Digital solutions pave the way to net-zero

The city of Frauenfeld is pursuing the ambitious goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050. An important milestone on this path is the complete phase-out of fossil fuels for heating by 2040. Today, around 80% of buildings in Frauenfeld are still heated with oil or gas. This dependency poses major challenges for the city and its utility company, Thurplus, in terms of security of supply and economic efficiency in the transition to renewable energies.

In order to tackle these challenges, Thurplus initiated the project Energy Perspectives Frauenfeld 2050 in spring 2023, which is led by Empa's Urban Energy Systems Lab under the direction of Matthias Sulzer and Georgios Mavromatidis and supported by the expertise of Empa spin-off Urban Sympheny in the field of energy systems modeling. By combining Thurplus data from around 20,000 smart meters, electricity and gas meters and statistical building data with state-of-the-art energy optimization models, the project identified realistic and cost-efficient solutions for a climate-neutral future.

In close cooperation with Thurplus, scenarios from the Energy Future 2050 study by the Association of Swiss Electricity Companies (VSE) were adapted specifically for Frauenfeld. These scenarios show which technologies, energy requirements and infrastructures are necessary to achieve net-zero emissions.

Economic efficiency can be achieved through coordinated planning: Coordinated planning and implementation that takes into account the local conditions of the neighborhoods in Frauenfeld reduces the overall costs of the energy system and shows that a renewable energy supply is economically viable. Nevertheless, a considerable investment is required, and it is crucial that the necessary financial resources are available.

The Energy Perspectives Frauenfeld 2050 project recommends the coordinated expansion of climate-friendly technologies such as district heating, heat pumps, photovoltaic systems, electric vehicles and battery storage, while at the same time consistently pursuing the energy-efficient renovation of buildings. Moreover, careful planning of electricity and heating grids in line with the net-zero pathway is required, as well as flexible solutions such as energy storage and intelligent energy use by consumers.

The results show how data-based models and cross-sector collaboration can help cities develop robust, economical and sustainable strategies for the energy transition. They provide a solid basis for decision-making for politicians, utility companies and citizens and serve as a model for other Swiss municipalities on the path to climate neutrality.

The results of these energy perspectives now form the basis for general energy planning and, more specifically, for the revision of the energy master plan, the further expansion of district heating and electrical grid planning for the city of Frauenfeld. The project was supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), the Office for Energy of the Canton of Thurgau and the Office for Building Construction and Urban Planning of the city of Frauenfeld.