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Conference Report

Innovative Solutions for a Sustainable Future: Main Topics of Selected Papers in the 19th SDEWES Conference in 2024

by
Wenxiao Chu
1,
Maria Vicidomini
2,
Francesco Calise
2,*,
Neven Duić
3,
Poul Alberg Østergaard
4 and
Qiuwang Wang
1
1
Key Laboratory of Thermo-Fluid Science and Engineering (Ministry of Education), Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
2
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Piazzale Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
3
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb, Ivana Lučića 5, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
4
Department of Planning, Aalborg University, Rendsburggade 14, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Energies 2025, 18(17), 4647; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18174647
Submission received: 1 July 2025 / Revised: 10 August 2025 / Accepted: 27 August 2025 / Published: 1 September 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from the SDEWES 2024 Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems)
Browse Figure
Versions Notes

Abstract

From September 8th to 12th, 2024, the 19th SDEWES Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water, and Environment Systems was successfully held in Rome. This event drew 700 researchers, scientists, and practitioners from 62 nations across six continents, with 570 participating in person and another 130 joining virtually. A total of seven papers were selected to be published in Energies, and the corresponding literature published in the most recent year is here reviewed. The main topics of the selected papers regard the adoption of district heating and cooling and their integration with renewable energies (such as geothermal or solar, the use of innovative bifacial PV panels, the use of biomass energy for the bio-synthetic natural gas production, the short-term electric load forecasting for industrial applications, and others. The reviewed papers show that several energy measures can be addressed to reach the decarbonization goals of 2050 and that the scientific community continues to find novel, sustainable, and efficient methods for the reduction in energy consumption and related CO2 emissions.

1. Introduction

The SDEWES conference series originated in the early 2000s against the backdrop of growing global awareness of sustainable development. In 2002, the first SDEWES conference was held in Dubrovnik, Croatia. At the time, sustainable development had become a focal point of global attention. In the years following its inception, the SDEWES conference gradually gained recognition and influence. The number of participating countries, institutions, and researchers steadily increased, and the conference′s academic quality and research depth improved. From 2003 to 2010, the conference was held annually in locations such as Greece, Portugal, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, covering an expanding range of topics. At that time, the SDEWES conference series integrates multiple disciplines such as energy, water resources, environmental science, engineering, economics, and social sciences. The research topics addressed at the SDEWES conference directly target these global issues, offering scientific and technical support for achieving sustainable development goals. Meanwhile, the research findings presented at the conference provide valuable references for policymakers. They assist governments in formulating scientific and effective policies and strategies for energy, water, and environmental management. For instance, studies on energy policies can offer insights into the development of renewable energy incentive policies and energy efficiency improvement measures. As a result, the conference′s research outcomes hold significant practical value for driving the upgrading and sustainable development of industries. Advancements in renewable energy technologies can promote the growth of the renewable energy industry, creating new economic growth opportunities. Innovations in water treatment technologies can enhance the efficiency and quality of water treatment, supporting the sustainable development of the water industry.
The overarching theme of the 2024 conference was Innovative Solutions for a Sustainable Future. It encompassed a wide range of topics, including renewable energy technologies, water resource management, environmental pollution control, sustainable urban development, circular economy, climate change adaptation, and more. These topics are aligned with global sustainable development goals, addressing the critical challenges and research hotspots in energy, water, and environmental systems. In the present paper, the topics of selected papers in the recent 5-year Energies Special Issue for the SDEWES conference series are reported. Section 2 collects the papers addressing the topic of building energy saving and DHC networks. Section 3 collects the papers addressing the topic of renewable energy applications. Section 4 collects the papers on the topic of energy policy and electric load forecasting. Section 5 collects the papers on biomass applications. Finally, Section 6 reports the main topics of the electric power system and CO2 emission.

