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Sustainability
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Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency for a Decarbonized Sustainability
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Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency for a Decarbonized Sustainability

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 February 2024) | Viewed by 6438

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ahmad I. Abbas

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Guest Editor
Energy Science and Technology Directorate, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
Interests: energy; energy efficiency; renewable energy; decarbonization
Prof. Dr. Jamal O. Jaber

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Engineering Technology, Al-Balqa’ Applied University, Amman 11134, Jordan
Interests: energy conversion; energy and environmental management; renewable energy
Dr. Mohammad D. Qandil

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA
Interests: energy; energy efficiency; renewable energy; HVAC

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past several decades, increasing concern about climate change, scarcity of resources, and energy supply have led to a paradigm shift in society and industry toward improved energy efficiency. In response to this shift, industrial firms have increased their focus on improving energy efficiency due to global and industrial drivers such as rising energy prices, stringent environmental regulations, customer demand for greener products, and increased environmental awareness.

Energy efficiency and conservation are important tools; however, the energy efficiency improvement potential alone is not sufficient to reduce the increasing demand for fossil fuels and their associated environmental impact. To reduce fossil fuel demand and carbon emissions, all sectors must invest in renewable energy. Renewable energy technologies can provide practical and cost-effective alternatives for clean electricity and decarbonized heat sources including industrial process heat with fewer greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions.

This Special Issue of the journal Sustainability devoted to the broad field of “Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency for a Decarbonized Sustainability” aims to explore recent research into the concepts, methods, tools, and applications for improving renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies and their applications in order to advance and promote sustainable development in all sectors.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

  • Energy efficiency measures and practices
  • Industrial energy efficiency
  • Renewable energy technologies (Solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, biomass, biogas, etc.)
  • Renewable energy contracts, policies, and markets
  • Renewable electricity procurement
  • Energy storage
  • Hybrid energy systems
  • Decarbonization technologies
  • Sustainable development
  • Fuel Cells
  • Microgrids
  • Renewable fuels (Green hydrogen, renewable natural gas, etc.)
  • Energy economics
  • Net Zero Energy

Dr. Ahmad I. Abbas
Prof. Dr. Jamal O. Jaber
Dr. Mohammad D. Qandil
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. 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) 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

  • renewable energy
  • energy efficiency
  • decarbonization
  • clean energy
  • sustainable development

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3871 KiB  
Article
Requirement on the Capacity of Energy Storage to Meet the 2 °C Goal
by Yifei Deng, Yijing Wang, Xiaofan Xing, Yuankang Xiong, Siqing Xu and Rong Wang
Sustainability 2024, 16(9), 3753; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16093753 - 30 Apr 2024
Viewed by 773
Abstract
The inherent power fluctuations of wind, photovoltaic (PV) and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) create a temporal mismatch between energy supply and demand. This mismatch could lead to a potential resurgence of fossil fuels, offsetting the effects of decarbonization and affecting [...] Read more.
The inherent power fluctuations of wind, photovoltaic (PV) and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) create a temporal mismatch between energy supply and demand. This mismatch could lead to a potential resurgence of fossil fuels, offsetting the effects of decarbonization and affecting the realization of the Paris target by limiting global warming to below 2 °C in the 21st century. While application of energy storage is widely recommended to address this limitation, there is a research gap to quantify the impacts of energy storage limitation on global warming. Here, we analyzed the hourly variation of global wind and PV power during the period 1981–2020 and the monthly capacity of biomass production in 2019, and thus quantified the impact of decreasing the capacity of energy storage on global warming using a state-of-the-art Earth system model. We found that global warming by 2100 in the SSP1-2.6 scenario would increase by about 20% and exceed 2 °C without deploying energy storage facilities. Achieving the 2 °C target requires reducing power losses of wind and PV by at least 30% through energy storage. This requirement delivers to a cumulative storage capacity of 16.46 TWh using batteries during the period 2021–2100, leading to the international trade of cobalt and manganese across countries due to deficits of minerals at a country level. In the context of energy security, we highlight the importance of considering the limitations of energy storage and mineral shortage in the forthcoming policies of decarbonization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency for a Decarbonized Sustainability)
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24 pages, 5137 KiB  
Article
The Pathway to NDC and Carbon Neutrality: Roles of Optimum Degree between Marginal Abatement Cost and Social Cost of Carbon in the Thai Power and Industrial Sector
by Phitsinee Muangjai, Wongkot Wongsapai, Tassawan Jaitiang, Chaichan Ritkrerkkrai, Sopit Daroon and Waranya Thepsaskul
Sustainability 2024, 16(1), 160; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16010160 - 22 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 935
Abstract
Thailand has formulated its climate change policy and updated the relevant plans and policies to align with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality and net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study investigated the optimal level of GHG mitigation in Thailand by taking into [...] Read more.
Thailand has formulated its climate change policy and updated the relevant plans and policies to align with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality and net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study investigated the optimal level of GHG mitigation in Thailand by taking into account the marginal abatement cost (MAC) and social cost of carbon (SCC). The research also evaluated how energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies could influence GHG reduction in the power and industrial sectors and illustrate policy recommendations that could be aligned with the 2020–2050 policy and plan period. The findings indicated that there could be instances where GHG mitigation potential would be insufficient to reach the national milestone. In such cases, it would become imperative to leverage all technologies within the marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) and also utilize the SCC for policy decision-making and meeting the desired goals. In certain scenarios, the adoption of additional technologies or measures would be necessary, such as flexible power generation and deploying carbon capture and storage or hydrogen, which are high-cost technologies. Furthermore, preparations should be made for multiple levels of climate change policies and plans beyond 2030. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency for a Decarbonized Sustainability)
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24 pages, 2881 KiB  
Article
Energy Efficiency as a Foundational Technology Pillar for Industrial Decarbonization
by Senthil Sundaramoorthy, Dipti Kamath, Sachin Nimbalkar, Christopher Price, Thomas Wenning and Joseph Cresko
Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9487; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129487 - 13 Jun 2023
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3862
Abstract
The U.S. government aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to reduce the severe impacts of climate change. The U.S. industrial sector will become a focal point for decarbonization since it accounts for 33% of the nation’s primary energy use and [...] Read more.
The U.S. government aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to reduce the severe impacts of climate change. The U.S. industrial sector will become a focal point for decarbonization since it accounts for 33% of the nation’s primary energy use and 30% of its energy-related CO2 emissions. Industrial emissions are also expected to increase by 15% through 2050, making the industrial sector a logical target for decarbonization efforts. Energy efficiency technology pathways provide low-cost, foundational routes to decarbonization that can be implemented immediately. Energy efficiency technology pathways, such as strategic energy management, system efficiency, smart manufacturing, material efficiency, and combined heat and power, are well established and would immediately reduce energy use and emissions. However, their role in the aggressive net-zero decarbonization pathway for the industrial sector is still unclear. This study aims to address energy efficiency pathways for decarbonization, and reviews studies related to these technologies for industrial decarbonization through 2050. This study identifies different strategies for the industrial sector in general and that are specific to six energy-intensive industries: iron and steel; chemical; food and beverage; petroleum refining; pulp and paper; and cement. Finally, a path toward the successful implementation of energy efficiency technologies is outlined. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency for a Decarbonized Sustainability)
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