Assessment of the Energy Distribution in Urban Areas by Using the Framework of Complex Network Theory

The intense urbanization and the remarkable energy consumption deriving from urban areas are responsible for the 67% of the world energy demand. For that reason, the energy usage in cities has attracted considerable attention from governments and researchers. In this context, the diffusion of decentralized energy systems has progressively become more intense, causing the creation of energy interactions among consumers. In order to consider the energy exchanges deriving from those interactions, a new procedure based on the complex network theory has been developed. The elaborated mathematical tool consists of sorting the urban area into connected territorial units characterized by an energy demand and a potential energy generation. The procedure is tested for a speculative territory in order to determine the optimal energy flows occurring in the obtained urban energy network. Thus, the constructed model amounts to be a useful tool for the definition of urban energy action plans centered on the exploitation of renewable sources and on the installation of energy efficient systems.