Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.9
4.1
Journals
Sustainability
Special Issues
Wind Energy Resource Development and the Sustainable Environment
sustainability-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Wind Energy Resource Development and the Sustainable Environment

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 1789

Editors

Dr. Alexandra Ionelia Diaconita

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati, 47 Domneasca Street, 800008 Galati, Romania
Interests: renewable energy; offshore wind; offshore wind foundation; floating solar photovoltaic; green hydrogen; LCOE; LCOH; cruise ship HVAC modeling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Gabriel Andrei

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Engineering, University "Dunarea de Jos" of Galati, Domneasca 47, 800008 Galati, Romania
Interests: renewable energy; wave energy; wind power; offshore wind turbines; floating solar photovoltaic; power transmission; CAD/CAM/CAE; modelling; simulation; polymer composites; nanocomposites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Utilizing wind resources involves integrating atmospheric dynamics, technology, and environmental balance. As the climate changes, it is crucial to understand how to enhance wind energy production while preserving the environment. This Special Issue explores the connections between these topics and supports methods to balance energy use with environmental protection.

The Special Issue aims to bring together original contributions that do the following:

  • Investigate advanced methods for assessing, modeling, and mapping wind resources in different regions and climatic conditions;
  • Develop innovative turbine technologies, materials, and architectures with the potential to increase energy efficiency and reduce operating costs;
  • Analyze environmental and biodiversity impacts, from noise and microclimatic changes to interactions with avifauna, marine fauna, and landscape;
  • Propose spatial planning, management, and public policy strategies that support the responsible development of wind infrastructure;
  • Integrate wind energy into the energy mix through smart storage, control, digitalization, and hybrid renewable systems;
  • Investigate the economic and social implications of expanding wind capacity to harmonize energy objectives with the acceptance of local communities.

In essence, this Special Issue aims to contribute to advancing knowledge in the field of wind energy through robust scientific findings that can underpin sustainable exploitation models and support the transition to low-emission, resilient, and environmentally friendly energy systems.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Wind.

Dr. Alexandra Ionelia Diaconita
Prof. Dr. Gabriel Andrei
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. 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 wind energy
  • wind energy resource exploitation
  • wind farm ecological effects
  • wake modelling and analysis
  • wind farm optimization
  • land-use and offshore impacts
  • performance analysis of wind turbines
  • integrated analysis and modelling

