Energy system planning and analysis software

Urban energy systems are pivotal in the global shift towards a climate-neutral future. Given the need for these systems to adapt to local conditions, designing them remains complex without standardized solutions. To address this, numerous software tools for energy system planning have been developed. Despite many scientific reviews on these tools' characteristics, none comprehensively assess their suitability for different planning phases and tasks in urban energy or district heating planning. This meta-review evaluates the current review literature on UES, offering a more nuanced analysis of the tool landscape. It identifies both common and unique tool characteristics highlighted across studies, including features such as accessibility, temporal and spatial resolutions, and energy sector coverage. To enhance this study's utility, a clear depiction of each tool's specific functionalities and characteristics is emphasized. Our findings show that most tools are open source, utilize Python or Modelica libraries, and support a wide range of tasks across all identified planning phases. In renewable energy integration, the need for multi-energy system planning tools was observed. Some tools meet this need, but many focus only on a single sector, like electricity or heat. Additionally, a gap in environmental assessment methods suggests potential for future development.