status quo is analyzed. Open data from OpenStreetMap, NYCOpenData and PLUTO were used to locate the food related usages and to determine the size of each location.
The calculations show, that the electricity demand for the food sector in Borough Hall is 70 GWh/a. With a total electricity consumption of 1.33 TWh/a (2013), 70 GWh/a equals 5.2% of the whole electricity demand of the district of the total consumption (1% for food sales and 4.2% food services). For food refrigeration, almost 32 GWh/a electrical power is used, therefore refrigeration bears the most potential in terms of energy saving.
From all the organic waste in Borough Hall, 14 427 tons annually are digester usable. This amount can be converted into 1 313 000 m³/a of biogas, and then used in a combined heat and power plant to produce 3.9 GWh/a heat and 3.2 GWh/a electricity. Another possibility is to transform the whole biogas quantity into 787 713 m³/a of methane and add it into the gas grid. Finally, biomethane can work as a fuel and the amount is enough to fuel 1 040 cars for a year.
To assess the energy-saving potential in the food sector in Borough Hall district, the status quo is analyzed. Open data from OpenStreetMap, NYCOpenData and PLUTO were used to locate the food related usages and to determine the size of each location.
The calculations show, that the electricity demand for the food sector in Borough Hall is 70 GWh/a. With a total electricity consumption of 1.33 TWh/a (2013), 70 GWh/a equals 5.2% of the whole electricity demand of the district of the total consumption (1% for food sales and 4.2% food services). For food refrigeration, almost 32 GWh/a electrical power is used, therefore refrigeration bears the most potential in terms of energy saving.
From all the organic waste in Borough Hall, 14 427 tons annually are digester usable. This amount can be converted into 1 313 000 m³/a of biogas, and then used in a combined heat and power plant to produce 3.9 GWh/a heat and 3.2 GWh/a electricity. Another possibility is to transform the whole biogas quantity into 787 713 m³/a of methane and add it into the gas grid. Finally, biomethane can work as a fuel and the amount is enough to fuel 1 040 cars for a year.