Tools, Approaches and Modeling for Energy System Design Increasing Economic and Environmental Sustainability

Dear Colleagues,

The design and optimization of energy systems is an important field with a historical tradition. Its importance has been increasing since the 1950s, when the global consumption of direct primary energy started to grow exponentially, increasing more than fivefold between 1950 and 2020. It is a complex area that drives the economy and society as a whole. It includes many energy sources and different technologies that are technologically and financially intensive. The structure of resources is still dominated by fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas, but the trend is increasingly moving towards renewable energy. The emissions generated by the energy sector, and therefore climate change, are forcing us towards carbon neutrality and a transition from a linear economy to a new economy that can be called sustainable, circular, regenerative or otherwise. It seems that, as a society, we do not yet have an answer to the question of which energy sources and technologies are the “right” ones for achieving these goals. Moreover, we live in a world where the demand for economic success still prevails. Energy system design is strategically and politically important because the paradigm of a carbon-free society requires radical changes in social, economic and political systems as well. Energy system design must be an interdisciplinary activity involving many branches of engineering as well as the social sciences and humanities.

Therefore, we invite experts who are developing advanced, systematic, digitally aided methods, tools, and approaches for more efficient, economically and environmentally sustainable energy systems to participate in this Special Issue. Researchers with a vision of how humanity will meet its energy needs in the next 20, 50 and even 100 years are welcome. Let the ideas clash!

Prof. Dr. Zorka Novak Pintarič
Guest Editor

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