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Green Building Intelligence: Evaluating Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Solutions

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 October 2026 | Viewed by 5879

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Federico Minelli

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Guest Editor

Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Piazzale V. Tecchio, 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
Interests: sustainable building energy systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Hasan Huseyin Coban

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Guest Editor

Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bartin University, Bartin 74110, Turkey
Interests: renewable energy; energy economy; optimization; electric vehicles

Dr. Panagiotis Michailidis

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Guest Editor

1. Information Technologies Institute, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
2. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, 67100 Xanthi, Greece
Interests: AI for energy systems; predictive control; energy forecasting; smart grids; microgrids; energy efficiency in buildings; energy management systems; renewable energy systems, electric vehicle charging management, adaptive control; reinforcement learning; deep learning; multi-agent control, internet of things; decarbonization; sustainability
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 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-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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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 12420 KB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating the Impact of Jaali Façades on Building Energy Demand in Jaipur’s Hot Semi-Arid Climate

by Divya Raj Chaudhary and Tania Sharmin

Sustainability 2026, 18(8), 3876; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18083876 - 14 Apr 2026

Viewed by 520

Abstract

The rising demand for cooling in hot semi-arid cities like Jaipur is putting increasing pressure on energy infrastructure and urban resilience. This study investigates the potential of Jaali, a traditional perforated screen used in Indian architecture, as a passive strategy to reduce energy demand in a contemporary office building through data-driven optimisation and computational analysis. Using detailed energy simulations in DesignBuilder, this research explores how variations in orientation, cavity depth, perforation ratio and screen thickness affect cooling performance during the summer months through a systematic parametric study generating 84 simulation configurations. The model is based on a 12-storey office building designed according to local energy codes. The results show that the optimal configuration differs by orientation. On the south façade, the optimal combination is a 100 mm Jaali with 20% perforation and a 1.5 m cavity, which delivers the best performance. The west façade performs best with a thicker 150 mm screen, the same 20% perforation ratio, and a 1.0 m cavity depth. On the east façade, the strongest performance is achieved with a 150 mm Jaali, 50% perforation, and a 1.5 m cavity, with cooling demand reduction of up to 8.71%. These findings demonstrate that traditional design elements, when optimised for modern use, can offer measurable energy savings through predictive modelling frameworks. More importantly, their widespread adoption could support urban cooling strategies, reduce peak electricity loads and contribute to sustainable development across rapidly growing cities in hot climates. The comprehensive dataset generated provides a foundation for future AI-enhanced building energy optimisation applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Building Intelligence: Evaluating Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Solutions)

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41 pages, 6741 KB

Open AccessArticle

Flattening Winter Peaks with Dynamic Energy Storage: A Neighborhood Case Study in the Cold Climate of Ardahan, Turkey

by Hasan Huseyin Coban, Panagiotis Michailidis, Yagmur Akin Yildirim and Federico Minelli

Sustainability 2026, 18(2), 761; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18020761 - 12 Jan 2026

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 843

Abstract

Rapid deployment of rooftop photovoltaics (PV), electric heating, and electric vehicles (EVs) is stressing low-voltage feeders in cold climates, where winter peaks push aging transformers to their limits. This paper quantifies how much stationary and mobile storage is required to keep feeder power nearly flat over a full year in such conditions. A mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model co-optimizes stationary battery energy storage systems (BESSs) and EV flexibility, including lithium-ion degradation, under a flatness constraint on transformer loading, i.e., the magnitude of feeder power exchange (import or export) around a seasonal target. The framework is applied to a 48-dwelling neighborhood in Ardahan, northeastern Turkey (mean January ≈ −8 °C) with rooftop PV and an emerging EV fleet. Three configurations are compared: unmanaged EV charging, optimized smart charging, and bidirectional vehicle-to-grid (V2G). Relative to the unmanaged case, smart charging reduces optimal stationary BESS capacity from 4.10 to 2.95 MWh, while V2G further cuts it to 1.23 MWh (≈70% reduction) and increases flat-compliant hours within ±0.5 kW of the target transformer loading level from 92.4% to 96.1%. The levelized cost of demand equalization falls from 0.52 to 0.22 EUR/kWh, indicating that combining modest stationary BESSs with V2G can make feeder-level demand flattening technically and economically viable in cold-climate residential districts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Building Intelligence: Evaluating Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Solutions)

