Leuven

The project is a collective housing project in Flanders that will create 35 units for people in need of care within a neighbourhood, helping to ensure local care facilities. Construction will begin at the end of 2025, with the first residences opening in 2027.

The energy service company (ESCO) overseeing the project is ECoOB, an energy community. Its goal is to develop, design and build the project in an energy-efficient way to save energy and reduce energy and operational costs. 

ECoOB will install a micro heat network where the renewable energy source is as close as possible to the end users. The project will make use of public spaces in partnership with the Leuven municipality.

The power dispatch in the neighbourhood will use the Model Predictive Control (MPC) system developed by KU Leuven, which focuses on the real-time optimisation of dynamic systems.

The project will use a solar energy source.

- A residential area combining residential houses and care units.

- Located north-east of Leuven, outside the city centre.

• Implement an integrated local energy system that is operational and can serve as an inspiration to others.

• Increase solar installations in the municipality.

• Include more and varied stakeholders in the energy community project.

• Develop a proven method that will enable mass replication.
  

Lead: City of Leuven

• Growing local energy communities, enabling them to play a significant role in the local energy transition
• Supporting energy communities by providing public spaces for their installations.
  

Co-lead: ECoOB (Energy Community)

• Serving as the ESCO for this project
• Encouraging greater stakeholder involvement in energy cooperation.

Co-lead: KU Leuven

• Equipping the energy community with methods and tools to implement a running heating system
• Testing and validating the MPC methodology for widespread sharing.