Applications, Integration and Trends of Renewable Energy Technologies

Dear Colleagues,

Renewable energy technologies include a large number of applications that evolve continuously, and their input can be derived directly from sources such as solar (photovoltaics, solar thermal electricity generation, heating and cooling), wind, sustainable biomass, hydro, geothermal, wave, and tidal energy. In many cases, the output of these technologies is intermittent and non-dispatchable, which makes the utilization of energy storage (electrical or thermal) essential. Remarkable renewable applications also include systems that are not widely used today, but their futures seem to be promising, such as renewable hydrogen production and desalination.

The significant penetration of non-dispatchable renewable technologies makes their integration to the power grid a very challenging task in terms of planning, operation, and control, as they have to be combined with conventional power generation, battery storage, and demand response in isolated and/or interconnected systems. Additionally, renewable technologies hold a key role in the evolving concepts of smart grid and electric vehicle (EV) integration.

A holistic approach to the renewable technologies should also consider their impact during their whole lifetime, in the context of life cycle assessment (LCA), from their production stage until their recycling/disposal. It should also account for the new trends in materials science, as they can lead to significant steps forward in terms of cost reduction and performance improvement. This Special Issue aims to present the state-of-the-art of renewable energy applications, grid integration issues, and future trends.

Dr. Yiannis Katsigiannis
Guest Editor

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