A methodology for the development of urban energy balances: Ten years of application to the city of Madrid

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology for the development of urban energy balances, which has been applied to the city of Madrid for the last ten years and is consistent with the guidelines of the International Energy Agency. The methodology is structured into three major modules: energy imports into the municipality, energy generation from either internal or external sources, and final energy consumption. The paper shows results for the most recent year for which data are available, as well as historical series for the period 2006–2015. It also includes a comparison of the main energy indicators with the national situation. The experience acquired during the ten years performing the energy balance in Madrid served to improve both the greenhouse gases and the air pollutant emission inventories, keeping their consistent with the energy balance, as well as to diagnose the city's current energy situation. This assessment was used to define a series of policies, energy saving and diversification measures, collected in different municipal plans, with the aim of decreasing the external energy dependence and the energy consumption, thereby lowering greenhouse gases emissions. Maintaining the same methodology and updating the historical series each year also allowed tracking the city's energy policy, as well as the evolution of the main energy indicators (i.e. per capita consumption and energy intensity). The methodology could be replicated in other cities worldwide, yielding improvements in their urban emission inventories.