Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.3
3.2
Journals
Energies
Special Issues
Energy Security, Transition, and Sustainable Development
energies-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Energies Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Energy Security, Transition, and Sustainable Development

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2026 | Viewed by 588

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Zhihua Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The Belt and Road School, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai 519085, China
Interests: energy security; energy and mineral supply chain; energy transition and sustainable development; area study

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Energy security and sustainability are pressing challenges in today’s rapidly evolving global landscape. As the world grapples with the need to transition from fossil fuels to cleaner, more sustainable energy sources, ensuring energy security has become paramount. This transition requires innovations in energy production, distribution, consumption, and infrastructure. Furthermore, achieving sustainable development necessitates an integrated approach that considers environmental, social, and economic factors, with energy playing a pivotal role in driving progress.

This Special Issue aims to showcase the latest research related to the theory, modelling, application, technology, economic, and policy innovations that address the intersection of energy security, the energy transition, and sustainable development.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Energy security challenges in the context of the global energy transition;
  • Policy frameworks for sustainable energy transitions;
  • Technological innovations in renewable energy systems;
  • Energy supply chain network risk and resilience;
  • Energy efficiency improvements and their role in sustainable development;
  • Climate change mitigation strategies through energy system transformation;
  • The role of energy storage in supporting grid stability and energy security;
  • Social implications and equity issues in energy transitions;
  • Economic models and financing mechanisms for renewable energy adoption;
  • Decentralized energy systems and their impact on local communities;
  • Circular economy approaches in energy production and consumption;
  • Smart grids and digitalization for efficient energy management;
  • The role of hydrogen and bioenergy in sustainable energy futures.

Dr. Zhihua Chen
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.

Keywords

  • energy security
  • energy transition
  • energy supply chain
  • sustainable development
  • renewable energy
  • energy policy
  • climate change
  • low-carbon technologies
  • energy efficiency
  • socioeconomic impact

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

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

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

21 pages, 5544 KB  
Article
Revealing Guangdong’s Bridging Role in Embodied Energy Flows Through International and Domestic Trade
by Qiqi Liu, Yu Yang, Yi Liu and Xiaoying Qian
Energies 2025, 18(21), 5607; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18215607 (registering DOI) - 24 Oct 2025
Viewed by 196
Abstract
Embodied energy flows link production systems with the energy sector, reflecting dependencies and structural risks under globalization and regional coordination. Guangdong, China’s most manufacturing-intensive, open, and energy-consuming province, is a central hub in both global value chains and domestic production networks, playing a [...] Read more.
Embodied energy flows link production systems with the energy sector, reflecting dependencies and structural risks under globalization and regional coordination. Guangdong, China’s most manufacturing-intensive, open, and energy-consuming province, is a central hub in both global value chains and domestic production networks, playing a pivotal role in national energy security. Understanding Guangdong’s embodied energy flows is essential for revealing the transmission of energy across multi-level spatial systems and the resilience of China’s energy infrastructure. This study integrates international (EXIOBASE) and Chinese inter-provincial input–output data to build a province-level nested global MRIO model, combined with Structural Path Analysis (SPA), to characterize Guangdong’s manufacturing embodied energy flows in domestic and international dual circulation from 2002 to 2017. Our findings confirm Guangdong’s pivotal bridging role in embodied energy transfers. First, flows are dual-directional and dominated by international transfers. Second, energy efficiency has improved, narrowing the intensity gap between export- and domestic-oriented industries. Third, flows have diversified spatially from concentration in developed regions toward developing regions, with domestic inter-provincial flows more dispersed. Finally, embodied energy remains highly concentrated across sectors, with leading industries shifting from labor- and capital-intensive to capital- and technology-intensive sectors. This research offers vital empirical evidence and policy reference for enhancing national energy security and optimizing spatial energy allocation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Security, Transition, and Sustainable Development)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

