What is PAN DATA’s Role in Energy & Environmental Consulting?
PAN DATA helps sustainability actors take evidence-based decisions by transforming complex energy and environmental data into actionable insights. Their work supports municipalities, utilities, and energy planning organizations, making sense of intricate datasets to guide smarter choices. Since 2021, they have built a solid track record, delivering quantifiable impact across multiple projects and technologies. Their expertise spans large-scale district heating networks, municipal energy planning, solar energy monitoring, and more—always aiming to turn data into real-world solutions.
Main Benefits and Key Figures of Large-Scale District Heating Networks in Geneva
The Canton of Geneva project is ambitious and game-changing. Here are some standout facts:
- District heating capacity growing from 620 to 1,150 GWh/year by 2030, with a long-term potential of 2,650 GWh/year
- District cooling expanding from 36 to 150 GWh/year by 2030
- Investment scale reaching nine digits—yes, that’s huge
- Utilization of multiple energy sources, including deep geothermal
These numbers reflect a massive push towards sustainable energy infrastructure, backed by detailed technical and economic assessments that help decision-makers and financial planners navigate the complexity.
Village & Municipal District Heating Networks: A Closer Look
Beyond the big city projects, PAN DATA also focuses on smaller-scale district heating networks in villages and municipalities. This involves analyzing 3,250 heating systems across 38 new district heating networks, with an installed capacity of 340 MW. The approach includes identifying areas with strong potential for district heating development and creating multiple scenarios for building connections and energy source locations. Geographic layers for potential network design and thorough technical and economic assessments ensure that local decision-makers have the tools they need to plan effectively.
Municipal Energy Planning: Detailed Analysis for Smarter Choices
Municipal energy planning is another key area where PAN DATA shines. By analyzing 2,000 buildings and 830 heating systems, with over 20 MW of installed capacity, they estimate potentials for ground source heat pumps, air-to-water heat pumps, and district heating. Solar energy potentials and their impacts on the grid are integrated into the analysis, providing a holistic view. The assessments cover economic, environmental, technical, and organizational aspects across multiple geographic scales, making the planning process both comprehensive and practical.
Solar Energy Monitoring for Cantonal Authorities: Tracking 80,000 Buildings
Monitoring solar energy installations at such a scale is no small feat. PAN DATA tracks 80,000 buildings, identifying existing solar PV and thermal panels. They translate heritage protection rules down to the individual building level, which is crucial for balancing preservation with innovation. Realistic potentials are identified by actor type and building, and the team assesses how legislative changes might impact solar panel installation. This granular approach helps cantonal authorities make informed decisions about solar energy deployment.
Project Impact: Linking to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- SDG 13: Climate Action
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
- SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation (through water consumer classification)
Additional Specialized Projects: Beyond the Core
Besides the main projects, PAN DATA tackles specialized tasks like evaluating building renovation potentials while respecting heritage protection constraints. They identify roofs suitable for air-to-water heat pumps in multifamily buildings and classify water consumers to support cantonal water-saving plans. Another interesting area is the evaluation of potentials for roof vegetalization, which contributes to urban greening and climate resilience. These projects complement the core work, adding layers of environmental and technical insight that support sustainable development in multiple ways.
