open_plan 2.0 – A Tool for Municipal Heat Planning and Energy System Analysis

In the open_plan 2.0 project, RLI scientists are working with partner organisations to develop an improved planning tool that supports municipalities and regions in creating heat plans. The aim is to apply the existing  open-plan-tool in cooperation with selected practice partners and to further develop it for municipal heat and energy planning.

An intuitive tool for municipal heat planning

The Open Plan tool was developed in a previous project as a cross-sectoral planning tool and is characterized by a user-friendly, graphical interface. Users can create, optimize and compare supply models for electricity and heat demand. open_plan 2.0 expands these functionalities specifically for municipal heat planning. Through close exchange with practical partners, the project team will integrate real planning tasks into the project and thus optimize the tool in a practical way.

Heat plans until 2028

The background to the project is the Heat Planning Act, which obliges all German municipalities to draw up municipal heat plans by 2028. These plans are only the first step: In order to successfully shape the energy transition, municipalities must implement, monitor and further develop measures for the goals of these plans. The open-plan-tool is intended as an instrument to help with this task. The tool will also be optimized for the analysis of complex, regional energy systems, which can be divided into so-called energy cells.

Cooperation and target groups

Through workshops and feedback loops, the project team will further develop the tool together with companies, planning offices, energy agencies, municipalities and energy supply companies. The aim is to enable various actors from the field of municipal heat planning to design energy supply systems in a transparent, effective and user-friendly way. In the long term, the tool should also be able to be used in other areas of energy system planning.

Project period: 01.09.2024 – 31.08.2027

• Further development of the open_plan tool: Integration of specific functions for municipal heat planning and regional energy systems.
• Practical application: Testing and optimization of the tool in cooperation with planning offices and other stakeholders.
• Promoting the energy transition: Providing an open, intuitive and effective tool for planning tasks.
• Stakeholder integration: Continuous exchange with partners from different areas to ensure practical relevance.