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16 pages, 4161 KB

Open AccessArticle

From Structure to Social Fabric: Comparing Participatory and Conventional Residential Design in the Context of Social Sustainability

by Katarzyna Kołacz

Sustainability 2025, 17(18), 8456; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17188456 - 20 Sep 2025

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2338

Abstract

This study investigates the role of residential architecture in fostering social interaction and strengthening residents’ identification with their living environment. It focuses on two key dimensions through which housing environments support social cohesion: the spatial dimension, referring to the physical design of buildings and spaces, and the organizational dimension, which involves the engagement of prospective residents in planning, and in the co-creation and development of housing projects. Two dwelling-oriented projects located in Vienna’s Leopoldstadt district were selected as case studies: Wohnprojekt Wien and PaN-Wohnpark. Wohnprojekt Wien represents a fully participatory model, characterized by maximum resident involvement throughout all stages of the design process. In contrast, PaN-Wohnpark followed a more conventional approach, involving only limited resident participation in the form of post-occupancy consultations. This participation was limited to aspects of social life, community management, and integration, without influence on the architectural or spatial layout of the buildings. Both projects were evaluated using ten architectural and spatial criteria previously developed by the author to assess features that promote neighborly interaction. The evaluation was based on qualitative field research, including site visits and expert interviews The findings indicate that the participatory design approach implemented in Wohnprojekt Wien significantly contributed to stronger social ties and a heightened sense of community among residents. In contrast, in PaN-Wohnpark—where participation was limited and occurred only after completion—the impact on social cohesion was considerably less pronounced. These results suggest that integrating participatory design methods into residential development can substantially enhance social sustainability by fostering informal social interactions and strengthening residents’ sense of belonging. Importantly, the extent to which residents are empowered to influence decisions about their living environments appears to be a critical factor in achieving these outcomes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Building Intelligence: Evaluating Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Solutions)

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23 pages, 2663 KB

Open AccessArticle

How Nanofluids May Enhance Energy Efficiency and Carbon Footprint in Buildings?

by Sylwia Wciślik

Sustainability 2025, 17(15), 7035; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17157035 - 2 Aug 2025

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1227

Abstract

Nanofluids are an innovative working medium in solar hot water installations (DHWs), thanks to their increased thermal conductivity and heat transfer coefficient. The aim of this work was to assess the effect of Al₂O₃ nanofluids in a water–ethylene glycol base (40:60%) and with the addition of Tween 80 surfactant (0.2 wt%) on thermal efficiency (ε) and exergy (η_ex) in a plate heat exchanger at DHW flows of 3 and 12 L/min. The numerical NTU–ε model was used with dynamic updating of thermophysical properties of nanofluids and the solution of the ODE system using the ode45 method, and the validation was carried out against the literature data. The results showed that the nanofluids achieved ε ≈ 0.85 (vs. ε ≈ 0.87 for the base fluid) and η_ex ≈ 0.72 (vs. η_ex ≈ 0.74), with higher entropy generation. The addition of Tween 80 reduced the viscosity by about 10–15%, resulting in a slight increase of Re and h-factor; however, the impact on ε and η_ex was marginal. The environmental analysis with an annual demand of Q = 3000 kWh/year and an emission factor of 0.2 kg CO₂/kWh showed that for ε < 0.87 the nanofluids increased the emissions by ≈16 kg CO₂/year, while at ε ≈ 0.92, a reduction of ≈5% was possible. This paper highlights the need to optimize nanofluid viscosity and exchanger geometry to maximize energy and environmental benefits. Nowadays, due to the growing problems of global warming, the analysis of energy efficiency and carbon footprint related to the functioning of a building seems to be crucial. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Building Intelligence: Evaluating Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Solutions)

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