Climate network: A climatological network for energy applications in urban areas

Most energy consumption in Italy and other developed countries occurs in urban areas and urban-like industrial districts. The energy utilization rate is affected by local climate (e.g., for heating or cooling), and in turn, the dissipation of energy changes the local climate, affecting energy demand [1]. This interaction is highly complex, and its fine details tend to be highly site- and time-dependent, due to the large nonuniformities of thermal, roughness and radiation elements, as urban areas quickly evolve. A comprehension of it, and the underlying energy balance, is of paramount importance in order to devise rational plans and actuate them in measurable terms.