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Special Issue "Smart Cities and Positive Energy Districts: Urban Perspectives in 2022–2023"

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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: 30 November 2023 | Viewed by 3367

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Dr. Paola Clerici Maestosi

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ENEA—Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Department Energy Technologies and Renewables TERIN-SEN Smart Energy Networks, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Interests: BIM; sustainable development; sustainability; urban development; urban planning; urban sustainability; renewable energy technologies; land use planning; architecture; sustainable architecture
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Dear Colleagues,

Since 2018, the EERA Joint Programme on Smart Cities has promoted and published the most promising papers on tools, technologies, and system integration for Smart Cities and Positive Energy Districts, thus positioning the EERA Joint Programme on Smart Cities as one of the strongest voices in this research area in Europe, capable of highlighting different points of view and solutions.

The Horizon Europe thanks to Partnerships (DUT&CET), Mission Climate Neutral and Smart Cities, and New European Bauhaus, sets ambitious targets.

According to this, our ambition for the upcoming fifth Special Issue is to collect and publish papers, review articles, technical notes, and letters on the following topics related to urban dimension:

I. Positive Energy District, with a focus on (a) innovative solutions for the planning; large-scale implementation and replication of PEDs; (b) integrative approaches including technology, spatial, regulatory, legal, financial, environmental, social and economic perspectives; and (c) quality of life in cities;

II. An exploration of 15-Minute Cities with a focus on an (a) integrated planning approach; (b) urban mobility system; (c) city planning and design of public space; and (d) logistics and production;

III. Circular Urban Economies, with a focus on (a) regenerative urbanism at different spatial scales to support cities and urban areas to increase their circularity; (b) restore natural capital and increase the use of multi-functional greening to address climate change mitigation and adaptation; and (c) support community and planetary resilience, including climate action, ecosystem robustness, liveability, inclusion, equality, public health and well-being;

IV. Urban systemic transformation towards climate neutrality, with a focus on (a) model for the transformation of cities to innovation hubs; (b) new forms of participative and innovative city governance; (c) economic and funding/financing model for climate action; (d) ‘integrated urban planning’ model, (e) smart systems and data platforms;

V. Green and digital challenges to transform urban lives for the better with a focus on (a) model for the transformation of cities to innovation hubs; (b) new forms of participative and innovative city governance; (c) economic and funding/financing model for climate action; and (d) ‘integrated urban planning’ model.

Dr. Paola Clerici Maestosi
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 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.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

From Buildings to Communities: Exploring the Role of Financial Schemes for Sustainable Plus Energy Neighborhoods

Andrea Kerstens

and

Angela Greco

Energies 2023, 16(14), 5453; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16145453 - 18 Jul 2023

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Abstract

The realization of sustainable plus energy neighborhoods (SPENs) is key to achieving a carbon neutral built environment, and meeting the objectives of the green deal. Financial schemes have demonstrated effectiveness in driving the energy transition of individual buildings. However, the role of financial schemes in initiating the development of SPENs remains unclear. This study aims to address this research gap by investigating the extent to which existing financial schemes support the technological advancements and stakeholders involved in SPEN realization. The focus is on four European countries: Austria, The Netherlands, Norway, and Spain, where noteworthy SPEN initiatives have been established. This study investigates whether and how financial schemes facilitate SPEN development and address the neighborhood-level dynamics. Our research used a mixed-methods approach comprising a literature review, case studies, and interviews. Our findings shed light on two significant barriers within current schemes. Firstly, the schemes rarely incentivize collective energy sharing and may inadvertently impede individuals’ prosumerism. Secondly, they primarily favor individuals capable of making upfront capital investments, rendering them inaccessible to a large portion of European citizens. By identifying these limitations, our study highlights the need for policy adjustments and innovative financial mechanisms to overcome the barriers hindering SPEN implementation. Moreover, our research contributes to the broader understanding of sustainable urban development and offers insights that extend beyond the examined countries, aiding policymakers and stakeholders in other regions facing similar challenges. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Cities and Positive Energy Districts: Urban Perspectives in 2022–2023)

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Open AccessArticle

Classifying Regional and Industrial Characteristics of GHG Emissions in South Korea

Hyungsu Kang

and

Hyunmin Daniel Zoh

Energies 2022, 15(20), 7777; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15207777 - 20 Oct 2022

Viewed by 828

Abstract

South Korea officially committed to reducing 40% of its total carbon emissions by 2030, but the country has a carbon-dependent economic structure based on the manufacturing industry. Additionally, the industrial structure of each region in South Korea is heterogeneous. In this regard, policymakers should analyze the carbon emission condition at a regional level because abatement aspects are heterogeneous by urban spatial production. However, although various studies have developed a methodology to evaluate the GHG emission condition, these studies failed to consider the fundamental aspect of regional heterogeneity. In this regard, this study suggests a quantitative method to assess the potential of the carbon neutrality of regions and industries by using both shift-share analysis and the Log Mean Divisia Index method. Shift share analysis is used to quantify the relation between the industry and regional characteristics, and the Log Mean Divisia Index method can decompose each effect for economic growth and technological progress. By combining these two methods, this study suggests four classifications to evaluate regional and industrial characteristics of GHG emissions and analyze each region’s emission status in terms of the mining and manufacturing industry in South Korea. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Cities and Positive Energy Districts: Urban Perspectives in 2022–2023)

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Open AccessArticle

Comparative Analysis of Renewable Energy Community Designs for District Heating Networks: Case Study of Corticella (Italy)

Maria Alessandra Ancona

and

Energies 2022, 15(14), 5248; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15145248 - 20 Jul 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1263

Abstract

In recent years, a rapid increase in the adoption of renewable energy sources and in the transition from a centralized electricity generation system to an increasingly distributed one has occurred. Within this scenario, in line with the European directives for achieving the objectives in the field of energy transition and climate change, energy communities are seen as potential contributors. The purpose of this work is to analyze the application potential of the energy community concept associated with district heating networks, leading to better overall energy-economic performance. This was demonstrated for a specific energy community in Italy, and it can be achieved by maximizing internal energy sharing—resulting from the electricity surplus generated by the photovoltaic system—and adopting different strategies that include heat pumps in order to maximize self-consumption and self-sufficiency, as well as to evaluate the most efficient investment in economic terms by exploiting the incentive tariff on shared energy. The results show that the performance of the system can be improved with the proposed design, achieving a significant reduction in the system’s energy demand, emissions and costs: compared to the reference case, the use of photovoltaics reduces primary energy demand by approximately 11%, while the addition of the energy community configuration allows emissions to be reduced by nearly 12%, with no additional investment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Cities and Positive Energy Districts: Urban Perspectives in 2022–2023)

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