2. Building Energy Saving and DHC Networks

Globally, the construction industry consumes over 30% of total primary energy and releases approximately 27% of greenhouse gas emissions [1]. In the framework of the decarbonization of the building sector, several research papers have focused on the development of district heating and cooling (DHC) networks. Such networks are considered the most effective and mature infrastructures [2] to efficiently and sustainably supply thermal energy to consumers. In order to achieve efficient and optimized district networks, energy optimization analysis and transient simulations of such systems are needed [3]. These simulations represent a suitable tool for the energy planning and design of novel and efficient district networks [4].
Table 1 presents a compilation of keywords from selected papers published in Special Issues of various journals focusing on building energy saving and district heating and cooling (DHC) networks. Note that the Energy journal includes four papers, with a strong emphasis on heat pumps, performance coefficients, decarbonization, and climate variability, suggesting a focus on optimizing energy systems under diverse environmental conditions. Meanwhile, Energy Reports also contains four papers, highlighting building energy modeling, waste heat utilization, and energy system optimization, reflecting a comprehensive approach to energy efficiency and sustainability. Applied Thermal Engineering features three papers, emphasizing topics like adsorption chillers, heat pumps, and solar-air heat pumps, indicating a focus on innovative heating and cooling technologies. Lastly, Sustainability and Energies each have two papers, respectively, covering themes like career competencies in sustainability, digital food systems, and district heating systems, indicating a broader scope that includes societal and technological aspects of sustainability.
Certain themes in the SDEWES conference emphasize the importance of energy efficiency, renewable energy integration, and sustainable practices in building energy systems. The research consistently explores ways to improve energy systems through modeling, simulation, and economic assessment. This summary highlights the comparative focus areas of each journal, providing a snapshot of current research trends in energy saving and DHC networks. The data suggests a progression from examining individual technologies and their performance to developing more integrated, system-level approaches to energy management. This evolution reflects broader trends in the field toward more holistic and sustainable energy solutions that consider multiple factors and their interconnections.
Regarding this topic, the work presented in ref. [18] is based on a simplified simulation approach for the dynamic study of heating districts regarding the control theory method. The proposed method can predict detailed operation over the time in the networks. The proposed approach can consider both multiple-looped networks and non-looped networks, as well as the coupling of these networks with renewable energy technologies. The approach is based on the development of two models. The first one aims at providing the correct evaluation of the mass flow distribution in the pipes and different pressure distribution inside the heating network. Hence, the initial framework centers on accurately determining mass flow through the fluid-dynamics module. The second model is the so-called “thermodynamic model”. This converts the mass flow calculation into energy flow. In particular, this model aims at mathematically defining the time-dependent temperature dynamics of the pipes in order to calculate the time-dependent energy equation of every node of the network. The main difference between the thermodynamic model and the hydraulic model is that the hydraulic model uses the incidence matrix for the calculation of the mass flows and a mathematical description of the network. Conversely, the thermodynamic model does not adopt the incidence matrix, but it describes the node-to-node connections of the heating network. To provide the validation of the simulation method, five different test cases have been considered. This study examined three distinct configurations, including a single-loop layout, a multi-loop arrangement, and an actual, tree-type distribution system. Unlike the very simple networks whose topology reduces to a set of independent branches, the loop-based systems exhibit a higher level of complexity because the flow within one circuit can influence that in another. After each model was performed, its output was checked against two independent references, which are the hydraulic solver EPANET and closed-form hand calculations. Note that EPANET serves as the benchmark for verifying the hydraulic model and the predicted mass flow rates, while an analytical steady-state temperature profile was derived by hand and compared with the transient thermal results to confirm the energy-balance calculations. The simulation approach resulted in good numerical accuracy for the temperature when it was compared to the steady-state solution of each network. In addition, this approach yields a reliable approximation of how mass is distributed across networks with one or several loops. The authors conclude that larger networks need more nodes for adequate estimation. Therefore, the increase in the number of nodes leads to larger matrices and thus to much higher computational time. However, further utilization of the proposed approach for a larger network requires more optimized coding based on quick-search algorithms, and sparse matrices are needed.
A further study based on the integration of renewable energy technologies with district heating networks in order to reduce the emissions of the building sector is presented in ref. [19]. Here, large district heating systems were investigated when coupled with solar thermal collectors and seasonal aquifer thermal energy storage. This study focuses on lowering the networks′ annual running expenses by integrating heat pumps, CHP plants, electric boilers, heat-only boilers, and both short-term tanks and aquifer thermal stores. A mixed-integer linear program (MILP) is formulated to capture all operational constraints and decisions. Because of the model′s size, only a multi-week horizon is optimized within practical computing limits. The intention of this paper is to investigate the size of thermal energy storage when coupled with a solar thermal system from the economic and environmental point of view in the framework of urban district heating systems. The implemented approach is useful to identify operating and design, and parameters to obtain a secure and sustainable energy supply in urban areas featuring district heating systems. The model developed is applied to a specific case study, a German energy utility in Berlin. In the district-heating scheme examined, the fuel used in the cogeneration unit is waste timber. The electric boilers draw power from the public grid. Heat for the heat pumps is taken either from the Spree, whose temperature must stay above 8 °C, or from the cogeneration unit’s waste heat. A short-term thermal store of 121 MWh is integrated into the network. For 2023, the mean heat load was 67.5 MW, the peak reached 181 MW, and the summer base load averaged 24 MW; annual heat consumption was 591 GWh. The solar collector’s thermal energy production is calculated considering the weather data of Berlin using the Solar Keymark Output Calculator (ScenoCalc), an official tool for calculating solar thermal collector energy output. Within the considered calculator, a high temperature vacuum tube collector tilted by 20° was selected and simulated. According to the ScenoCalc results, the resulting solar thermal energy production is 433.5 kWh/m2 with a thermal efficiency of 38%. Different seasonal aquifer thermal energy storage scenarios are investigated and compared to a reference scenario without seasonal thermal energy storage (but only 15.3 GWh of solar thermal system). The results of the analysis show that if an aquifer thermal energy storage with an injection well temperature of about 55 °C is considered, an increase of 178% of the thermal energy with respect to the system with only solar thermal systems is obtained (from 15.3 to 42.5 GWh). For the case with an injection well temperature at 20 °C and the application of the heat pumps, the thermal energy of the solar thermal system is increased by 276% (up to 57.5 GWh). From the economic and environmental point of view, the integration of aquifer thermal energy storage has not always had positive impacts. In order to improve these aspects, further research is needed, considering sensitivity correlations and applying multi-objective MILP optimization, taking into account configurations, prices, or emissions allocated to electricity procurement.

