Understanding novel district concepts: A structured exploration of interdisciplinary clustering in urban energy systems

Recently, there has been a surge of interest in novel concepts for jointly operating devices in urban areas in clusters, motivated by their potential to support decarbonization, enhance power system flexibility, and promote energy justice. Such clusters encompass multiple devices or buildings but operate on a smaller scale than cities. Examples include Renewable Energy Communities and Positive Energy Districts. These Novel District Concepts (NDCs) integrate interdisciplinary urban planning and social sciences terminology into the energy domain. However, these concepts’ precise definitions and practical implementation lack consistency, leading to conceptual ambiguities in the literature. The present paper reviews clustering approaches from both the energy domain and the urban planning and social sciences disciplines to analyze rules for defining device clusters. The findings reveal that while numerous papers claim novelty using Novel District Concepts terminology, many rely on established energy-domain methodologies, such as clustering techniques structured around electricity grid hierarchies. In contrast, clustering approaches from urban planning and social sciences, which employ spatial and social criteria, remain underutilized and lack systematic evaluation for energy system applications. The present paper’s key contribution lies in systematically identifying and differentiating clustering rules, establishing a robust foundation for subsequent cluster-based research, and ensuring methodological consistency. By integrating concepts from urban planning and social sciences with established energy-domain approaches, this paper delineates clear boundaries and grounds them contextually. The present paper’s structured methodology provides a comprehensive workflow for distinguishing diverse clustering rules, mitigating the risk of misapplied terminology, and facilitating future evaluations of their applicability to specific energy-system tasks.