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

24 pages, 19311 KB  
Article
Long-Term Wind–Wave Climate and Integrated Metocean Screening for Offshore Wind Development in the Binh Thuan–Phu Quy Offshore Domain, Vietnam
by Thanh Dam Pham, Thanh Binh Dinh, Duy Manh Le, Du Van Toan, Pham Quy Ngoc and Dong Trong Nguyen
Sustainability 2026, 18(15), 7971; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18157971 - 6 Aug 2026
Viewed by 246
Abstract
Offshore wind development in the Binh Thuan–Phu Quy offshore domain requires regional, multi-variable preliminary metocean screening that extends beyond wind-resource mapping alone. This study presents a 32-year integrated wind–wave–bathymetry screening of four representative offshore wind sites in the Binh Thuan–Phu Quy offshore domain, [...] Read more.
Offshore wind development in the Binh Thuan–Phu Quy offshore domain requires regional, multi-variable preliminary metocean screening that extends beyond wind-resource mapping alone. This study presents a 32-year integrated wind–wave–bathymetry screening of four representative offshore wind sites in the Binh Thuan–Phu Quy offshore domain, Vietnam, using hourly ERA5 reanalysis data (1993–2024) and GEBCO 2025 bathymetry. The sites span four water-depth classes: shallow nearshore (BT01, 27 m), bottom-fixed (BT02, 49 m), transitional (BT03, 81 m), and floating-suitable (BT04, 161 m). For the IEA Wind 15 MW reference turbine at 150 m hub height, mean wind speed increases from 7.71 m s−1 at BT01 to 9.75 m s−1 at BT04, gross single-turbine capacity factor from 46.7% to 62.2%, and gross annual energy production from 61.4 to 81.7 GWh yr−1. Along the selected BT01–BT04 sequence, mean significant wave height increases from 1.06 m to 1.49 m, with P95 Hs rising from 2.15 to 3.27 m. The northeast monsoon (November–March) dominates both wind and wave energy at all sites, whereas the mildest sea states occur during the April–May transition months. These conditions identify April–May as having the lowest monthly mean sea states; monthly means alone do not define operational weather windows. Interannual variability of annual gross capacity factor is moderate, with coefficients of variation of 9.8–10.2%. The integrated screening matrix shows that wind resource, energy yield, water depth, and wave exposure increase together along the selected four-site sequence, without implying a causal depth relationship or a domain-wide trend: the highest-yield site requires a floating substructure under the most exposed conditions, whereas the most benign site yields the least energy. All reported values are gross, reanalysis-based screening indicators rather than bankable resource estimates. From a sustainability perspective, the framework supports balanced early-stage planning by considering energy yield together with depth and marine exposure, while its open, long-term datasets provide reproducible, comparatively low-cost decision support for data-scarce emerging offshore wind markets. It does not quantify lifecycle, ecological, social, or economic sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wind Energy Resource Development and the Sustainable Environment)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 12087 KB  
Article
Assessment of Offshore Wind Potential and Economic Sustainability Using Levelized Cost of Energy Across Nine Sites in Romania’s Black Sea Exclusive Economic Zone
by Marius Manolache, Gabriel Andrei and Alexandra Ionelia Manolache
Sustainability 2026, 18(13), 6798; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18136798 - 4 Jul 2026
Viewed by 548
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to present a techno-economic methodology for assessing the economic sustainability of offshore wind energy development within the Romanian exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Black Sea. The methodology illustrates nine key cases in this area that are [...] Read more.
The purpose of this paper is to present a techno-economic methodology for assessing the economic sustainability of offshore wind energy development within the Romanian exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Black Sea. The methodology illustrates nine key cases in this area that are grouped into three classes, each positioned at a greater distance from the Romanian coast and thus generating different environments given the water depth and wind climate. The data used for the analysis came from the ERA5 database and covered a 20-year span. Six types of wind turbines with capacities ranging from 5 to 9.5 MW were considered. In determining the levelized cost of energy (LCOE), the turbine with the highest production was considered, which turned out to be the Seimens Gamesa 8 MW, and for the economic model, the components related to both capital and operating costs were considered. Following the analysis, it was observed that the B2 site presents the best wind resources, also leading to the highest energy production of x. Regarding the LCOE analysis, values between 66.86 EUR/MWh and 87.39 EUR/MWh were obtained if the entire energy production is considered. Following the simulation with losses, the LCOE increases to values between 92.19 EUR/MWh and 121.85 EUR/MWh. Finally, an optimization calculation was also performed for the site with the highest LCOE considering another foundation time, after which the LCOE decreased to approximately 111.09 EUR/MWh, if we refer to energy production with losses. The results contribute to the economic sustainability evaluation of offshore wind projects in the Romanian Black Sea and influence future investment plans, sustainable energy planning, and renewable energy infrastructure development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wind Energy Resource Development and the Sustainable Environment)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 4224 KB  
Article
Hybrid CEEMDAN-MSCNN Approach for Vibration-Based Fault Diagnosis of Wind Turbine Gearboxes
by Nejad Alagha, Anis Salwa Mohd Khairuddin, Obada Al-Khatib and Abigail Copiaco
Sustainability 2026, 18(12), 6196; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18126196 - 16 Jun 2026
Viewed by 465
Abstract
The rapid expansion of wind energy as a key pillar of sustainable electricity generation has intensified the need for reliable and efficient wind turbine operation, particularly in minimizing failures of critical components such as gearboxes, which significantly impact maintenance costs, downtime, and overall [...] Read more.
The rapid expansion of wind energy as a key pillar of sustainable electricity generation has intensified the need for reliable and efficient wind turbine operation, particularly in minimizing failures of critical components such as gearboxes, which significantly impact maintenance costs, downtime, and overall lifecycle sustainability. This study proposes a vibration-based fault diagnosis framework integrating Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive Noise (CEEMDAN) and a Multiscale Convolutional Neural Network (MSCNN) for wind turbine gearbox condition monitoring. The approach decomposes non-stationary vibration signals into Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs) to capture meaningful oscillatory characteristics, which are then processed through parallel multiscale convolutional branches to learn both transient and long-term signal patterns. Experimental validation using the NREL Gearbox Reliability Collaborative dataset demonstrates that the proposed CEEMDAN-MSCNN model demonstrates strong performance compared to conventional machine learning methods and single-scale CNN architectures, achieving 99.50% accuracy on an unseen holdout dataset. The proposed framework supports predictive maintenance strategies by enabling reliable fault diagnosis, reducing unplanned downtime, and improving the operational efficiency and long-term sustainability of wind energy systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wind Energy Resource Development and the Sustainable Environment)
►▼ 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