3. Renewable and Smart Energy Application

The global push for sustainable energy solutions has propelled renewable energy applications into the forefront of scientific and technological innovation. These applications encompass technologies like solar photovoltaics [20], wind turbines [21], hydroelectric power [22], and geothermal systems [23], which harness natural resources to generate clean, sustainable power. As awareness of climate change and environmental degradation grows, renewable energy technologies are increasingly seen as vital alternatives to fossil fuels. Research and development in this field focus on improving efficiency, reducing costs, and integrating these technologies into existing energy infrastructures. Advances in materials science, computational modeling, and optimization techniques continue to drive progress, making renewable energy increasingly viable for widespread adoption.
Table 2 reveals the keywords from selected papers on renewable and smart energy applications published in the SDEWES Special Issue across five journals. In the Energy journal, five papers were published in the SDEWES Special Issue, showing a broad range of interests including energy efficiency, geothermal energy, desalination, and hydrogen storage. The keywords also highlight the importance of multi-timescale scenarios and rural off-grid solar photovoltaic systems, reflecting a comprehensive approach to energy management and renewable integration. The three papers in the Energy Reports emphasize thermal comfort, deep learning, and smart buildings, suggesting a focus on enhancing energy efficiency and user comfort through intelligent systems. Sustainability involved two papers in the Special Issue, covering topics like data-driven assessment and urban mobility indicators, showing an interest in the broader societal impacts of energy systems. One paper involved in Applied Thermal Engineering focuses on advanced materials and technologies such as attapulgite-supported Fe2O3, chemical looping, and hydrogen production, indicating a trend towards innovative solutions for energy efficiency and sustainability, while one paper is published in the Special Issue in Energies journal with the topic of bifacial PV modules and symbolic regression. A niche interest in specific renewable energy technologies and optimization methods is included.
In the framework of the solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, bifacial PV modules have been investigated in the work presented in ref. [35]. This is an advanced technology able to convert the captured irradiation from both surfaces. By this technology, the critical issue due to the low efficiency of the traditional PV panels can be overcome. These panels harvest sunlight on their sun-facing front side while their rear side redirects light through reflection. Under optimal conditions, the solar energy production can increase up to 20% [36]. In particular, the study performed in ref. [35] presents an interpretable and transparent solution able to optimize the bifacial PV tracking systems. For this purpose, we introduced a symbolic-regression framework that estimates the working temperature of bifacial photovoltaic modules. Genetic algorithms were employed within this framework to capture the nonlinear dependencies between module temperature and various environmental factors. The environmental variables are collected with high resolution time, i.e., 5 min intervals over a year. The data on sunlight intensity, the temperature of the PV modules, the surrounding air temperature, and the wind velocity were gathered. The experimental setup is based on a 19.9 MW bifacial PV plant. The bifacial system is also equipped with solar trackers, and the analysis for tropical weather zones was presented. In particular, the weather zone of San Marcos, Colombia, was considered. In addition to the primary regression approach, its performance was benchmarked against several conventional techniques, including empirical regression schemes, multivariable linear models, and the standard NOCT framework. The computational efficiency, balancing accuracy and interpretability, of the developed model has been highlighted. Specifically, the symbolic regression approach uncovers the inherent nonlinear relationships between environmental factors without assuming any predetermined functional form. This aspect is useful to overcome the limitations of linear and empirical models. With respect to other machine learning models, the presented model is based on explicit equations, and the understanding of the weather factors on the bifacial PV module temperature is simplified. The proposed model proved highly reliable, delivering an RMSE of 4.05 °C, an R2 of 0.91, a Spearman correlation of 0.95, and a MAE of 2.25 °C. The model significantly outperforms traditional approaches, such as the MLR, which results in an RMSE of 6.18 °C and NOCT models with an RMSE of 13.23 °C. The computational agility of the presented approach leads to integration of the model in real applications and adaptive solar tracker adjustments. Because the results are presented for tropical weather zones, the authors suggest further analysis for temperate and arid weather zones, as well as investigating further parameters such as humidity, shading, and panel soiling.

