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Clean and Efficient Use of Energy: 3rd Edition

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "B: Energy and Environment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2025 | Viewed by 700

Special Issue Editors

Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics (LICP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
Interests: clean fuel; CO2 conversion; catalyst characterization; biodiesel; hydrogen storage; polyoxymethylene diethyl ethers; ethanol; methanol
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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan 030001, China
Interests: chemistry and engineering; nanomaterials synthesis; heterogeneous catalysis; syngas conversion to oxygenates; alcohol coupling and alkane dehydrogenation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Interests: clean alternative fuels for internal combustion engines; emissions and controls of internal combustion engines; internal combustion engines; combustion of internal combustion engines and control of harmful emissions; clean alternative fuels for petroleum; methanol vehicle testing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to share with you the success of our Special Issues “Clean and Efficient Use of Energy” and “Clean and Efficient Use of Energy: 2nd Edition”.

In the first volume, we successfully published six papers, which you can find at the following link:
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/energies/special_issues/1AJ0H482FX.

In the second volume, we also successfully published the following six papers:
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/energies/special_issues/J7OA65PC18.

We are now preparing to launch the third volume of this Special Issue, “Clean and Efficient Use of Energy: 3rd Edition”.

At present, energy is being consistently consumed in an intensive manner for socio-economic activities. Humans must reduce their environmental impact and combat the climate change impacts of energy consumption. For example, carbon dioxide (CO2) has attracted global attention recently because of its negative impact on global warming and climate change, and sustainable energy and clean and efficient energy utilization are essential to meet the sustainability goals of the future. These goals will require the development and implementation of energy resources, including traditional oil, coal, natural gas, and hydroelectric power as well as promising renewable sources (solar, biomass, wind, geothermal, etc.). The emissions and waste from energy utilization processes need to be eliminated or reused. Additionally, the various pathways need to be extensively analyzed.

This Special Issue is dedicated to the clean and efficient use of energy, and we invite original papers addressing the various topics related to the cleanliness, efficiency, and sustainability of energy sources. Submissions to this Special Issue may include reviews, original research articles, highlights, perspectives, short communications, commentaries, and so forth.

The topics of interest may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Biomass energy conversion and utilization;
  2. The conversion and utilization of CO2;
  3. The elimination of pollutants in the use of energy;
  4. Electrocatalysis in energy applications;
  5. Clean alternative fuels;
  6. Emissions and controls in the use of energy;
  7. The clean and efficient utilization of coal;
  8. The clean utilization of methanol, ethanol, and derived fuels;
  9. Hydrogen storage and release;
  10. Evaluating and implementing alternative energy approaches.

Dr. Gangli Zhu
Prof. Dr. Kegong Fang
Prof. Dr. Shenghua Liu
Guest Editors

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. 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.

Keywords

  • biomass
  • alternative fuels
  • CO2 utilization
  • elimination of pollutants
  • energy storage and release
  • electrocatalysis

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 2593 KiB  
Article
Preliminary Comparison of Ammonia- and Natural Gas-Fueled Micro-Gas Turbine Systems in Heat-Driven CHP for a Small Residential Community
by Mateusz Proniewicz, Karolina Petela, Christine Mounaïm-Rousselle, Mirko R. Bothien, Andrea Gruber, Yong Fan, Minhyeok Lee and Andrzej Szlęk
Energies 2025, 18(15), 4103; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18154103 - 1 Aug 2025
Viewed by 323
Abstract
This research considers a preliminary comparative technical evaluation of two micro-gas turbine (MGT) systems in combined heat and power (CHP) mode (100 kWe), aimed at supplying heat to a residential community of 15 average-sized buildings located in Central Europe over a year. Two [...] Read more.
This research considers a preliminary comparative technical evaluation of two micro-gas turbine (MGT) systems in combined heat and power (CHP) mode (100 kWe), aimed at supplying heat to a residential community of 15 average-sized buildings located in Central Europe over a year. Two systems were modelled in Ebsilon 15 software: a natural gas case (benchmark) and an ammonia-fueled case, both based on the same on-design parameters. Off-design simulations evaluated performance over variable ambient temperatures and loads. Idealized, unrecuperated cycles were adopted to isolate the thermodynamic impact of the fuel switch under complete combustion assumption. Under these assumptions, the study shows that the ammonia system produces more electrical energy and less excess heat, yielding marginally higher electrical efficiency and EUF (26.05% and 77.63%) than the natural gas system (24.59% and 77.55%), highlighting ammonia’s utilization potential in such a context. Future research should target validating ammonia combustion and emission profiles across the turbine load range, and updating the thermodynamic model with a recuperator and SCR accounting for realistic pressure losses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clean and Efficient Use of Energy: 3rd Edition)
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Review

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16 pages, 1414 KiB  
Review
Systems Thinking for Climate Change and Clean Energy
by Hassan Qudrat-Ullah
Energies 2025, 18(15), 4200; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18154200 - 7 Aug 2025
Viewed by 245
Abstract
Addressing climate change and advancing clean energy transitions demand holistic approaches that capture complex, interconnected system behaviors. This review focuses on the application of causal loop diagrams (CLDs) as a core systems-thinking methodology to understand and manage dynamic feedback within environmental, social, and [...] Read more.
Addressing climate change and advancing clean energy transitions demand holistic approaches that capture complex, interconnected system behaviors. This review focuses on the application of causal loop diagrams (CLDs) as a core systems-thinking methodology to understand and manage dynamic feedback within environmental, social, and technological domains. CLDs visually map the reinforcing and balancing loops that drive climate risks, clean energy adoption, and sustainable development, offering intuitive insights into system structure and behavior. Through a synthesis of empirical studies and case examples, this paper demonstrates how CLDs help identify leverage points in renewable energy policy, carbon management, and ecosystem resilience. Despite their strengths in simplifying complexity and enhancing stakeholder communication, challenges remain—including data gaps, model validation, and the integration of diverse knowledge systems. The review also examines recent innovations that improve CLD effectiveness, such as hybrid modeling approaches and digital tools that enhance transparency and decision support. By emphasizing CLDs’ unique capacity to reveal feedback mechanisms critical for climate action and energy planning, this study provides actionable recommendations for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners seeking to leverage systems thinking for transformative, sustainable solutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clean and Efficient Use of Energy: 3rd Edition)
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