The Sustainability of Energy Systems: Policy, Economy, and Environment
A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A: Sustainable Energy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 May 2026 | Viewed by 2195
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
I invite submissions to a Special Issue of Energies on the topic “The Sustainability of Energy Systems: Policy, Economic, and Environment.” As the global energy landscape undergoes profound transformations, the interplay between energy policy, economic development, and environmental sustainability has become increasingly complex and dynamic.
Key governance challenges include navigating geopolitical risks while maintaining energy security, managing the socio-economic disruptions of just transitions, and addressing institutional incompatibilities that hinder nexus approaches in practice. The complexity of energy system transformation demands innovative governance frameworks that can reconcile short-term economic pressures with long-term sustainability goals while ensuring equitable participation in transition processes.
This Special Issue seeks interdisciplinary contributions that examine how policies are shaped by environmental constraints and economic pressures, how economies respond to regulatory and ecological changes, and how governance systems can be redesigned to address conflicts. Here, we can look at multi-level energy policies ranging from national strategic planning and decarbonization targets to market reforms, financial incentives, carbon pricing, and sector-specific regulations. We particularly welcome contributions that critically assess the trade-offs and synergies among these three dimensions in different national, regional, or sectoral contexts.
Topics may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Just transition governance;
- Low-carbon energy systems;
- Fossil fuel phase-out;
- Energy security vs. sustainability trade-offs;
- Environmental and economic assessment;
- Geopolitical risks in energy policy;
- Democratic energy governance;
- Resilience under policy uncertainty.
Dr. Yueting Ding
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.
Keywords
- sustainable energy systems
- energy policy and governance
- environmental economics
- energy justice
- energy security
- energy affordability
- carbon pricing and regulation
- clean energy investment
- policy–economy–environment nexus
- climate and energy strategy
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