4. Energy Policy and Economic Analysis

Energy policies provide frameworks for sustainable development, guiding decisions on resource allocation, emissions reduction, and technology adoption [37]. They balance economic, environmental, and social goals while ensuring energy security. Electric load forecasting predicts future electricity demand, aiding in grid stability, resource planning, and cost efficiency. Accurate forecasts help utilities manage supply-demand dynamics, especially with increasing renewable energy integration [38]. As a result, these areas ensure reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy systems in the face of evolving consumption patterns and climate challenges.
Table 3 provides a detailed overview of the thematic focus of selected papers published in various journals within the SDEWES Special Issue, specifically focusing on energy policy and economic analysis. A total of four papers were published in the Energy Special Issue, delving into topics of energy efficiency, life cycle assessment (LCA), and thermo-economic optimization. The focus here is on the environmental impact and economic viability of energy systems, with an emphasis on renewable energy sources like solar and thermal energy. Cleaner and Technology, with three papers, covers a broader range of topics including economic growth, climate change, CO2 emissions, and greenhouse gases (GHG). The keywords also highlight the use of various models and theories to analyze energy systems, such as the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and structural equation modeling (SEM). Applied Thermal Engineering, Energy Reports, Sustainability, and Energies each contributed two papers, covering topics such as biomass gasification, sustainable development goals (SDGs), hydrogen economy, carbon sequestration, and machine learning techniques in energy analysis. These papers suggest a more specialized focus on niche areas within technological advancements in energy production and their economic implications, energy policy, and economic analysis.
Increasing electricity produced from renewables, enhancing energy efficiency, electrification of heating, cooling, industry, and transport sectors are key solutions to tackle climate change and reach the gradual decarbonization crucial for achieving sustainability and carbon neutrality by 2050 [50]. In this Special Issue, the importance of electric load forecasting cannot be overstated in ensuring efficient operation and optimizing energy management strategy. The study in ref. [49] explores machine-learning techniques to predict the short-term power demand of an industrial facility. The forecasting of the load is useful for an industrial facility in order to adopt more efficiently renewable technologies, increase efficiency, and decrease operating costs. The study compares several models applied to a suitable case study, a big industrial plant in Adana, Turkey, in order to predict the short-term electric load. Specifically, the investigation evaluates five distinct methods chosen because they reliably reproduce the intricate links within industrial energy use, namely: (i) Gene Expression Programming (GEP), (ii) Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), (iii) Gradient Boost Decision Tree (GBDT), (iv) Group Method of Data Handling (GMDH), and (v) Multi-Layer Perceptron Neural Network (MLPNN). Spanning from evolutionary algorithms such as GEP and GMDH, through statistical models, e.g., MLR, to advanced machine-learning methods including GBDT and MLPNN, these five strategies offer a markedly more computationally efficient option. The results of these approaches are considered more realistic than the ones obtained by sophisticated machine learning models, e.g., Transformers and Recurrent Neural Networks. The scalability to different industrial plants of the selected approaches and that to describe both nonlinear and linear relations could make these approaches suitable for the reliable and understandable prediction of the load. To further increase the optimal energy utilization and the forecasting accuracy, the lagging electrical variables, meteorological, and calendar, along with machine learning-based algorithms, are combined. By analyzing the findings from different methods, we can select the most suitable model and refine energy management practices, thereby preventing imprecise predictions that could compromise both efficiency initiatives and financial planning. The analysis aims to calculate statistical performance and associated error metrics, such as R2 and MAPE, such as R2 and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE). The results show that MLR and GMDH generate identical and more accurate MAPE values than other approaches. GEP and MLPNN generate high MAPE values, which means that their predictions are less accurate, and they are appropriate for real-time applications. In addition, GEP and MLPNN are featured by a lot more computing time, and therefore, they are less effective for real-time applications. GBDT had the lowest MAPE value (0.827%), and therefore, from the prediction accuracy point of view, it is the most suitable model. However, the computation time restricts its application in situations that require quick forecasts.

