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Advances in Energy Transition towards Carbon Neutrality

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 4303

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, BE-2400 Mol, Belgium
Interests: sustainable energy; sustainable industrial processes; energy storage; energy water nexus; carbon neutrality

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Editors are inviting submissions to a Special Issue of Sustainability on the subject of "Advances in Energy Transition towards Carbon Neutrality".

Energy transition towards carbon neutrality has gained more urgency in the actual global context, where industries are still heavily relying on fossil fuels, many countries are still relying on imported energy and fuels, urbanized, densely populated areas are still rapidly expanding, and citizens have become more aware of their individual and collective roles in ensuring a sustainable future. The transition process remains a very complex on-going process, with various levels of interactions among stakeholders such as, e.g., industries, policy makers, researchers, citizens, etc. Despite the fact that in the long-term, all stakeholders aim to achieve sustainability and carbon neutrality, more interactions among them are still needed to support and enhance the energy transition towards carbon neutrality. Data-based smart solutions supporting the valorization of demand-side flexibility provide opportunities for interactions among stakeholders while maintaining affordability and ensuring the security of supply, and furthermore, they may lead to consumer empowerment and a true sharing economy, with a more prominent role for prosumers.

This Special Issue focuses on how and where carbon emission reduction and the increased use of renewables in the strategies and activities of various stakeholders can support each other to achieve carbon neutrality. Contributions that mainly address energy technological innovations, markets, and policies where multiple stakeholders are involved are encouraged. As energy and water are strongly interlinked, their respective transitions towards sustainability will influence each other in a significant manner. Therefore, particular attention is devoted to the exploration of novel technologies, actions and strategies, and business models that enhance both energy and water transitions.

Topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to:

  1. Technological advances in sustainable energy production, use, and recovery;
  2. Advances in energy storage technologies;
  3. Energy–water nexus in transition towards carbon neutrality;
  4. Advances in data-driven demand-side flexibility valorization;
  5. Advances towards consumer empowerment;
  6. Energy and water prosumers.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Emilia Motoasca
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 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

  • sustainable energy
  • sustainable industrial processes
  • energy storage
  • energy water nexus
  • carbon neutrality
  • flexibility valorization
  • demand response
  • energy transition
  • prosumers (energy, water)

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 3092 KiB  
Article
The Power Transition under the Interaction of Different Systems—A Case Study of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area
by Wenxiu Wang, Yuejun Luo and Daiqing Zhao
Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5577; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065577 - 22 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1913
Abstract
Power transition is the top priority in energy transition. All existing power transition paths have been studied under the same system; thus far, no basic research has investigated what paths are involved and how they cooperate with each other under the interaction of [...] Read more.
Power transition is the top priority in energy transition. All existing power transition paths have been studied under the same system; thus far, no basic research has investigated what paths are involved and how they cooperate with each other under the interaction of different systems. Taking the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), featuring a “one country, two systems” approach, as an example, this research identified and quantified the best path for the GBA’s power transition and explored the mode of cooperation during the power transition among the three regions under the interaction of different systems. The results showed that a combination of multiple low-carbon technologies is the best option for the GBA’s deep power transition, which can be characterized by the following components: “gas increase, nuclear increase, coal guarantee, and low proportion of renewable energy”. In this scenario, the GBA can achieve a carbon peak of 167 million tons of CO2 in 2023. Before 2030, the GBA needs to first develop class H gas power, photovoltaic power and nuclear power while phasing out subcritical and below thermal power cogeneration, and subcritical and below coal power. After 2030, a significant increase will be needed in the installed capacity of distributed gas power to replace some class E and F gas power units. Distributed rooftop PV power generation will be the mainstream method of renewable energy generation. Power generation through waste incineration can also provide a prominent contribution to urban biomass power. Under the interaction of different systems, breaking the technical barriers among the three regions would represent a breakthrough for establishing a cooperative power transition. A “one primary system, two auxiliary systems” theoretical framework of cooperation is proposed, and the scope of its application is revealed. This study can provide a case reference for the establishment of a win–win cooperation mechanism for energy transition in different countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Energy Transition towards Carbon Neutrality)
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14 pages, 2837 KiB  
Article
Low-Carbon Transition Paths of Coal Power in China’s Provinces under the Context of the Carbon Trading Scheme
by Feng Liu, Tao Lv, Yuan Meng, Xiaoran Hou, Jie Xu and Xu Deng
Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9657; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159657 - 5 Aug 2022
Viewed by 1780
Abstract
The importance of coal power in maintaining the security of the national power supply and the stability of the grid is irreplaceable for China at present, as was reflected in the “power shortage” event of 2021. To achieve the goal of carbon neutrality, [...] Read more.
The importance of coal power in maintaining the security of the national power supply and the stability of the grid is irreplaceable for China at present, as was reflected in the “power shortage” event of 2021. To achieve the goal of carbon neutrality, the low-carbon transition paths of coal power for each province were analyzed in the context of China’s emission trading scheme (ETS). The prospect and importance of coal power was preliminarily analyzed first. Following the “bottom-up” direction, the real option method was used to establish decision models for investing in carbon capture, utilization and storage equipment (CCUS) and eliminating high carbon-intensive units. Results showed that Inner Mongolia will first adopt CCUS in 2037 and the thresholds can be met in all provinces before 2050. However, the ETS will not lead to the elimination of coal power during the studied period. Combined with an evaluation of the development potential of coal power, four transition paths were distinguished for Chinese provinces. Considering that China’s ETS is in the developing stage, its full potential for stimulating the low-carbon transition of coal power was further discussed. On this basis, several policy implications were provided. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Energy Transition towards Carbon Neutrality)
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