This report focuses on the interaction between shopping centres and the local energy grids to which they are connected. The aim is to identify key aspects and understand the potentials associated with this interaction so as to improve their current status.

The report presents an analysis of the most relevant parameters and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in the interaction between shopping malls and the grid. Several parameters influence the building-grid interaction:

·         The climatic context (depending on the climate, shopping centres can take advantage of the weather conditions and natural resources through renewable energy sources, therefore reducing their dependency from the energy grid)

·         The urban context (the urban or suburban context as well as the surrounding buildings play a role in the interaction)

·         The energy production/distribution context (the electricity profile, the generation of the grid, policies and tariff analyses are useful information to suggest solutions for how shopping malls could provide potential services to the grid. All this information can provide a general idea of the reliability of the business models around renewable energies.)

Therefore, possible energy scenarios and solutions were identified for each of the ten CommONEnergy reference buildings to detect improvements in the building-grid interaction. The idea is to identify which solutions are more efficient in each specific case then generalise them for most shopping centres. These potentials and solutions depend on the above-mentioned parameters. Therefore, each shopping centre has been characterised according to the local outdoor climate, the location, the available energy sources, the national building regulations, traditions, etc.

There is also a shift from a conventional centralised power system towards a distribution generation system. Distributed energy encompasses a wide range of technologies including solar power, wind turbines, fuel cells and others. Integrating renewables and a relative self-consumption could help reduce the shopping centres’ energy demand. Cogeneration systems are very useful in terms of independence from the grid, producing at the same time electricity and thermal energy, allowing the overall primary energy to decrease. Thus, shopping centres have the capacity to become energy suppliers, to shift from consumers to producers, by installing renewable energies such as photovoltaic, wind power or combined heat and power systems (CHP).

This would not only avoid transmission and distribution losses but it would also allow energy storage: energy would be stored during periods of overproduction to compensate for periods of underproduction. The excess electricity could also be converted to different fuels (i.e. hydrogen) and used for a variety of purposes.

It is also important to mention the non-technical barriers such as the economic and legal aspects (investment costs and return on investment) but also the execution timing, the owners’ and/or managers’ awareness of technology etc.

The report concludes that there is indeed a significant potential for improvement in the interaction between shopping malls and the energy grid. Shopping centres have the potential to provide services to the grid and help reducing the energy demand. Among the most significant potentials are daylight, natural ventilation, cogeneration systems and other renewable energy sources. 

NB: This report is still subject to the European Commission’s approval, it is thus not printable.

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