5. Biomass Applications

Biomass is instrumental in curbing the use of fossil fuels and cutting the release of greenhouse gases [51]. Its applications span from small-scale heating systems to large-scale power generation facilities. Through processes like combustion, anaerobic digestion, and gasification, biomass can be converted into various forms of energy suitable for different industrial and residential uses [52]. This versatility makes biomass energy a valuable component of sustainable energy strategies [53]. However, its environmental and economic viability depends on sustainable sourcing and efficient conversion technologies.
Table 4 presents a concise overview of the research focus on biomass applications as published in the SDEWES Special Issue. In Applied Thermal Engineering, two papers are featured, which focus on anaerobic digestion, biorefinery processes, and the production of bioproducts such as potato starch. Energy and Energies journals have one paper, respectively, with a focus on energy biomass conversion, process integration, and life cycle assessment (LCA), which are essential for the environmental impact evaluation and energy efficiency prediction. Comparatively, all three journals emphasize the importance of biomass conversion and energy efficiency, but Applied Thermal Engineering seems to focus more on specific processing techniques and feedstocks, while Energy and Energies takes a more integrated approach to energy systems and environmental evaluation.
The interest of stakeholders and academics in energy recovery from agro-industrial biomasses has significantly increased over the last years. Indeed, sustainable and efficient management of biomass residues contributes to the self-production of energy as well as to the reduction in the environmental impact and economic costs associated with residue disposal. Ref. [55] examines a plant that first gasifies biomass and then converts the syngas to synthetic natural gas, showing that coupling these steps with heat recuperation can yield methane in a sustainable manner. Figure 1 depicts the gasification flowchart converting biomass energy into synthetic natural gas. The subject was explored within the scope of the AIRE initiative, whose objective was to reclaim the thermal energy released during methanation through inter-stage intercooling heat exchangers. In particular, the heat is recovered to preheat process streams, rather than using a further auxiliary fluid for cooling the stream. This results in a marked increase in overall system performance. The study detailed the virtual replication, mathematical representation, and performance enhancement of the operation, with Aspen Plus® employed as the simulation platform. In addition, the pilot-scale gasification setup was presented to compare the experimental results with the numerical results achieved by the simulation. The study further quantifies syngas output from a dual fluidized bed gasifier and its subsequent upgrading to bio-substitute natural gas within the methanation unit. A range of heat-recovery schemes was evaluated to boost overall efficiency. One approach focused on thermodynamic viability by mapping operating temperatures to prevent thermal pinching and maintain sufficient heat-exchange driving forces. A complementary approach assessed energy viability through a step-wise audit of every thermal unit’s energy requirement. Both schemes were examined while progressively raising the combustion air inlet temperature and the steam temperature supplied to the gasifier. This increasing effect is pivotal to raise the system efficiency and decline the application of the auxiliary fuel. The feedstock for the pilot plant is based on hazelnut shells, an agro-industrial by-product generally available. The size of the available biomass is already suitable to supply the system. According to the performed analysis, the ash content and moisture of the feedstock were suitable for the treatment and conversion, requiring no further pretreatment. A fixed stream of 20 kg·h−1 was assumed. Enthalpy and density were determined with the HCOALGEN and DCOALGEN correlations, respectively. The assessment of the coupled gasification and methanation stages rested on three calculated indicators: (i) cold-gas efficiency, defined as the ratio of the chemical energy in the product gas to the combined energy supplied by biomass and auxiliary fuel; (ii) methanation efficiency, the chemical energy embodied in the bio-SNG divided by the chemical energy of the incoming syngas; and (iii) overall plant efficiency, the chemical energy in the final bio-SNG relative to the total energy introduced via biomass and auxiliary fuel. The results demonstrate that the system can be scaled up to explore the syngas application supplied by renewable energy. In fact, in the case of an optimized heat recovery strategy, the adoption of exothermic methanation reactions can preheat gasification inputs. This is useful to eliminate the adoption of an auxiliary fuel for the gasification process. The optimal thermal recovery rate is about 80%. In this case, the cold gas efficiency is 79%, with a bio-synthetic natural gas production rate of 0.4 Nm3/kgBiom with a methane content of 85 vol.%. The optimal strategy of heat recovery might reduce CO2 emissions by 10% while increasing overall energy efficiency.

