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Optimization and Integrated Design of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Systems
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Optimization and Integrated Design of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Systems

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2026) | Viewed by 3367

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Wenye Lin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Guangzhou Institute of Energy Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
Interests: heating, ventilation and air conditioning; energy storage; sustainable buildings; solar energy; integrated energy systems; design optimization; energy management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the context of the rapid growth of energy demand, global warming and environmental deterioration, the adoption of sustainable and renewable sources of energy has been widely recognized as an approach that is necessary if we are to reform the energy structure of human society towards a decarbonized future. In recent decades, much effort has invested into the development and deployment of various sustainable and renewable energy technologies; however, due to the inherent features of renewable energy, such as intermittence, low density, fluctuation, etc., stand-alone applications of sustainable and renewable energy technology tend to fail to provid reliable and applicable clean energy solutions. The variations in and multiplicity of demand from the user side also pose further difficulties in the application of sustainable and renewable energy technologies. The optimization and integrated design of sustainable and renewable energy systems, in a way that takes into consideration the harmonization of energy supply and demand, therefore play significant roles in the rationalization renewable energy utilization with high levels of reliability, efficiency and resilience.

This Special Issue aims to gather together original research and review articles regarding the optimal integration and coupling of sustainable and renewable energy systems, thereby providing a communication platform for the latest technology advancements, in-depth mechanisms, and future research directions in this sector.

Topics within the scope of this Special Issue include but are not limited to the following:

  • Integrated renewable energy systems;
  • Multiple energy complementary;
  • Integrative energy networks;
  • Design optimization and system integration;
  • Control optimization and optimal energy dispatching;
  • Applications and field tests;
  • Energy flexibility and demand-side management;
  • Intelligent and data-driven energy management strategies;
  • Energy or exergy flow analysis;
  • Life cycle analysis or economic assessment;
  • Environmental benefit evaluation and carbon footprint analysis.

Prof. Dr. Wenye Lin
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

  • integrated energy systems
  • energy management
  • energy flexibility
  • multiple energy complementary
  • design optimization
  • optimal energy dispatching
  • renewable energy

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2463 KB  
Article
Feasibility Study on PEMFC-Based Cogeneration System for Green Data Center
by Zhukui Tan, Zerui Chen, Xin Wu, Yanhong Xiao and Nan Wang
Energies 2025, 18(24), 6601; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18246601 - 17 Dec 2025
Viewed by 579
Abstract
With the energy consumption of data centers continuously increasing in recent years, green data centers as a transformative solution have grown increasingly significant. In this paper, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell-based combined cooling, heating, and power (PEMFC-CCHP) system coupled with wind and [...] Read more.
With the energy consumption of data centers continuously increasing in recent years, green data centers as a transformative solution have grown increasingly significant. In this paper, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell-based combined cooling, heating, and power (PEMFC-CCHP) system coupled with wind and solar energy is proposed to ensure an energy supply that matches the dynamic load requirements of data centers. Taking a data center located in Guiyang, China, as a case study, a TRNSYS 18 simulation model for the integrated energy system is developed, and the analysis on the energy, economic, and environmental performance of the system is performed. The results demonstrate that the integrated energy system can effectively accommodate the load fluctuations of data centers through multi-energy complementarity. The PEMFC-CCHP system achieves a high energy utilization efficiency of 0.85–0.90. Furthermore, the payback period of the integrated energy system is estimated to be between 8.2 and 13.1 years, yielding an annual reduction in CO2 emissions of 1847 t. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimization and Integrated Design of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Systems)
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24 pages, 4899 KB  
Article
Crystallization Process Optimization Using Hybrid Tomographic Imaging and Deep Reinforcement Learning for Sustainable Energy Systems
by Konrad Niderla, Tomasz Rymarczyk, Grzegorz Kłosowski, Monika Kulisz, Grzegorz Bartnik, Paweł Kaleta, Emanuel Józefacki and Dariusz Dudek
Energies 2025, 18(23), 6193; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18236193 - 26 Nov 2025
Viewed by 793
Abstract
Crystallization is a fundamental unit operation in chemical, pharmaceutical, and energy industries, where strict control of crystal size distribution (CSD) is essential for ensuring product quality and process efficiency. However, the nonlinear dynamics of crystallization and the absence of explicit functional relationships between [...] Read more.
Crystallization is a fundamental unit operation in chemical, pharmaceutical, and energy industries, where strict control of crystal size distribution (CSD) is essential for ensuring product quality and process efficiency. However, the nonlinear dynamics of crystallization and the absence of explicit functional relationships between process variables make effective control a significant challenge. This study proposes a hybrid approach that integrates process tomography with deep reinforcement learning (RL) for adaptive crystallization control. A dedicated hybrid tomographic system, combining Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) and Ultrasound Tomography (UST), was developed to provide complementary real-time spatial information, while a ResNet neural network enabled accurate image reconstruction. These data were used as input to a reinforcement learning agent operating in a Simulink-based simulation environment, where temperature was selected as the primary controlled variable. To evaluate the applicability of RL in this context, four representative algorithms: Actor–Critic, Asynchronous Advantage Actor–Critic, Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO), and Trust Region Policy Optimization, were implemented and compared. The results demonstrate that PPO achieved the most stable and effective performance, ensuring improved control of CSD and improved control proxies consistent with potential energy savings. The findings confirm that hybrid tomographic imaging combined with RL-based control provides a promising pathway toward sustainable, intelligent crystallization processes with enhanced product quality and energy efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimization and Integrated Design of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Systems)
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23 pages, 3591 KB  
Article
Identification of Key Parameters and Construction of Empirical Formulas for Isentropic and Volumetric Efficiency of High-Temperature Heat Pumps Based on XGBoost-MLR Algorithm
by Shuaiqi Li, Fengming Wu, Wenye Lin, Wenji Song and Ziping Feng
Energies 2025, 18(16), 4454; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18164454 - 21 Aug 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1335
Abstract
High-temperature heat pumps (HTHPs) have gradually begun to play an essential role in using heat in industry for waste heat recovery and providing higher-grade heat. The isentropic efficiency and volumetric efficiency of HTHPs are significantly affected by high-temperature operating conditions, which take the [...] Read more.
High-temperature heat pumps (HTHPs) have gradually begun to play an essential role in using heat in industry for waste heat recovery and providing higher-grade heat. The isentropic efficiency and volumetric efficiency of HTHPs are significantly affected by high-temperature operating conditions, which take the pressure ratio (PR) as the key parameter, with limited consideration of other factors such as temperature. Relying on the experimental data obtained from the industrial-grade HTHP system experimental platform, this work proposed an XGBoost-MLR algorithm-based method to identify the key parameters of HTHP isentropic efficiency and volumetric efficiency. High-precision (R2 > 0.95) prediction models were established to determine the effect of temperature variables on isentropic efficiency and volumetric efficiency. After the key parameters were identified, the empirical equation of isentropic efficiency and volumetric efficiency applicable to this operation condition were constructed. The average relative errors of the two empirical formulas were 5.95% and 5.28%, respectively. Finally, the generalizability of empirical formulas was verified using experimental data from other researchers. The isentropic empirical formula had a relative deviation of less than 10% under twin-screw compressor conditions. However, the applicability of the volumetric efficiency empirical formula was unstable in compressors of different sizes. The feasibility of the method was also discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimization and Integrated Design of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Systems)
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