Energy Planning Framework Based on a Multi-objective Optimization Approach for University Campus Buildings

Energy planning plays an important role for the development or retrofitting of university campuses towards sustainability. University campuses offer a great potential for testing innovative energy concepts at both the demand and supply sides. University campus usually comprises of a group of buildings, so-called building clusters. Energy management at the building cluster level enhances improving energy efficiency, reducing primary energy use, increasing renewable energy sources, and reducing CO2 emissions in the building sector. This paper presents a framework of energy planning for university campus buildings based on a multi-objective optimization approach for providing energy planning strategies. This paper focuses on the development of a tool for campus-wide energy planning. Building clusters in university campus offer synergies for optimized energy supply system and the demand of energy services can exchange among buildings with a different pattern of energy requirements. The paper describes a framework and model for multi-objective approach in energy systems planning. This framework can be served as a tool to managing energy services and efficient use of resources in the development and planning of sustainable university campuses.