6. Waste Recovery and CO2 Emission Reduction in Power Systems

As the largest source of global CO2 emissions, the power sector is central to climate change mitigation efforts. Research focuses on enhancing system efficiency, integrating renewables, and developing carbon capture technologies to reduce emissions [56]. The transition to sustainable power systems involves optimizing grid operations, enhancing energy storage, and promoting policies that encourage clean energy adoption [57]. Addressing CO2 emissions from electricity generation is essential for reaching the global climate goals and achieving a sustainable energy future.
Table 5 synthesizes 20 papers from 5 journal Special Issues, including Energy Reports, Energy, Applied Thermal Engineering, Sustainability, Cleaner Engineering and Technology and Energies. Energy Reports dominates with six contributions centered on positive energy districts (PED), life-cycle assessment (LCA), and data-center cooling (CRAC). These studies integrate archetype-based urban energy models with social acceptance metrics, quantifying energy-efficiency gains and CO2-mitigation potential. Energy contributes five works emphasizing demand response, nodal pricing, and stochastic modeling for micro-grid flexibility. The papers provide techno-economic frameworks to lower grid-related CO2 intensity. Applied Thermal Engineering (4 papers) and Sustainability (3 papers) focus on combustion optimization (oxy-fuel, pre-gasification), thermal treatment of municipal solid-waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash, and nanostructured boiling enhancement. In Cleaner Engineering and Technology and Energies, one paper is involved, respectively.
The keywords from selected papers on electric power systems and CO2 emissions published in SDEWES Special Issues. In 2019, research focused on gas switching combustion, IGCC, and CO2 capture, emphasizing efficiency and fuel conservation. Then, in 2020, the scope expanded to include energy poverty, thermal performance, and fuel cells, reflecting a broader interest in social and technical aspects of energy systems. By 2022, the research shifted towards CO2 compression, CCS, and lifecycle assessment, with keywords like “geothermal energy” and “district heating system” suggesting a diversification of energy sources and systems. The 2023 Special Issue introduced climate change adaptation and urban risk indicators, showing increased focus on resilience and sustainability, and the research returned to fundamental combustion processes in 2024. As a result, this evolution reflects the field′s growing complexity as it tackles climate change, energy poverty, and sustainable development. The consistent thread of CO2 reduction across all years underscores the enduring priority of mitigating environmental impacts in energy research. The 20 papers depict a coherent research trajectory from component-level efficiency gains to district-scale decarbonization strategies, underpinned by rigorous LCA and data-driven optimization, thereby advancing scientific pathways toward net-zero electric power systems.
The increase in component efficiency is a challenge to address the saving of the primary energy and, therefore, of the related CO2 emissions. For this reason, cogeneration units able to produce simultaneously heat and power by means of only a primary energy source as inlet fuel are pivotal components. In this framework, the stability enhancement and efficiency improvement of partially premixed combustion in combustion chambers of internal combustion engines is investigated in the ref. [77]. With respect to the other literature studies, in this paper, special attention is dedicated to the combustion duration and global burning velocity. The contribution of this paper is to map how the flame speed shifts and which parameters steer this change across the partially premixed regime. This is mainly due to the high importance of the burning velocity on the achieved combustion efficiency. The study experimentally investigated partially premixed combustion within a confined chamber, focusing on lean methane–hydrogen–air mixtures with spatial fuel–air nonuniformities. Burning velocity was estimated by the adoption of the constant pressure method based on pressure signal measurements. Using a high-pressure injection valve, pure fuel was injected into the combustion bomb to obtain a lean partially premixed mixture. By regulating the injection pulse width, the global equivalence ratio was defined. By varying the mixture formation time (ignition delay), the degree of partial premixing was manipulated. The paper analyzed partial premixing levels (mixture formation times from 10 ms to 3 min), the effects of global equivalence ratio (0.5 to 0.9), as well as the hydrogen content (10% to 40%). Moreover, experiments probed how partially premixed CH4/H2/air blends evolve their heat-release profiles and how quickly they burn. A clear link emerged between flame speed and chamber pressure: leaner mixtures amplify this coupling, giving faster chemistry and steadier combustion. Shortening the fuel–air mixing interval tightens the overall burn duration, because higher partial-premix levels intensify heat release and raise the laminar burning velocity.

7. Conclusions

The SDEWES conference, with its focus on the sustainable development of energy, water, and environmental systems, boasts significant scientific value, practical importance, and broad influence. The 2024 conference held in Italy further advanced research and practice in the field of sustainable development, attracting scholars and experts worldwide to jointly explore pathways and solutions for a sustainable future. Looking ahead, the SDEWES conference will continue to play a crucial role in promoting global sustainable development, while the Energies journal indicates deep calibration with the SDEWES series in the coming future. The main contributions of the SDEWES conference can be concluded into three aspects:
Firstly, the SDEWES conference has garnered widespread attention and recognition within the academic community. It attracts top researchers and experts from around the world, who present and exchange cutting-edge research findings. The conference proceedings are indexed by major international academic databases, and many high-quality papers published at the conference have been widely cited. It has become a key academic platform in the fields of energy, water, and environmental systems, significantly advancing theoretical and methodological research in these areas.
Secondly, the conference provides an excellent platform for academic exchange and collaboration for researchers, particularly young scholars and graduate students. It enables them to engage with leading experts and scholars in their fields, broadening their academic horizons and inspiring innovative thinking. Many young researchers have honed their research skills and enhanced their academic capabilities through participation in the conference, growing into professionals in the field of sustainable development. The conference also fosters talent exchange and collaboration among universities and research institutions.
Finally, the research findings and technological innovations shown at the conference have been widely applied in industries, driving technological progress and sustainable development in energy, water, and environmental sectors. For example, renewable energy technologies such as solar and wind power, which have been demonstrated at the conference, have been increasingly adopted in the energy industry, gradually becoming mainstream energy sources. Advanced water treatment technologies and environmental monitoring instruments introduced at the conference have also been widely used in water treatment plants and environmental monitoring stations, improving water treatment efficiency and environmental monitoring accuracy. Additionally, the conference has facilitated industry-academia-research collaborations, bridging the gap between research and practice. It has promoted the transformation of scientific and technological achievements into productive forces, benefiting the economy and society.

Author Contributions

W.C. and M.V. prepared the initial draft. The manuscript was corrected and reviewed by F.C., N.D., P.A.Ø. and Q.W. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Data Availability Statement

The original contributions presented in this study are included in the article. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.

