This lab focuses on developing frameworks and strategies to support infrastructure planning and operations. The infrastructure includes energy, mobility, civil structures, and delivery of services to the public. The objective of this lab is to realize a sustainable, secure, and clean infrastructure in future cities and urban areas. This is driven by the era of digitalization, climate change, and increased urbanization, demanding that the resources be used intelligently. The way forward is to make informed decisions and address the underlying uncertainties. The advent of sensors, the internet of things, and cloud-based applications, are going to provide a platform that shall be used to make applications in the context of smart cities and urbanization. These data–intensive platforms shall require intelligent applications based on AI in providing the support tools for decision–makers.

We offer consulting and capacity building in: 

Energy Conscious Cities and Regions and Resilience Planning 

We support authorities, private companies, and energy providers in planning their energy future at the national, regional, and city levels. We combine knowledge of urban energy planning with technological understanding and design energy transition plans for regions, low-carbon action plans for cities, and innovative energy concepts for districts and housing societies.  

Climate change and the associated chronic stresses are increasingly presenting our living spaces with enormous challenges. Extreme rains can bring a city to a standstill, extreme heat waves endanger ever–increasing numbers of lives, and landslides can severely damage infrastructure. Cities today have to adapt to new realities and secure the lives of citizens, critical urban infrastructures, and economic goods.  

In collaboration with our customers, we develop tailor-made approaches to adapting to climate change that incorporates resilience as part of local development agendas. Based on a comprehensive and rapid assessment, we help the affected stakeholders to determine which risks require protective measures, which risks can be mitigated, and how the necessary investments can be prioritized. We treat resilience as an integral part of future-proof urban planning. Our team accompanies cities, private builders, and operators of industrial sites in securing the future of their investments in the early planning phase – when cost efficiency is most important. 

Roadmaps for CO2 reduction of institutions, cities, and industries 

SPCAI is your ideal partner for developing and creating roadmaps for your company to plan the medium and long-term transformation of energy towards more renewable energy. Our services include: 

• Identify immediate measures 
• Determine implementation strategy 
• Energy use analysis of the process, operation, and location 
• Independent analysis of planned or already implemented measures 

Electrification of Mobility 

At SPCAI, we provide support in studies related to the electrification of mobility. This includes:  

• performing electricity network planning studies in order to choose the optimal location of electric vehicle charging stations,  
• electric propulsion drives to meet the mobility requirements 
• Grid integration of electric vehicle charging stations 

Energy Markets – Flexibility for Markets and Grids 

The energy system’s democratization and digitization introduce new actors and approaches into the energy markets. SPCAI assists in the creation of markets, the explanation of new role models, and the development of new business models, such as in the field of local energy communities. Our services include portfolio optimization for generation and flexibility utilization options, short- and medium-term energy price forecasts, and cost-benefit analyses. 

Data Analytics for Energy System Applications 

Reliable forecasts are becoming increasingly important for system operators, energy suppliers, and plant operators. At the same time, an increasing amount of measurement data is being collected in the energy system and often stored in the form of time series. Our experts for data management and data analysis have extensive experience in the application of time series-based measurement data and the creation of forecasts by using statistical methods and the latest machine learning methods. 

Our services include: 

• Expert consulting on data management architecture and conception of backend solutions 
• Creation of load and generation forecasts of photovoltaic and wind energy, which can also be transferred to grid nodes if required 
• Data mining applications to support system operation 
• Voltage quality analyses and conception of corresponding measurement concepts 
• Conceptual design and implementation of advanced metering data applications for grid operators and energy suppliers 
• Preparation of price forecasts: energy prices, balancing energy prices, intraday prices 
• Development and evaluation of market participation possibilities of distributed flexibilities 
• Conceptual design and implementation of corresponding real-time visualizations 

Energy Communities 

Energy communities will play an important role in the energy system and in the decarbonization of energy supply in the future. Both citizen energy communities and renewable energy communities will make an important contribution to this. SPCAI has extensive expertise in the design, implementation, and operation of energy communities. 

Our services include:  

• • Development of implementation concepts for energy communities 
  • Business model development for the stakeholders involved (energy suppliers, grid operators, operators of the energy community, participants) 
  • Conceptual design of the technical implementation, planning, and design of the energy-relevant assets in an energy community 
  • Integration of heat in energy communities 
  • Provision of algorithms for consumption and generation forecasting and tools for optimizing energy management 
  • Economic, operational optimization of energy communities