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Power System Transformation and Smart Electricity Sustainable Development

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 724

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Electrical and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Power Engineering, Riga Technical University, LV 1048 Riga, Latvia
Interests: energy; renewables; sustainability

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global energy landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the urgent need for sustainability, resilience, and efficiency. This Special Issue seeks to explore the dynamic evolution of power systems in response to these challenges. The integration of renewable energy sources, the advent of smart grids, and the increasing role of digital technologies are reshaping how electricity is generated, distributed, and consumed.

Key to this transformation is the development and deployment of smart grid technologies, which facilitate, for example, real-time monitoring, control, and optimization of the power network. Technologies enhance the reliability and efficiency of power delivery, reduce operational costs, and enable the seamless integration of distributed energy resources, such as solar and wind power. Moreover, advancements in energy storage systems and demand-side management are critical components in achieving a balanced and sustainable electricity supply.

This Special Issue aims to provide a platform to share innovative research, case studies, and practical insights on the following themes:

  • Smart grid technologies and their role in modern power systems.
  • Integration of renewable energy sources and the challenges involved.
  • Advanced energy storage solutions and their impact on grid stability.
  • Digitalization of the power sector: IoT, AI, and big data analytics.
  • Policies and regulations fostering sustainable energy development.
  • Case studies on successful power system transformations.
  • Strategies for enhancing energy efficiency and reducing carbon footprint.

Dr. Laila Zemite
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. 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

  • smart grids
  • renewable energy integration
  • energy storage systems
  • demand-side management
  • digitalization of power systems
  • sustainable energy policies
  • grid optimization
  • distributed energy resources

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 1205 KiB  
Article
Development of an Innovative Landfill Gas Purification System in Latvia
by Laila Zemite, Davids Kronkalns, Andris Backurs, Leo Jansons, Nauris Eglitis, Patrick Cnubben and Sanda Lapuke
Sustainability 2025, 17(13), 5691; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17135691 - 20 Jun 2025
Viewed by 350
Abstract
The management of municipal solid waste remains a critical environmental and energy challenge across the European Union (EU), where a significant portion of waste still ends up in landfills, generating landfill gas (LFG) rich in methane and harmful impurities. In Latvia, despite national [...] Read more.
The management of municipal solid waste remains a critical environmental and energy challenge across the European Union (EU), where a significant portion of waste still ends up in landfills, generating landfill gas (LFG) rich in methane and harmful impurities. In Latvia, despite national strategies to enhance circularity, untreated LFG is underutilized due to inadequate purification infrastructure, particularly in meeting biomethane standards. This study addressed this gap by proposing and evaluating an innovative, multistep LFG purification system tailored to Latvian conditions, with the aim of enabling the broader use of LFG for energy cogeneration and potentially biomethane injection. The research objective was to design, describe, and preliminarily assess a pilot-scale LFG purification prototype suitable for deployment at Latvia’s largest landfill facility—Landfill A. The methodological approach combined chemical composition analysis of LFG, technical site assessments, and engineering modelling of a five-step purification system, including desulfurization, cooling and moisture removal, siloxane filtration, pumping stabilization, and activated carbon treatment. The system was designed for a nominal gas flow rate of 1500 m3/h and developed with modular scalability in mind. The results showed that raw LFG from Landfill A contains high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide, siloxanes, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), far exceeding permissible thresholds for biomethane applications. The designed prototype demonstrated the technical feasibility of reducing hydrogen sulfide (H2S) concentrations to <7 mg/m3 and siloxanes to ≤0.3 mg/m3, thus aligning the purified gas with EU biomethane quality requirements. Infrastructure assessments confirmed that existing electricity, water, and sewage capacities at Landfill A are sufficient to support the system’s operation. The implications of this research suggest that properly engineered LFG purification systems can transform landfills from passive waste sinks into active energy resources, aligning with the EU Green Deal goals and enhancing local energy resilience. It is recommended that further validation be carried out through long-term pilot operation, economic analysis of gas recovery profitability, and adaptation of the system for integration with national gas grids. The prototype provides a transferable model for other Baltic and Eastern European contexts, where LFG remains an underexploited asset for sustainable energy transitions. Full article
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