Acknowledgments

The guest editors sincerely appreciate the authors who submitted their high-quality manuscripts to this Special Issue. We also thank all the reviewers who spend time and give their highly valuable comments and thank the managing editors of Energies for their great effort and excellent support.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Energies 18 04647 g001
Figure 1. Gasification flowchart converting biomass energy into synthetic natural gas.
Figure 1. Gasification flowchart converting biomass energy into synthetic natural gas.
Energies 18 04647 g001
Table 1. Keywords of selected papers in topics of building energy saving and DHC networks published in the recent SDEWES Special Issues.
Table 1. Keywords of selected papers in topics of building energy saving and DHC networks published in the recent SDEWES Special Issues.
Special Issues in JournalsPaper QuantityKeywords
Energy [5,6,7,8]4district heating, heat pumps, waste heat, energy efficiency, thermal prosumer;
district heating, decarbonization, renewable energy sources, waste heat, strategic planning;
European climate zones, air-water heat pumps, seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP), net present value (NPV), energy price scenarios, climatic variability;
district heating system, decarbonization, building energy modeling, thermal demand estimation, spatial energy planning.
Energy Reports [9,10,11,12]4Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC), centralized control system, subjective evaluation index, facial skin temperatures, thermal adaptation, thermal comfort;
data centers, cooling technologies, computer room air-conditioning (CRAC), performance usage effectiveness, temperature and humidity, energy-efficiency;
hydrogen-based industries, waste heat, district heating, energy system optimization model;
building physics, air quality, environmental risk analysis, and ventilation.
Applied Thermal Engineering [13,14,15]3adsorption chiller, composite adsorbents, silica gel, transient simulation, adsorption kinetics;
electrification, heat pump, system controls, start-up strategy, natural refrigerants;
dual-source solar-air heat pump, space heating, domestic hot water, seasonal performance, PV-T.
Sustainability [16,17]3digital, food, nexus, ontology, socioenvironmental, sustainability;
green building rating systems, positive energy district, technical solutions, building materials, and products.
Energies [18,19]2heating districts, dynamic simulation, energy analysis, transient simulation;
district heating systems, seasonal aquifer thermal energy storage, mixed-integer linear programming, solar thermal systems.
Table 2. Keywords of selected papers in topics of renewable and smart energy applications published in the recent SDEWES Special Issues.
Table 2. Keywords of selected papers in topics of renewable and smart energy applications published in the recent SDEWES Special Issues.
Year of Special IssuePaper QuantityKeywords
Energy [24,25,26,27,28]5wave energy, long-term energy trends, coupled model intercomparison project phase 6, wave energy converters;
geothermal energy; energy efficiency; desalination; energy optimization; power generation; hydrogen storage;
rural off-grid solar photovoltaic system; interpretability; multi-timescale scenarios; understandability; open-source;
thermal comfort; Eulerian video magnification; low-cost monitoring system; deep learning; smart buildings;
smart cities; HVAC systems; energy efficiency; multi-agent reinforcement learning; transfer learning; thermal comfort.
Energy Reports [29,30,31]3building energy forecast, building electricity consumption; data normalization; deep learning; weather data;
sustainable development of energy; concentrated solar power; desalination; analytical hierarchy process;
building energy performance; moveable film; glazing system; dynamic envelope; transient simulation.
Sustainability [32,33]2street experiments; urban mobility indicators; impact evaluation; data-driven assessment;
carrying capacity; coupling system; red-billed blue magpie optimizer; random forest.
Applied Thermal Engineering [34]1attapulgite supported Fe2O3; chemical looping; spheronization technology; hydrogen production; reactivity and stability.
Energies [35]1bifacial PV module; symbolic regression; genetic algorithm; temperature prediction.
Table 3. Keywords of selected papers in topics of energy policy and economic analysis published in the recent SDEWES Special Issues.
Table 3. Keywords of selected papers in topics of energy policy and economic analysis published in the recent SDEWES Special Issues.
Year of Special IssuePaper QuantityKeywords
Energy [39,40,41,42]4energy systems; shipping industry; energy efficiency; alternative fuels; dynamic simulation;
bidirectional thermal district; active district heating; distributed generation; solar energy; bidirectional substation; prosumer; thermal curtailment;
life cycle cost (LCC); life cycle assessment (LCA); energy efficiency; renovation; reconstruction; embodied carbon;
photovoltaic solar panels; heat pump; environmental impact; thermo-economic optimization; refrigerant leakage.
Cleaner Engineering and Technology [43,44,45]3non-interconnected zone (NIZ); internet of thing; remote monitoring; sustainable development goals (SDGs); smart networks; smart energy systems;
climate change; greenhouse gases (GHG); economic growth; CO2 emissions;
norm activation model (NAM), structural equation modeling (SEM); pay-per-month acceptance; theory of planned behavior (TPB); discrete choice experiment (DCE).
