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Advances in the Sustainability and Energy Efficiency of Buildings

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2025 | Viewed by 2684

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute for Energy Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, s/n, Building 8E, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Interests: energy efficiency in buildings; microgrids and smart grids; integration of renewable energy resources; energy resources management and planning; magnetic fields in electrical facilities

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Guest Editor
Instituto de Automática e Informática Industrial, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
Interests: supervision of complex systems; fault detection and diagnosis; improvement of electrical distribution; reliability evaluation of distribution systems; microgrids and smartgrids; integration of renewable energies in distribution systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the significant role buildings play in global energy consumption and climate change due to their use of energy and greenhouse gas emissions. Key areas of exploration include:

Design Phase: This phase centers on understanding climate factors essential for sustainable buildings, placing particular emphasis on the accurate assignment of climatic zones. Renewable energy integration becomes a focal point, ensuring buildings harness sustainable energy sources effectively. Additionally, the phase encompasses adaptive design strategies and the pursuit of sustainable building certifications.

Construction Phase: This phase underscores the importance of sustainability and energy efficiency in modern construction practices. It emphasizes the integration of eco-friendly materials, aligning with circular economy principles. Innovations span a range of areas, from sustainable materials and energy-efficient building procedures to green facility design and installation management. These advancements not only contribute to energy efficiency but also play a pivotal role in enhancing urban air quality and promoting overall sustainability in the built environment.

Usage Phase: The sustainable operation and maintenance of buildings during the usage phase are pivotal not only for guaranteeing long-term energy efficiency but also for achieving significant energy savings. This approach aids in minimizing environmental impacts and fostering the well-being and comfort of occupants. Key aspects of this phase include energy consumption and management, which directly ties to energy savings, indoor environmental quality, thermal energy, water usage and conservation, waste management, and building maintenance. This phase also emphasizes retrofitting and upgrades, which can further enhance energy savings, as well as adaptation to changing conditions, among other vital considerations.

Holistic Approach: This approach represents a comprehensive strategy in building design and construction, emphasizing energy efficiency, sustainability, and addressing the challenges posed by climate change. Fundamental to this approach are interdisciplinary collaborations and lifecycle thinking, which serve as cornerstone principles for sustainable building design and construction. Research in this domain can either be localized or encompass broader regions, but it is essential to engage with communities and stakeholders. This engagement aims to strike a balance between sustainability, the health and well-being of occupants, and economic viability.

Prof. Dr. Carlos Roldán-Blay
Prof. Dr. Eduardo Quiles
Guest Editors

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 submissions that pass pre-check are 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. Applied Sciences 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) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainable design
  • energy efficiency
  • circular economy
  • lifecycle thinking
  • building certifications
  • energy management systems
  • net-zero energy buildings
  • energy conservation measures
  • passive design strategies
  • renewable energy integration

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 7874 KiB  
Article
A Novel Approach to Energy Management with Power Quality Enhancement in Hydrogen Based Microgrids through Numerical Simulation
by Hafiz Ghulam Murtza Qamar, Xiaoqiang Guo, Ehab Ghith and Mehdi Tlija
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(17), 7607; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14177607 - 28 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1098
Abstract
A hydrogen-based microgrid (MG) is an energy system that uses hydrogen as a primary energy carrier within a localized grid. Numerous alternative approaches and concepts are found concerning the management of renewable energy systems. This study proposes a novel approach to assess the [...] Read more.
A hydrogen-based microgrid (MG) is an energy system that uses hydrogen as a primary energy carrier within a localized grid. Numerous alternative approaches and concepts are found concerning the management of renewable energy systems. This study proposes a novel approach to assess the energy management system (EMS) and optimal hydrogen-based Energy Storage Systems (HBESS) at minimal total cost, employing particle swarm optimization (PSO) and fuzzy control in stand-alone microgrids. Together, these methods effectively address control and management challenges within hybrid microgrids (HMGs). This has been proposed to enhance energy management and to improve power quality. The findings reveal that PSO is the most advantageous and efficient approach. Its utilization proves instrumental in reducing costs, boosting reliability, and optimizing operational schedules within HMGs. Furthermore, the power profile holds considerable importance in this study, significantly enhancing system reliability and stability. This study has achieved an impressive 6.147% improvement in cost-effectiveness compared to traditional methods. This has been put into practice and validated through implementation within a MATLAB (9.13.0 (R2022b))/Simulink framework. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Sustainability and Energy Efficiency of Buildings)
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12 pages, 1891 KiB  
Article
Possible Development of Efficient Local Energy Community on the Example of the City of Žilina in Slovakia
by Peter Durcansky, Branislav Zvada and Radovan Nosek
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(13), 5951; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14135951 - 8 Jul 2024
Viewed by 726
Abstract
Reducing the energy demand in the housing sector is one of the current topics in the EU. Slovakia, as an EU member, is also trying to lower the dependence on the import of energy raw materials used for heating. While new buildings reflect [...] Read more.
Reducing the energy demand in the housing sector is one of the current topics in the EU. Slovakia, as an EU member, is also trying to lower the dependence on the import of energy raw materials used for heating. While new buildings reflect the technical requirements of applicable standards, buildings built in the past usually do not meet any technical requirements. The basis of efficient operation is not only satisfactory building structures, but also technological equipment of the buildings. The heating system is often in an unsatisfactory state, and an outdated heat source disproportionately reduces the overall efficiency of energy conversion. Complex restoration is, therefore, in most cases, necessary and often financially costly. The presented article analyzes the current state of housing stock in the example of a selected city district. In the next step, the current state and energy consumption are identified. Subsequently, needed retrofit measures are identified and the possibilities of renewal are analyzed. The use of RES in buildings is proposed, while selected city districts could create an independent energy community. The main goal of this article is to show the necessary steps to achieve efficient energy use and, using the example of a Zilina City district, show the possible benefits of such community creation in Slovakia. The article also discusses the correlation between the number of sunny days and possible energy generation in winter months. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Sustainability and Energy Efficiency of Buildings)
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