Next Generation of Smart Grid Technologies

Dear Colleagues,

The rise of smart cities necessitates a paradigm shift in energy management, placing smart grid technologies at the forefront of urban development. By integrating different energy devices (renewable energy sources, energy storage systems, green hydrogen, electric vehicles, etc.), grid-edge power electronics, and advanced control systems, information and communication technologies with traditional power grids, smart grids enable efficient, reliable, and sustainable energy utilization within urban environments. This Special Issue explores the transformative potential of smart grid technologies in shaping the future of smart cities.

This Special Issue is devoted to publishing new papers exploring innovative applications and advancements in smart grid technologies specifically tailored to smart city environments. It encompasses a diverse range of topics, including:

• Microgrid integration and distributed energy resources—examining the seamless integration of renewable energy sources and distributed energy resources like rooftop solar, energy storage systems, and electric vehicles into the urban grid, maximizing local energy generation and reducing reliance on centralized power plants, or integration of microgrid clusters, energy communities, and multi-energy microgrids (combining different energy vectors like electricity, hydrogen, heating/cooling, etc.) into smart cities.
• Demand-side management (DSM) and energy efficiency—exploring strategies to optimize energy consumption in buildings, industries, and transportation systems based on real-time data and dynamic pricing mechanisms.
• Cybersecurity and data privacy—addressing the growing challenge of cyberattacks on smart grids and implementing robust security measures to protect critical infrastructure and user data.
• Data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) —utilizing data analytics and AI algorithms to optimize grid operations, predict demand fluctuations, and enable real-time decision-making for efficient energy management.

In this Special Issue, we encourage researchers involved in smart grid technologies for smart cities to discuss key topics in the field and submit innovative papers that make significant contributions over existing literature in the field of smart grid technologies for smart cities. We expect these papers to be widely read and highly influential within the field.

The subject areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• smart microgrids for smart cities;
• smart grids in buildings (residential, commercial, and industrial) and transport;
• design, planification and operation of smart grids for smart cities;
• intelligent energy storage for smart cities;
• demand forecasting and weather forecasting;
• efficient demand-side management;
• intelligent control and energy management systems of smart grids;
• digital twins of smart cities for smart cities;
• grid stability, reliability, and resilience of smart cities;
• market operations in smart microgrids for smart cities;
• microgrid clusters;
• multi-energy microgrids;
• energy communities;
• power converters;
• control and communication devices;
• information and communication technologies;
• cybersecurity and data privacy;
• data analytics and artificial intelligence.

Prof. Dr. Luis M. Fernández-Ramírez
Dr. Chun Sing Lai
Dr. Payman Dehghanian
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 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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Smart Cities is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2000 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.