Sustainable Technologies in Solar Thermal and PV Systems Optimization and Application

Dear Colleagues,

The global transition toward carbon-neutral energy systems has intensified the demand for innovative, sustainable solar technologies. This Special Issue aims to showcase recent advances in solar thermal and photovoltaic (PV) systems, with a strong emphasis on optimization techniques, system integration, performance enhancements, and real-world applications. Contributions are invited that address emerging materials, advanced modelling frameworks, hybrid solar systems, novel cooling and thermal management approaches, optimization algorithms, reliability assessment, and techno-economic or environmental analyses. Studies that explore intelligent solar systems, such as AI- and IoT-assisted control, as well as research on solar resource assessment, storage integration, and practical demonstration projects, are highly encouraged. The goal is to provide a comprehensive platform that highlights transformative technologies capable of improving system efficiency, reducing lifecycle impacts, and accelerating the sustainable deployment of solar energy across the residential, industrial, agricultural, and grid-scale sectors.

We welcome submissions from academic, industrial, and interdisciplinary research groups that address current challenges, emerging innovations, and transformative approaches to solar energy utilization.

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

• Advanced solar thermal systems.
• Photovoltaic (PV) technologies and performance enhancement.
• Hybrid PV/T collectors and integrated solar systems.
• Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) and solar heat applications.
• Innovative materials for solar absorbers, coatings, and PV modules.
• Solar energy storage: sensible, latent, thermochemical, and battery-integrated.
• Cooling and thermal management strategies for PV modules.
• AI/ML-driven optimization, predictive control, and innovative solar technologies.
• System modelling, CFD analysis, simulation, and digital twin approaches.
• Life cycle analysis, techno-economic assessment, and sustainability metrics.
• Off-grid and grid-connected solar energy applications.
• Solar-driven industrial processes, agriculture, and water systems.
• Experimental validation, field testing, and demonstration projects.

Dr. Karunesh Kant
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Energies 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 2600 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.