Synergizing Sustainability: Smart Strategies for Enhancing Energy, Economic, Environmental, and Social Performance in Residential and Industrial Renewable Energy Communities
A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "C: Energy Economics and Policy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2025 | Viewed by 2092
Special Issue Editors
Interests: renewables; distributed generation; photovoltaics; e-mobility
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: PV faults classification and detection; Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G); energy management systems (EMS); power converters control; optimization and control techniques in energy systems
Interests: EMI filters modelling; electronic power converters modelling and control; conducted emissions (CE) evaluation and prediction, advanced control and optimization techniques in power systems; hybrid AC/DC distribution systems; power quality and reliability
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Considering the world's most pressing environmental issues and the urgency for effective solutions, Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) have been proposed as the new building block of tomorrow's sustainable energy infrastructure. A REC typically refers to a group of individuals, enterprises, and/or private and public organizations that collaborate to develop, manage, and benefit from renewable energy sources within a specific community or geographical area. The primary objective of a REC is to promote the utilization of renewable energy sources, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, relieve the distribution system from congestion due to distributed generation, and contribute to enhanced sustainability. In this context, the concept of sustainability is not limited to aspects of energy, but also addresses economic, environmental (3E concept), and social aspects, with an overall aim to synergise sustainability. Innovative strategies embody a forward-looking and adaptive approach that recognises the interconnection of these aspects, and seeks to leverage a synergetic approach for a more sustainable and resilient future. Within this context, this Special Issue welcomes original, high-quality research papers, reviews and case studies that contribute to research on innovative applications in residential and industrial RECs with the aim of enhancing the 3E and social aspect. Covering a broad spectrum of interdisciplinary perspectives, potential topics include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Residential and Industrial-Scale Renewable Energy Integration: exploring the effective integration of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro and emerging technologies in both residential and industrial frameworks.
- Hydrogen as an Energy Vector: examining the use of hydrogen in RECs as a key player in the decarbonisation of energy systems and industrial processes, analysing its role in balancing intermittent renewables, improving energy storage capacities, and facilitating the transition to a hydrogen-based economy.
- Smart Energy Management based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML): exploring the combined application of intelligent energy management systems (IEMS), including AI and ML, aimed at optimal resource utilization, enhanced energy efficiency, and reduced costs in RECs.
- Energy Consumption and Production Forecasting: investigating how innovative approaches, including AI and ML, can be employed to develop robust predictive models for energy production and consumption within RECs. Examining the accuracy of forecasting methods, their adaptability to everchanging conditions, and their role in facilitating proactive energy management.
- Economic and Environmental Sustainability: assessing the economic impact of sustainable practices within RECs, examining business models and cost-effectiveness, and investigating the environmental benefits of adopting renewable energy solutions, including a reduction in carbon footprints.
- Technological Innovations: showcasing novel technologies and innovations that contribute to the holistic sustainability of residential and industrial RECs.
Prof. Dr. Alessandro Massi Pavan
Dr. Nicola Blasuttigh
Dr. Simone Negri
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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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 communities (REC)
- energy transition
- smart energy management
- renewable energy
- 3E sustainability
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