Green Building Intelligence: Evaluating Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Solutions
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 168
Special Issue Editors
Interests: net-zero energy buildings; zero-emission buildings; heating ventilation and air-conditioning systems; building physics; renewable energy systems; build-ing-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV); decentralized energy solutions; carbon neutrality; energy efficiency; multi-objective optimization; multi-criteria deci-sion making; robustness assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: renewable energy; energy economy; optimization; electric vehicles
2. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace(DUTH), 67100 Xanthi, Greece
Interests: AI for energy systems; predictive control; energy forecasting; smart grids; microgrids; energy efficiency in buildings; energy management systems; adaptive control; internet of things; decarbonization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Achieving carbon neutrality in the built environment hinges on the integration of innovative renewable energy technologies and rigorous energy efficiency evaluations in green buildings. This special issue invites contributions that examine both the technological innovations and performance assessments necessary to optimize renewable energy systems in building design.
The focus of the issue is on the integration of renewable sources—such as solar, wind, bioenergy, and geothermal—directly into building infrastructure. Authors are encouraged to explore advanced applications, including building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), Net Zero Energy Buildings, and Zero Emission Buildings, along with pioneering solutions like agrivoltaics that combine solar energy production with agricultural land use. In addition to these system integrations, the issue will delve into the evaluation of hybrid systems that pair multiple renewable energy sources, smart energy management strategies leveraging AI and IoT, and the role of energy storage solutions in ensuring reliable and efficient energy supply.
Researchers and practitioners from various disciplines are invited to contribute work that spans practical applications, simulation-based assessments, and policy development. The aim is to provide a comprehensive framework for evaluating energy performance and technological advancements in renewable energy systems—from decentralized building-level applications to their integration with larger energy grids. This special issue seeks to drive the development of sustainable, energy-efficient urban environments and accelerate the transition toward a carbon-neutral future.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:
- Building-Integrated Renewable Energy Systems: Incorporating solar photovoltaics, wind turbines, geothermal, and bioenergy solutions to achieve net-zero buildings.
- Energy-Efficient Building Designs: Implementing strategies that reduce energy consumption while improving the integration of renewable resources.
- Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems: Combining different technologies (e.g., solar with bioenergy or geothermal) for residential, commercial, and industrial applications.
- Smart Energy Management for Buildings: Leveraging AI, IoT, and digital tools to optimize both renewable energy generation and consumption at the building level.
- Agrivoltaics: Merging solar energy production with agricultural practices to maximize land use and boost sustainability.
- Renewable Energy for Urban Infrastructure: Integrating renewable sources into urban planning and smart city designs.
- Scaling Renewable Energy from Buildings to the Grid: Developing methods to connect decentralized energy generation with large-scale grid systems.
- Energy Storage Technologies: Advancing storage solutions such as batteries and thermal storage to ensure a reliable energy supply from intermittent sources.
- Renewable Energy in Rural and Agricultural Contexts: Creating off-grid and small-scale solutions tailored to the needs of remote and farming communities.
- Policy and Economic Models: Crafting frameworks and incentives to support both building-scale and large-scale deployment of renewable energy, including solar, wind, and hybrid systems.
- Environmental and Life-Cycle Assessments: Evaluating the sustainability and carbon footprint of renewable energy systems across multiple scales.
- Socio-Economic Impacts: Analyzing how renewable energy adoption affects community resilience, energy equity, and rural development.
- Cross-Sectoral Applications: Integrating renewable energy into sectors like transportation, industry, and agriculture, in addition to buildings and cities.
This special issue invites interdisciplinary research that spans the entire spectrum of renewable energy deployment—from individual buildings to expansive energy networks—providing holistic and scalable strategies for achieving carbon neutrality.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Federico Minelli
Dr. Hasan Huseyin Coban
Dr. Panagiotis Michailidis
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
- renewable energy systems
- building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV)
- hybrid energy systems
- energy storage technologies
- agrivoltaics
- smart energy management
- carbon neutrality
- net-zero energy buildings
- grid integration
- phase change materials
- green buildings
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