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Environment, Energy and Sustainable Development

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Engineering and Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 27284

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Department of Industrial Engineering, Technical University of Sofia, Bulevard Sveti Kliment Ohridski 8, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: electrical engineering; mathematics; computer science; medicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is an absolute pleasure to welcome you to this Special Issue on “Environment, Energy, and Sustainable Development” of the reputable MDPI journal Sustainability with the best papers from the INTERBIT Conferences 2020. The Special Issue will bring together engineers, environmentalists, ecologists, physicists, chemists, geologists, and earth scientists from all branches of engineering to present new hot topics and state-of-the-art results in the environment, energy, and sustainable development.  Modern techniques, new methodologies, simulation, soft computing, artificial intelligence, intelligent systems, computer techniques, cloud computing, and parallel algorithms on the environment, energy, and sustainable development are welcome. A strong network of eminent colleagues will support our review to give to our Publisher (MDPI) important scientific and technical results, increasing the impact of the journal in our academic community.

Prof. Dr. Nikos E. Mastorakis
Guest Editor

 

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) is included in your registration fees paid in INASE/INTERBIT Conference and will be paid to INTERBIT. Contact them.

Keywords

  • Environment
  • Energy
  • Ecology
  • Sustainable development
  • Earth science
  • Applied chemistry for the environment
  • Simulation for sustainability
  • Clean energy
  • Ecosystems
  • Geology