27 pages, 5817 KB  
Article
Design Optimisation of Legacy Francis Turbine Using Inverse Design and CFD: A Case Study of Bérchules Hydropower Plant
by Israel Enema Ohiemi and Aonghus McNabola
Energies 2025, 18(21), 5602; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18215602 (registering DOI) - 24 Oct 2025
Viewed by 127
Abstract
The lack of detailed design information in legacy hydropower plants creates challenges for modernising their ageing turbine components. This research advances a digitalisation approach which combines inverse design methodology (IDM) with multi-objective genetic algorithms (MOGA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to digitally reconstruct [...] Read more.
The lack of detailed design information in legacy hydropower plants creates challenges for modernising their ageing turbine components. This research advances a digitalisation approach which combines inverse design methodology (IDM) with multi-objective genetic algorithms (MOGA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to digitally reconstruct and optimise the Bérchules Francis turbine runner and guide vane geometries using limited available legacy data, avoiding invasive techniques. A two-stage optimisation process was conducted. The first stage of runner blade optimisation achieved a 22.7% reduction in profile loss and a 16.8% decrease in secondary flow factor while raising minimum pressure from −877,325.5 Pa to −132,703.4 Pa. Guide vane optimisation during Stage 2 produced additional performance gains through a 9.3% reduction in profile loss and a 20% decrease in secondary flow factor and a minimum pressure increase to +247,452.1 Pa which represented an 183% improvement. The CFD validation results showed that the final turbine efficiency reached 93.7% while producing more power than the plant’s rated 942 kW. The sensitivity analysis revealed that leading edge loading at mid-span and normal chord proved to be the most significant design parameters affecting pressure loss and flow behaviour metrics. The research proves that legacy turbines can be digitally restored through hybrid optimisation and CFD workflows, which enables data-driven refurbishment design without needing complete component replacement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Security, Transition, and Sustainable Development)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 602 KB  
Article
Study of the Spatio-Temporal Effects of Digital Economic Development on Hydropower Resource Mismatch
by Fangming Xie, Huimin Ma, Xiangjun Kong, Jialei Jiang and Zhenbin Chen
Energies 2025, 18(19), 5044; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18195044 - 23 Sep 2025
Viewed by 257
Abstract
Optimizing the allocation of hydropower resources is essential for aligning high-quality economic growth with China’s carbon neutrality goals. Due to constraints such as market segmentation and government regulation, the resource allocation function of the Chinese market has not been effectively utilized, which leads [...] Read more.
Optimizing the allocation of hydropower resources is essential for aligning high-quality economic growth with China’s carbon neutrality goals. Due to constraints such as market segmentation and government regulation, the resource allocation function of the Chinese market has not been effectively utilized, which leads to hydropower resources being allocated inefficiently. In the digital age, it is valuable to investigate whether digital economic development can rectify the misallocation of hydropower resources and whether the corrective effects exhibit temporal dynamics and spatial heterogeneity. Accordingly, this study employs panel data collected from 30 provincial-level administrative regions in China from 2000 to 2023, employing the production function method combined with a counterfactual analysis framework for quantifying the degree of hydropower resource mismatch. Additionally, panel vector autoregression models and panel threshold regression utilized for discussing spatio-temporal effects of digital economic development on hydropower resource mismatch. Empirical results demonstrate that digital economic development significantly curbs hydropower resource misallocation, albeit with a discernible time lag. When the digital economy experiences a positive impulse shock, its impact on the hydropower resources mismatch emerges in the first lag period, peaks in the second lag period, and then stabilizes. Secondly, the corrective impact of digital economic development on hydropower resources mismatch is contingent upon the level of regional industrialization, which is more pronounced in regions with higher levels of industrialization. In conclusion, this paper offers evidence-based policy recommendations to facilitate the localized implementation of digital economy policies and enhance the efficiency of hydropower resources allocation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Security, Transition, and Sustainable Development)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop