Innovative Approaches in Digitalization and Smart Management in Sustainable Energy
A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A: Sustainable Energy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 April 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: renewable energy; energy planning; energy transition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The transition toward sustainable and renewable energy systems is one of the greatest global challenges of the 21st century. As societies aim to achieve carbon neutrality, there is an urgent need for innovative scientific and technological solutions that can ensure clean, efficient, and affordable energy for all. This Special Issue, “Innovative Approaches and Technologies for Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development”, invites researchers, scientists, and industry professionals to present their latest advances that will shape the energy landscape of the future.
This Special Issue seeks to gather contributions exploring both fundamental research and applied technologies across the spectrum of digitalization and smart management in sustainable energy. We welcome interdisciplinary studies, pioneering experiments, modelling efforts, and comprehensive reviews addressing the following key topics and beyond:
- Solar Energy: Advances in photovoltaic materials, solar thermal systems, and hybrid solar technologies.
- Wind and Ocean Energy: Innovations in wind turbine design, offshore and floating wind farms, wave and tidal power systems.
- Bioenergy and Hydrogen: Sustainable biofuel production, microbial fuel cells, green hydrogen generation, and hydrogen storage systems.
- Energy Storage and Conversion: High-efficiency batteries, supercapacitors, thermal and mechanical storage, and emerging power-to-X technologies.
- Smart Grids and Digital Energy Systems: Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and Internet of Things (IoT)-based optimization for smart energy management.
- Integrated Energy Systems: Coupled renewable systems, microgrids, and sector coupling for maximizing overall efficiency.
- Sustainability Assessments and Policies: Life cycle analysis, techno-economic evaluation, circular economy strategies, and policies for equitable energy access.
By promoting collaboration across disciplines—engineering, environmental science, materials research, and policy studies—this Special Issue will provide a platform to exchange innovative ideas and practical solutions. Authors are encouraged to present new experimental techniques, simulation models, or prototype systems that demonstrate scalability and commercial potential.
Researchers interested in accelerating the global transition to clean energy are invited to submit original research articles, technical reviews, case studies, or short communications. Together, we can drive scientific progress, foster impactful collaborations, and inspire the next generation of technologies that will define a sustainable and resilient energy future.
Dr. Benjamín González-Díaz
Dr. Oscar Garcia-Afonso
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
- renewable energy
- sustainable technologies
- energy storage
- smart grid
- hydrogen production
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