Internet of Things for Energy-Efficient Smart Cities: Technologies, Big Data and Security
A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "G1: Smart Cities and Urban Management".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (24 April 2026) | Viewed by 3818
Special Issue Editors
Interests: Internet of Things; interoperability; distributed systems; distributed ledger technology; blockchain
Interests: the design of intelligent sensor systems enabled by edge/extreme-edge computing functionalities and tiny machine learning capabilities for a wide range of applications (including monitoring infrastructures, industry and agriculture); focusing on the joint optimization of hardware-software components
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The rapid urbanization of our world presents unprecedented challenges and opportunities, with smart cities emerging as a key strategy to enhance the quality of life for citizens and ensure sustainable development. Central to the evolution of smart cities is the Internet of Things (IoT), a transformative paradigm that connects a vast array of devices, sensors, and systems, enabling intelligent data collection, analysis, and control. As urban environments grow, so does their energy consumption, making energy efficiency a critical imperative. The integration of IoT technologies offers powerful solutions to optimize energy usage across various urban sectors, from smart grids and buildings to transportation and public services. However, the proliferation of IoT devices also generates massive volumes of data—Big Data—that require sophisticated analytical techniques to unlock valuable insights. Furthermore, the interconnected nature of these systems raises significant security and privacy concerns that must be addressed to ensure the trust and reliability of smart city infrastructures.
This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate the most recent advances related to the theory, design, modelling, application, and security of IoT systems for energy-efficient smart cities. We seek high-quality, original research that explores innovative technologies, addresses the challenges of managing and leveraging Big Data, and proposes robust security frameworks to safeguard these critical urban infrastructures.
Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to the following:
- Novel IoT architectures and communication protocols for energy-efficient smart cities;
- Low-power IoT devices and energy harvesting techniques for urban deployments;
- Big Data analytics, machine learning, and AI for energy optimization in smart cities;
- Cybersecurity, privacy-preserving mechanisms, and trust management for smart city IoT ecosystems;
- IoT-enabled smart grids, demand-response systems, and renewable energy integration;
- Intelligent transportation systems and their impact on urban energy consumption;
- Energy-efficient smart buildings, homes, and infrastructure management using IoT;
- IoT applications for sustainable urban resource management (e.g., water, waste);
- Edge, fog, and cloud computing paradigms for smart city IoT data processing;
- Blockchain technology for secure and transparent energy management in smart cities;
- Interoperability and standardization challenges in IoT for smart cities;
- Case studies, pilot projects, and real-world deployments of IoT in energy-efficient smart cities;
- Ethical, social, and policy implications of IoT adoption in smart cities.
We look forward to receiving your contributions to this timely and important Special Issue.
Dr. Lorenzo Gigli
Dr. Federica Zonzini
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- smart cities
- energy efficiency
- big data
- cyber security
- smart grids
- low-power IoT
- machine learning
- blockchain
- IoT security
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