Innovating for Clean Air (India): Energy Systems Catapult, Urban Morph and the Directorate of Urban land Transport planning Hackathon around Energy Modelling for a Transit Oriented Development Zone project

The Innovating for Clean Air (IfCA) programme is a cross-catapult project, led by Energy Systems Catapult,  developed with collaborative partners in India to improve air quality and tackle pollution in Bengaluru by addressing challenges related to the uptake of electric vehicles.

The Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) in Bengaluru previously collaborated with the Catapult on the IfCA programme to develop a test bed for EV and air quality innovations and support a pilot project identifying the optimal position of EV charging infrastructure in a region on the city. Building on this work, Energy Systems Catapult is working with DULT and Urban Morph to plan a Hackathon, for UK and Indian firms, focused on Energy Modelling for a Transit Oriented Development Zone project.

The Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) has prepared a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) policy with a focus on energy-efficient development. The TOD policy envisages the implementation of a number of interventions including travel demand management measures to ensure that the densification of the TOD zones does not lead to an increased carbon footprint. In recent times, there has also been an emphasis on promoting the use of electric vehicles through various policy interventions by both the Central and State Governments in India.

In this context, it is proposed to gain an understanding of current energy demand, forecast energy demand for various scenarios and plan for the implementation of an optimal scenario in the transit-oriented development zones. The project: “Energy Modelling for a Transit Oriented Development Zone, Bengaluru, India” attempts to use models to calculate current demand in a TOD zone of approximately 3 square kilometres around metro stations in Bengaluru and forecast future energy scenarios based on determined parameters.

The opportunity

DULT, Energy Systems Catapult and Urban Morph plan to run a hackathon using real data sources in a specified TOD zone to learn and understand how an energy modelling solution can add value and benefit future development. The outcome of the hackathon will be a modelling tool that allows the integration of the available data sources and shows energy uses and future trends.

The opportunity is for individuals/companies/organisations specialising in energy modelling to help design and develop an energy modelling tool. The tool should analyse data from multiple sources and formats and present these as an intelligent view of current demand. The tool should then have the ability to predict energy scenarios in TOD zones for different time frames and levels of energy uptake.