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Advanced Technologies for Sustainable and Low-Carbon Energy Solutions

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 3069

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of New Energy, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, China
Interests: laminar burning velocity measurement using heat flux method; burner setup for low-speed flame stabilization; rich-side flame structure analyses; model development, validation, and reduction
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Guest Editor
College of Energy Environment and Safety Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Interests: clean and efficient combustion of fuels, including plasma-assisted combustion; porous media combustion; the combustion of pulverized coal/methane with hydrogen and ammonia
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Faculty of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Interests: cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs); epoxy resin; bio-based epoxy; bio-membrane; bio-materials; curing agents; coupling agents; modification methods; purification; mechanical properties, and adhesive properties; adsorption application for industrial and commercial purposes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The transition toward a sustainable and low-carbon energy future is vital to addressing climate change and environmental challenges. This Special Issue, "Advanced Technologies for Sustainable and Low-Carbon Energy Solutions", aims to explore cutting-edge technological innovations and strategies that are reshaping the global energy landscape while promoting environmental sustainability.

This Special Issue focuses on interdisciplinary research that bridges the gap between theoretical advances and practical applications in sustainable energy technologies. It encompasses a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Next-generation renewable energy systems and their integration.
  • Smart grid technologies and energy storage solutions.
  • Green hydrogen production and utilization.
  • Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies.
  • Advanced materials for clean energy applications.
  • Artificial intelligence and machine learning in energy systems optimization.
  • Energy-efficient building technologies and industrial processes.
  • Sustainable transportation and electromobility solutions.
  • Circular economy approaches in energy systems.
  • Policy frameworks and economic analyses for sustainable energy transition.

This collection of research papers will provide valuable insights into technological breakthroughs, implementation strategies, and policy recommendations that can accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future. This Special Issue particularly welcomes studies that:

  • Present innovative technological solutions with demonstrated environmental benefits;
  • Analyze the techno-economic feasibility of emerging sustainable energy systems;
  • Examine the integration of multiple technologies for enhanced sustainability;
  • Address challenges in scaling up sustainable energy technologies;
  • Evaluate the life-cycle environmental impacts of new energy solutions;
  • Investigate the social and economic implications of energy transitions.

By bringing together diverse perspectives from researchers, engineers, policymakers, and industry experts, this Special Issue aims to contribute to the growing body of knowledge on sustainable energy solutions and their role in achieving global climate goals. The featured research will not only advance our understanding of cutting-edge technologies, but also provide practical insights for stakeholders working toward a more sustainable and resilient energy future.

We invite original research articles, comprehensive reviews, and case studies that align with the theme of advancing sustainable and low-carbon energy solutions. Submissions should emphasize both the technological innovation aspects and their contribution to environmental sustainability, creating a valuable resource for the scientific community and practitioners in the field.

Dr. Sunel Kumar
Dr. Xinlu Han
Dr. Dingkun Yuan
Dr. Tariq Aziz
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. Sustainability 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 2400 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

  • sustainable energy technologies
  • low-carbon energy solutions
  • renewable energy integration
  • energy storage systems
  • green hydrogen
  • carbon capture and storage
  • smart grid technology
  • artificial intelligence in energy
  • energy efficiency
  • clean energy innovation

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

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33 pages, 2623 KiB  
Article
Techno-Economic Analysis of Operating Temperature Variations in a 4th Generation District Heating Grid—A German Case Study
by Karl Specht, Max Berger and Thomas Bruckner
Sustainability 2025, 17(9), 3985; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17093985 - 28 Apr 2025
Viewed by 659
Abstract
The decarbonization of the heat supply is crucial for the German energy transition. Integrating Power-to-Heat technologies like heat pumps (HPs) into district heating grids (DHGs) can support this process. The efficiency of HPs can be increased through temperature reduction in the DHG, though [...] Read more.
The decarbonization of the heat supply is crucial for the German energy transition. Integrating Power-to-Heat technologies like heat pumps (HPs) into district heating grids (DHGs) can support this process. The efficiency of HPs can be increased through temperature reduction in the DHG, though decentralized reheating may be required to supply sufficient heat for the end consumers. In order to investigate the associated trade-off, this study evaluates the economic, ecological, and technical effects of temperature reduction in DHGs using the software tool nPro. In a three-step process heat demand, the DHG design and operation are modeled. Three operating temperature scenarios are considered: 60 °C, 50 °C, and an ambient dependent flow temperature varying between 40 and 50 °C. As the temperatures decrease, the balance shifts between centrally produced HP heat and decentralized heat from instantaneous electric water heaters (IEWHs). The initial temperature reduction leads to reduced CO2 emissions, primary energy demand, heat losses, and total annual cost (TAC). However, with a further reduction in the operating temperature, an increase in these parameters occurs. While the necessary cost and primary energy for central components decrease, an increase in the decentralized heat generation is necessary to properly supply the heat demand. This leads to higher TAC and CO2 emissions overall. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies for Sustainable and Low-Carbon Energy Solutions)
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Review

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31 pages, 3109 KiB  
Review
The Role of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in Phytohormone-Regulated Microalgae-Based Carbon Dioxide Capture Technology
by Yaw Dwamena Akenteng, Hao Chen, Kwame Nana Opoku, Fahim Ullah, Shuang Wang and Sunel Kumar
Sustainability 2025, 17(3), 860; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17030860 - 22 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1589
Abstract
Microalgae-based CO2 capture has potential as an industrial-scale solution to climate change challenges while also amassing usable microalgae biomass. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can optimize CO2 extraction in microalgae growing systems, especially when paired with phytohormone-regulated growth. This paper examines the [...] Read more.
Microalgae-based CO2 capture has potential as an industrial-scale solution to climate change challenges while also amassing usable microalgae biomass. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can optimize CO2 extraction in microalgae growing systems, especially when paired with phytohormone-regulated growth. This paper examines the use of CFD to predict fluid flow, nutrient distribution, light intensity, and mass transfer in microalgae-based systems, which are crucial for improving photosynthetic efficiency and fixing CO2. The focus is on how phytohormones, such as auxins and cytokinin, influence microalgal growth and their subsequent involvement in increasing carbon sequestration. Furthermore, this review discusses CFD applications in reactor design, where fluid dynamics and biological kinetics interact to increase biomass yield. The focus on scaling up and transitioning from laboratory to industrial application with the possible integration of computational fluid dynamics with experiment data to enhance simulation precision is addressed. The assessment demonstrates CFD’s potential as an important tool for sustainable CO2 fixation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies for Sustainable and Low-Carbon Energy Solutions)
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