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Sustainability
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Low-Carbon Transition Policies and Challenges for Renewable Energy Development
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Low-Carbon Transition Policies and Challenges for Renewable Energy Development

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 1635

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Kejun Jiang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Energy Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission, Beijing 100801, China
Interests: renewable energy; low-carbon transition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

More than 160 countries have committed to carbon neutrality by 2050 or before 2060. Renewable energy development plays a key role in the energy transition. Many studies already exist in relation to the policies and the roadmaps towards renewable energy by 2050. However, significant progress has been seen in relation to renewable technologies, especially solar PV and wind power, together with power storage and micro-grid technologies. With other driving forces including rapid temperature increases, the world needs to respond to climate change and make a much stronger and rapid transition by 2030, working towards new demands in order to understand every aspect of the drastic rise in renewable energy. In the meantime, technologies including electric vehicles, green hydrogen, and industrial products from green hydrogen have also seen a very fast progression. All of these technologies could give rise to a very different picture for renewable energy utilization. This Special Issue aims to present the most recent studies on renewable technology progress, their utilization and applications, micro-grids or independent grids, green hydrogen-integrated systems, and related policy assessments. Hopefully, these studies will contribute to the scaling up of renewable energy development.

Dr. Kejun Jiang
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

  • renewable energy
  • energy transition
  • independent grid
  • green hydrogen
  • energy policies

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1303 KiB  
Article
Transition Pathways for Low-Carbon Steel Manufacture in East Asia: The Role of Renewable Energy and Technological Collaboration
by Weiyi Jiang, Taeyong Jung, Hancheng Dai, Pianpian Xiang and Sha Chen
Sustainability 2025, 17(10), 4280; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17104280 - 8 May 2025
Viewed by 564
Abstract
As the core region of global steel production and consumption, the zero-carbon transition of China, Japan, and South Korea is crucial for global climate goals and industrial chain sustainability. Hydrogen-based direct reduction iron (H-DRI) production, powered by renewable energy, is a promising pathway [...] Read more.
As the core region of global steel production and consumption, the zero-carbon transition of China, Japan, and South Korea is crucial for global climate goals and industrial chain sustainability. Hydrogen-based direct reduction iron (H-DRI) production, powered by renewable energy, is a promising pathway for reducing carbon emissions. This study compares the competitive dynamics of hydrogen-based steel production in China, Japan, and South Korea, with a particular focus on the levelized cost of energy (LCOE), levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH), and levelized cost of steel (LCOS) as key metrics for evaluating the economic viability of green hydrogen-based steel production. And then compares and analyzes the competitiveness of China, Japan, and South Korea in hydrogen-based steel production, focusing on the role of green hydrogen and renewable energy in shaping the future steel industry. This study examines the impact of technological advancements, resource endowments, and policy support on H-DRI production. It highlights the importance of offshore wind power in Japan and South Korea, where its development plays a key role in reducing the cost of green hydrogen production and providing a stable electricity supply for H-DRI production. However, the high capital expenditures (CAPEXs) and labor costs associated with offshore wind power in these countries make importing relevant technologies and products from China a more cost-effective option. This study also explores the strategic importance of international cooperation and technology transfer, emphasizing the potential for China, Japan, and South Korea to strengthen bilateral collaboration in green hydrogen and H-DRI technologies. Such cooperation supports the region’s steel decarbonization efforts and enhances its global competitiveness. The integration of offshore wind power and hydrogen production technologies offers new opportunities for energy cooperation in East Asia, with China playing a key role in providing low-cost green energy solutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon Transition Policies and Challenges for Renewable Energy Development)
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16 pages, 2597 KiB  
Article
Electricity Demand Characteristics in the Energy Transition Pathway Under the Carbon Neutrality Goal for China
by Chenmin He, Kejun Jiang, Pianpian Xiang, Yujie Jiao and Mingzhu Li
Sustainability 2025, 17(4), 1759; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17041759 - 19 Feb 2025
Viewed by 802
Abstract
The energy transition towards achieving carbon neutrality is marked by the decarbonization of the power system and a high degree of electrification in end-use sectors. The decarbonization of the power system primarily relies on large-scale renewable energy, nuclear power, and fossil fuel-based power [...] Read more.
The energy transition towards achieving carbon neutrality is marked by the decarbonization of the power system and a high degree of electrification in end-use sectors. The decarbonization of the power system primarily relies on large-scale renewable energy, nuclear power, and fossil fuel-based power with carbon capture technologies. This structure of power supply introduces significant uncertainty in electricity supply. Due to the technological progress in end-use sectors and spatial reallocation of industries in China, the load curve and power supply curve is very different today. However, most studies’ analyses of future electricity systems are based on today’s load curve, which could be misleading when seeking to understand future electricity systems. Therefore, it is essential to thoroughly analyze changes in end-use load curves to better align electricity demand with supply. This paper analyzes the characteristics of electricity demand load under China’s future energy transition and economic transformation pathways using the Integrated Energy and Environment Policy Assessment model of China (IPAC). It examines the electricity and energy usage characteristics of various sectors in six typical regions, provides 24-h load curves for two representative days, and evaluates the effectiveness of demand-side response in selected provinces in 2050. The study reveals that, with the transition of the energy system and the industrial relocation during economic transformation, the load curves in China’s major regions by 2050 will differ notably from those of today, with distinct characteristics emerging across different regions. With the costs of solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power declining in the future, the resulting electricity price will also differ significantly from today. Daytime electricity prices will be notably lower than those during the evening peak, as the decrease in solar PV and wind power output leads to a significant increase in electricity costs. This pricing structure is expected to drive a strong demand-side response. Demand-side response can significantly improve the alignment between load curves and power supply. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Carbon Transition Policies and Challenges for Renewable Energy Development)
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