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2731 KiB  
Article
Dynamic Reconfiguration to Optimize Energy Production on Moving Photovoltaic Panels
by Salvador Merino, Javier Martinez, Francisco Guzman, Juan de Dios Lara, Rafael Guzman, Francisco Sanchez, Juan Ramon Heredia and Mariano Sidrach de Cardona
Sustainability 2023, 15(14), 10858; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151410858 - 11 Jul 2023
Viewed by 853
Abstract
Urban transport systems play a major role in the development of today’s societies, but they require technological changes to reduce their environmental impact. The problem lies in their level of autonomy, which is why electrical energy production systems are proposed for self-consumption, efficiently [...] Read more.
Urban transport systems play a major role in the development of today’s societies, but they require technological changes to reduce their environmental impact. The problem lies in their level of autonomy, which is why electrical energy production systems are proposed for self-consumption, efficiently feeding their accumulators. As the energy provided by photovoltaic installations has lower recharge speeds, conventional systems with high transfer amperage and higher voltage are required. For this reason, solar installations are used for additional services and to support their autonomy. The present work tries to find the best solution for both constant voltage and peak current systems. Once found, these solutions will be applied in real time for the dynamic recharging of battery packs, trying to achieve vehicles that are progressively more energetically autonomous. To solve these situations, a new computational method for calculating voltage and amperage has been developed in this work, based on Dijkstra’s minimum path search algorithm on graph theory, adapted to electrical circuits. Once this algorithm has been established, the panel performance analysis sensors, developed at the University of Malaga, are combined with different electronic solutions described in this article (Wi-Fi relay devices using esp8266 chips or feeding these relays through panels and establishing the voltage drop to switch the connection), achieving precise and sufficiently fast solutions at very low cost. Both series and parallel transitions are possible, depending on the type of energy generation required. The theoretical solutions using Minkowski paths, analyzed in the past, have been simulated and subsequently constructed in this paper, indicating the diagrams necessary for their realization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environment, Energy and Sustainable Development)
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13 pages, 2512 KiB  
Article
Low-Voltage Plasma Generator Based on Standing Wave Voltage Magnification
by Mihnea Antoniu Covaci and Lorant Andras Szolga
Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2890; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052890 - 02 Mar 2022
Viewed by 1922
Abstract
The applied electronics domain has great importance due to many applications, such as energy conversion, directly influencing specific processes involving renewable energy. The development of newer manufacturing processes for many integrated components allows for better overall efficiency in certain switching DC/DC converters used [...] Read more.
The applied electronics domain has great importance due to many applications, such as energy conversion, directly influencing specific processes involving renewable energy. The development of newer manufacturing processes for many integrated components allows for better overall efficiency in certain switching DC/DC converters used for implementing such low-voltage electric field or X-ray generators. Hence, the work presented in this paper involves the development of a helical resonator using a complex DC/DC low-voltage power supply and other required high-voltage conversion circuits. It also follows that there is a possibility of improving this design using only renewable energy supplies. Following two different approach methods, using a circuit model compared to transmission line mathematics, the standing wave propagation mathematics yields multiple scenarios for building a model that predicts the secondary side natural frequency. Moreover, standing wave occurrence conditions in various-dimensioned conductors were further investigated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environment, Energy and Sustainable Development)
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25 pages, 1419 KiB  
Article
Opportunities to Increase Financial Well-Being by Investing in Environmental, Social and Governance with Respect to Improving Financial Literacy under COVID-19: The Case of Latvia
by Inese Mavlutova, Andris Fomins, Aivars Spilbergs, Dzintra Atstaja and Janis Brizga
Sustainability 2022, 14(1), 339; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010339 - 29 Dec 2021
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4854
Abstract
The latest studies reveal that the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed investors in developed economies to focus more on the value attached to environmental and social responsibilities. Unfortunately, socially responsible investment and compliance with environmental, social and governance criteria are not given enough priority [...] Read more.
The latest studies reveal that the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed investors in developed economies to focus more on the value attached to environmental and social responsibilities. Unfortunately, socially responsible investment and compliance with environmental, social and governance criteria are not given enough priority in Latvia at present. The purpose of the study is to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the willingness of Latvians to invest in assets that meet environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria and factors influencing investors’ choice based on their financial literacy. Different views on sustainable investments, socially responsible investments and the relevance of environmental, social and governance criteria from private investors’ perspectives were analyzed to identify factors influencing investment decisions in favour of sustainable investments. Quantitative analysis was carried out to reveal the regularities between financial literacy, the willingness to invest to meet the ESG criteria and the level of education and income of the Latvian population, as well as their savings/investment experience. Such statistical methods as descriptive statistics and hypothesis testing were applied to perform an analysis of the results. The authors’ findings include the importance of sustainable investing to Latvian society, changes of attitude towards ESG investing in different private investors’ groups under the COVID-19 crisis, and the effects of these changes on the financial well-being of the population and, on the basis of these findings, have come to the conclusion that the willingness to invest in the assets that follow environmental, social and governance criteria depends on the level of education, savings/investment experience and income level. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environment, Energy and Sustainable Development)
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15 pages, 1328 KiB  
Article
Can Online Education Programs Solve the Cyberbullying Problem? Educating South Korean Elementary Students in the COVID-19 Era
by Eunsun Choi and Namje Park
Sustainability 2021, 13(20), 11211; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132011211 - 11 Oct 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4018
Abstract
Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, public education has been forced to hold classes online, which increases the time students are on the internet at home. While this situation has significantly reduced the incidence of physical violence between students, cyberbullying has increased sharply, even [...] Read more.
Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, public education has been forced to hold classes online, which increases the time students are on the internet at home. While this situation has significantly reduced the incidence of physical violence between students, cyberbullying has increased sharply, even among younger students. This paper examines a program developed to educate elementary school students on how to best respond to cyberbullying—a social issue that hinders the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs). The program was applied to students, and the educational effects were tracked. First, we analyzed education programs in South Korea and the United States that teach students how to cope with cyberbullying, extracted characteristic parts, and developed the online education program in accordance with the current situation in South Korea. Next, we conducted an online education preference survey through an independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA. As a result, regardless of gender and grade, most study subjects preferred online education. In addition, we conducted a paired sample t-test to determine the prevention and response effects of suggested online education programs. According to the test, the study subjects experienced less cyberbullying and victimization after participating in the online education program. Additional benefits were the students’ increased ability to defend against cyberbullying and a decreased need for defenders and assistants in warding off the cyberbullies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environment, Energy and Sustainable Development)
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20 pages, 4559 KiB  
Article
Does Car Sharing Contribute to Urban Sustainability from User-Motivation Perspectives?
by Inese Mavlutova, Jekaterina Kuzmina, Inga Uvarova, Dzintra Atstaja, Kristaps Lesinskis, Elina Mikelsone and Janis Brizga
Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10588; https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910588 - 24 Sep 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3992
Abstract
Mobility, its current state and development perspectives in the future creates challenges with respect to sustainability, the first of which is the uncontrolled increase in greenhouse gas emissions in the last few decades, while road transport is one of the “sinners” creating long-term [...] Read more.
Mobility, its current state and development perspectives in the future creates challenges with respect to sustainability, the first of which is the uncontrolled increase in greenhouse gas emissions in the last few decades, while road transport is one of the “sinners” creating long-term negative impact. The second is the dominance of car travel and car usage in the passenger transportation segment before the latest COVID-19 pandemic accelerated environmental problems. Although recent trends show new, greener patterns in consumption, there is still a relatively low share of consumers acknowledging the importance of sustainable and green preferences. This research study aims to investigate car sharing from users’ perspectives and to determine the most significant factors influencing their choice of sharing services to ensure upscaling of car sharing and, thus, contribute to urban sustainability. This research study contributes to the overall scientific discussion on car sharing and its role within urban sustainability, particularly with the following: (1) deeper investigation of car sharing and its users motivation perspectives in Latvia; (2) analyses of the most significant motivational factors for car-sharing users and aspects of sustainability; and (3) the insight into the generational differences triggering a number of car-sharing users. The existing and potential users of car sharing were surveyed in order to determine the motivational factors for its usage and attitudes towards it. Socio-demographic variables in statistical analysis were used to identify economic and environmental factors that meaningfully influence the choice of car-sharing services. The results of this study can support further development in new car-sharing business models and the value proposition for consumers in Latvia, as well as preparing policy recommendations on the promotion of sustainable transport. These findings are also useful to academics for the investigation of recent trends in car sharing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environment, Energy and Sustainable Development)
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