Applied Thermal Engineering [46]1Biomass gasification; steam gasification; thermal plasma; techno-economic analysis; producer gas;
Energy Reports [47]1green hydrogen economy; sustainable tourism; decarbonization; hydrogen ecosystems; Alps;
Sustainability [48]1EU Restoration Law; peat sustainable management; peatlands; carbon sequestration and storage; peatland restoration; biodiversity conservation;
Energies [49]1multilayer perceptron neural network (MLPNN); multiple linear regression (MLR); group method of data handling (GMDH); gradient boost decision tree (GBDT); gene expression programming (GEP).
Table 4. Keywords of selected papers in topics of biomass applications published in the recent SDEWES Special Issues.
Table 4. Keywords of selected papers in topics of biomass applications published in the recent SDEWES Special Issues.
Year of Special IssuePaper QuantityKeywords
Applied Thermal Engineering2anaerobic digestion; bioproducts; biorefinery; bioenergy; potato starch; waste management, response surface methodology;
biogas; cassava peel; beating pre-treatment; starch, digestate.
Energy [54]1energy biomass conversion; life cycle assessment (LCA); energy assessment; process integration; energy transition.
Energies [55]1Bio-SNG; Gasification; methanation; process integration; modeling.
Table 5. Keywords of selected papers in topics of electric power system and CO2 emission published in the recent SDEWES Special Issues.
Table 5. Keywords of selected papers in topics of electric power system and CO2 emission published in the recent SDEWES Special Issues.
Year of Special IssuePaper QuantityKeywords
Energy Reports [58,59,60,61,62,63]6data centers; CRAC cooling; cooling strategies; technologies; temperature and humidity; performance usage effectiveness; energy-efficiency;
railway coaches; HVAC system; heat recovery; energy efficiency;
positive energy district; archetype-based modeling; urban energy systems; life cycle assessment;
positive energy districts; energy renovation; energy models; life cycle assessment;
CO2-based fuel; social acceptance; public perception; information needs; communication; carbon capture;
alternative fuel vehicles; risk perception; acceptance; survey; mobility change; gender; generation; climate change awareness;
sewage sludge; micropollutants; antimicrobial agents; microplastics hydroxyl derivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Energy [64,65,66,67,68]5energy system modeling; demand-side-management; flexibility; nodal pricing; power transmission grid;
stochastic nucleation boiling model; 3D integrated circuits (3DICs); thermal resistance; energy efficiency; micro-spiral flow boiling; centrifugal forces;
building energy; life cycle assessment; microgrids; power supply unit; direct current loads; environmental impacts;
circular economy; waste management; energy recovery; demographic projections; forecasting; waste-to-energy capacity;
demand response; optimization; energy communities; load-shifting; peak-shaving.
Applied Thermal Engineering [69,70,71,72]4mini/micro-channels; water boiling; mechanistic model; annular regime; droplet clusters;
oxy-fuel combustion; CaCO3 decomposition; pre-gasification combustion; NOx emissions reduction; cement calciner optimization;
municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash; thermal treatment; dichlorination and washing; heavy metals; flux additives;
subcooled pool boiling; critical heat flux; copper nanowires; subcooling; ultrasonic oscillation.
Sustainability [73,74,75]3photovoltaic systems; circular Economy; sustainable energy; heat pumps; sustainable evaluation;
recycled concrete; green concrete; non-autoclaved aerated concrete; ceramic cullet; circular economy;
ash-and-slag waste; sustainable construction; microstructure analysis; artificial intelligence.
Cleaner Engineering and Technology [76]1theory of planned behavior; green consumer; pro-environmental behaviors; recycler; waste preventer; structural equation modeling; external influences.
Energies [77]1partially premixed combustion; constant-volume combustion bomb; methane and hydrogen; burning velocity; rapid combustion.
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Chu, W.; Vicidomini, M.; Calise, F.; Duić, N.; Østergaard, P.A.; Wang, Q. Innovative Solutions for a Sustainable Future: Main Topics of Selected Papers in the 19th SDEWES Conference in 2024. Energies 2025, 18, 4647. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18174647

AMA Style

Chu W, Vicidomini M, Calise F, Duić N, Østergaard PA, Wang Q. Innovative Solutions for a Sustainable Future: Main Topics of Selected Papers in the 19th SDEWES Conference in 2024. Energies. 2025; 18(17):4647. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18174647

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chu, Wenxiao, Maria Vicidomini, Francesco Calise, Neven Duić, Poul Alberg Østergaard, and Qiuwang Wang. 2025. "Innovative Solutions for a Sustainable Future: Main Topics of Selected Papers in the 19th SDEWES Conference in 2024" Energies 18, no. 17: 4647. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18174647

APA Style

Chu, W., Vicidomini, M., Calise, F., Duić, N., Østergaard, P. A., & Wang, Q. (2025). Innovative Solutions for a Sustainable Future: Main Topics of Selected Papers in the 19th SDEWES Conference in 2024. Energies, 18(17), 4647. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18174647

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