Economic Impact Assessment for Positive Energy Districts: A Literature Review

Marco Volpatti, Andreas Tuerk, Camilla Neumann, Ilaria Marotta, Maria Beatrice Andreucci, Matthias Haase, Francesco Guarino, Rosaria Volpe and Adriano Bisello ()
Additional contact information
Marco Volpatti: Institute for Renewable Energy, Eurac Research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
Andreas Tuerk: Johanneum Research, Waagner-Biro Straße 100, 8010 Graz, Austria
Camilla Neumann: Johanneum Research, Waagner-Biro Straße 100, 8010 Graz, Austria
Ilaria Marotta: Institute for Advanced Energy Technologies (CNR-ITAE), National Research Council (CNR) of Italy, 98126 Messina, Italy
Maria Beatrice Andreucci: Department of Planning, Design, Technology of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Roma, Italy
Matthias Haase: Institute for Facility Management Grüental, 8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland
Francesco Guarino: Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Building 9, 90121 Palermo, Italy
Rosaria Volpe: Department of Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering, University of Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
Adriano Bisello: Institute for Renewable Energy, Eurac Research, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 20, 1-29

Abstract: To address the global challenge of sustainable energy transition in cities, there is a growing demand for innovative solutions to provide flexible, low-carbon, and socio-economically profitable energy systems. In this context, there is a need for holistic evaluation frameworks for the prioritization and economic optimization of interventions. This paper provides a literature review on sustainable planning and economic impact assessment of innovative urban areas, such as Positive Energy Districts (PEDs), to analyze research trends in terms of evaluation methods, impacts, system boundaries, and identify conceptual and methodological gaps. A dedicated search was conducted in the Scopus database using several query strings to conduct a systematic review. At the end, 57 documents were collected and categorized by analysis approach, indicators, project interventions, and other factors. The review shows that the Cost–Benefit Analysis (CBA) is the most frequently adopted method, while Life Cycle Costing and Multi-Criteria Analysis result in a more limited application. Only in a few cases is the reduction in GHG emissions and disposal costs a part of the economic model. Furthermore, cost assessments usually do not consider the integration of the district into the wider energy network, such as the interaction with energy markets. From a more holistic perspective, additional costs and benefits should be included in the analysis and monetized, such as the co-impact on the social and environmental dimensions (e.g., social well-being, thermal comfort improvement, and biodiversity preservation) and other operational benefits (e.g., increase in property value, revenues from Demand Response, and Peer-To-Peer schemes) and disposal costs, considering specific discount rates. By adopting this multi-criteria thinking, future research should also deepen the synergies between urban sectors by focusing more attention on mobility, urban waste and green management, and the integration of district heating networks. According to this vision, investments in PEDs can generate a better social return and favour the development of shared interdisciplinary solutions.

Keywords: Positive Energy Districts (PEDs); economic impact assessment; urban energy transition; multi-criteria analysis; cost–benefit analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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