Smart Energy Systems: Dynamics, Control and Optimal Planning for Low-Carbon Energy Systems

Dear Colleagues,

The global transition toward sustainable, low-carbon energy systems has become imperative to address climate change, enhance energy security, and meet rising energy demands. As renewable energy sources (e.g., solar, wind, hydro) gain prominence, coupled with advancements in digitalization, electrification, and decentralized energy generation, traditional energy systems—characterized by rigidity, inefficiency, and reliance on fossil fuels—are increasingly inadequate. Smart Energy Systems (SES) emerge as a transformative solution: they integrate cutting-edge technologies, multi-energy carriers (electricity, heat, gas, and mobility), and data-driven optimization to enable flexible, resilient, and carbon-neutral energy flows across scales (from microgrids to transnational networks), with a core focus on understanding their dynamics, refining control mechanisms, and facilitating optimal planning.

Against this backdrop, this Special Issue aims to map the state of the art and chart the future trajectory of Smart Energy Systems. We invite rigorous, cross-disciplinary contributions that advance theory, technology, or socio-economic understanding of the dynamics inherent in renewable integration, the design of robust control strategies for managing energy flows, the optimal planning of storage and infrastructure, and demand-response efficiency and the alignment of innovation with equitable, sustainable development—all in service of advancing low-carbon energy systems.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to,

• Integration of variable renewable energy (VRE) into smart grids (e.g., forecasting, grid stability).
• Smart microgrids and nanogrids: design, control, and resilience for off-grid and urban applications.
• Advanced energy storage technologies (e.g., batteries, hydrogen, thermal storage) and their smart management.
• Multi-energy systems: synergies between electricity, heating, cooling, gas, and transport (e.g., EV integration, power-to-X).
• SES in urban and rural contexts: smart architectures and infrastructure, sustainable city planning, rural electrification, and community-led initiatives.
• Demand response and user engagement: smart metering, behavioral analytics, and incentives for flexible energy use.
• Resilience and security of SES: mitigating cyber threats, extreme weather impacts, and supply chain disruptions.
• Digitalization and AI in SES: machine learning, IoT, digital twins, and big data for optimization and monitoring.
• Emerging technologies: blockchain for peer-to-peer energy trading, quantum computing for complex system optimization.

Prof. Dr. Li Sun
Dr. Ali Khosravi
Dr. Chunrong Zhao
Dr. Pengfei Lv
Prof. Dr. Kwang Y. Lee
Guest Editors

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