Energy Management and Optimization in Manufacturing for Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0

Dear Colleagues,

In the context of increasing global energy demand, environmental concerns, and the ongoing digital transformation of industries, energy management and optimization have become central challenges for modern manufacturing. Industry 4.0 technologies, such as Internet of Things, Cyber–Physical Systems, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Twins, are revolutionizing industrial processes, enabling smarter, more flexible, and energy-efficient production systems.

Building upon this foundation, Industry 5.0 introduces a paradigm shift that places greater emphasis on human-centricity, sustainability, and resilience. It encourages the integration of advanced technologies with social and environmental values, promoting collaboration between humans and machines, and supporting long-term sustainable development. Energy efficiency, circularity, and intelligent resource management are key components in this evolving industrial vision.

Modern manufacturing systems must therefore not only meet high productivity and quality standards, but also reduce energy consumption, environmental impact, and enhance adaptability under dynamic conditions. In this regard, intelligent energy management strategies, process optimization, real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and system-level integration play critical roles. The convergence of digital technologies with advanced control, machine learning algorithms, and data-driven decision-making is paving the way toward fully optimized, sustainable, and human-aware industrial operations.

This Special Issue aims to bring together original and high-quality contributions to emerging methods, techniques, and applications of energy optimization in manufacturing within the evolving frameworks of Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0. Both theoretical and practical developments are welcome, including case studies, simulation-based approaches, and experimental validation. Researchers and practitioners are encouraged to share their insights into the modeling, monitoring, forecasting, control, and digitalization of energy-related aspects in industrial environments.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Optimization of energy consumption in industrial processes;
• AI and machine learning for predictive energy management;
• Generative AI applications for industrial energy management;
• Real-time monitoring and control in Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 contexts;
• IoT-based energy data acquisition and analytics;
• Digital Twins and Cyber–Physical systems for energy efficiency;
• Energy optimization in industrial robotics and automation;
• Sustainable production planning and scheduling;
• Intelligent control strategies for industrial energy systems;
• Integration of renewable energy in manufacturing environments;
• Lifecycle assessment and sustainability metrics in Industry 4.0/5.0;
• Decision support tools for industrial energy management;
• Energy management systems and energy audits;
• Circularity in energy, utilities, and resources;
• Practical tools, evaluation frameworks, and decision-making methodologies for supporting energy management in SMEs.

Dr. Vito Introna
Dr. Annalisa Santolamazza
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.

• industrial energy management
• energy performance
• Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0
• sustainability
• energy benchmarking
• modeling and simulation