A model-based approach to addressing energy demand in sustainable urban systems

Sustainable cities address their citizens’ environmental, social, economic, cultural, and institutional needs in an integrated manner. In order to successfully transform urban systems in this context, key enabling technologies must be investigated that can facilitate such changes. In addition, computer-based modeling approaches for analyzing the benefits of such technologies for urban organizations and activities are highly desirable. In this paper, we propose a model-based approach to address sustainable urban environments that employs green edge computing technology to meet the energy and digital service requirements of urban systems. By utilizing the solar energy potential of urban roofs, this technology can be adapted to meet the crucial demands for power arising from digital activity in various urban contexts. As a result of its unique features, the proposed modeling framework is a valuable analysis tool for assisting decision-making to improve the quality of urban systems. •A new simulation tool for studying urban deployments of distributed mini data centers.•Analysis of deployments in two cities, with different urban layout and weather conditions.•A discussion on the integration of the proposed technology to sustainable urban systems.