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Sustainability
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Renewable Energy Systems: Technological Innovations and the Environmental Trade-Offs
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Renewable Energy Systems: Technological Innovations and the Environmental Trade-Offs

A Special Issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050) belonging to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 1904

Editors

Prof. Dr. Manuel Alcázar Ortega

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Energy Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Interests: renewables; energy systems; demand response; electrical systems; power systems; energy efficiency; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Lina Montuori

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Energy Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Interests: renewables; energy systems; artificial intelligence; refrigeration; thermal process; oil and gas; hydrogen; biomass; energy efficiency; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change is affecting all regions around the world and unprecedented challenges still need to be faced to reduce fossil fuel-based energy production and CO2 emissions. Renewables, including solar, wind, hydropower, biofuels, hydrogen, etc., are playing a pivotal role in the ongoing transition to less carbon-intensive and more sustainable energy systems.

Moreover, technological innovations are required to accelerate the global adoption of these renewable resources and deliver affordable, safe, and clean energy on a large-scale basis, enhancing the resilience of the existing energy systems.

Among them, the integration of disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics technologies into processes using IoT sensors can enable customers to reduce their consumption by integrating renewable energy and energy storage devices to address the risk of the intermittency of renewable energy.

In this context, this Special Issue will explore innovative technological solutions and management system strategies to achieve energy systems sustainability and create a pathway towards a net-zero carbon future.  Additionally, the potential environmental trade-offs associated with the integration of large-scale renewable energy infrastructure and different spatio-technical configurations for a renewable energy system will be analyzed. Furthermore, novel strategies for real-time management and demand response to shift energy consumption, enhance forecasting, and integrate more flexible backup power sources will be discussed.

In conclusion, this Special Issue will include, but not be limited, to the following themes:

  • Smart grid and smart energy management;
  • Renewable energies and novel strategies for their integration into existing transmission and distribution systems;
  • Disruptive technologies (artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics technologies, IoT sensors) applied to renewable energy systems and their role in the energy transition;
  • Energy management and demand response strategies;
  • Environmental and societal trade-offs of renewable energy sources.

Prof. Dr. Manuel Alcázar Ortega
Prof. Dr. Lina Montuori
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

  • renewables
  • decarbonization
  • environmental trade-offs
  • demand response
  • energy management
  • artificial intelligence
  • energy forecast

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1042 KB  
Article
Household Energy Access, Energy Poverty, and Energy Stacking in the Context of South Africa’s Energy Transition
by Patrick Ehi Imoisili and Eric Maboke Mohlatlola
Sustainability 2026, 18(14), 7107; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18147107 - 12 Jul 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 653
Abstract
Energy poverty remains a persistent challenge in South Africa, despite relatively high levels of electricity access in urban townships. This study investigates household energy consumption patterns, energy-related challenges, and community perceptions of renewable energy in South Africa. In this study, a quantitative research [...] Read more.
Energy poverty remains a persistent challenge in South Africa, despite relatively high levels of electricity access in urban townships. This study investigates household energy consumption patterns, energy-related challenges, and community perceptions of renewable energy in South Africa. In this study, a quantitative research design was employed, using a structured questionnaire administered to households selected from both electrified and non-electrified areas. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential analysis with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS Version 30). The findings demonstrated that although electricity is widely used for basic services such as cooking and lighting, many households continue to rely on multiple fuels to meet their daily energy needs. This practice of energy stacking reflects ongoing concerns about affordability, reliability, and safety, and highlights that access to electricity alone does not guarantee energy security. Households also report significant financial pressure from energy costs, as well as health and fire risks associated with the use of unsafe alternative fuels. While awareness of renewable energy is present within the community, knowledge levels are uneven and not strongly associated with demographic factors, suggesting the need for more inclusive and targeted engagement strategies. Overall, the study demonstrates that energy poverty in urban South African townships extends beyond physical grid connection and is shaped by complex socio-economic and safety considerations. By foregrounding community perspectives, this research contributes to the international literature on multidimensional energy poverty and supports the design of integrated, people-centered interventions that advance affordable, reliable, and clean energy transitions in the Global South. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy Systems: Technological Innovations and the Environmental Trade-Offs)
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18 pages, 2220 KB  
Article
Verification of Wind Turbine Energy Productivity Models Under Polish Conditions: A Comparative Analysis of ERA5, MERRA, and Local Measurement Data
by Piotr Olczak, Jarosław Kulpa, Artur Dyczko, Dominika Matuszewska and Lina Montuori
Sustainability 2025, 17(24), 11043; https://doi.org/10.3390/su172411043 - 10 Dec 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 798
Abstract
Numerous models exist for estimating the specific energy yield of wind turbines, typically relying on meteorological wind speed data and turbine characteristics. However, the applicability and accuracy of these models must be validated against real-world data, particularly concerning the conditions specific to Poland. [...] Read more.
Numerous models exist for estimating the specific energy yield of wind turbines, typically relying on meteorological wind speed data and turbine characteristics. However, the applicability and accuracy of these models must be validated against real-world data, particularly concerning the conditions specific to Poland. The primary objective of this study was to verify the accuracy of existing wind energy yield models for onshore wind turbine installations in Polish conditions. The study was conducted in two parts. First, the compliance of wind speed data derived from two global reanalysis databases (ERA5 and MERRA) was analyzed against actual hourly measurements. These measurements were collected from nacelle-mounted sensors at the hub height of six operational turbines (two 3 MW and four 0.8 MW units) at a wind farm site over the course of 2019. Second, a computational model for the specific energy yield was verified using the same on-site measurements, incorporating data on turbine configuration, location, and the ERA5/MERRA inputs. A significant discrepancy was observed: wind speeds measured directly on the higher-capacity turbines (3 MW) were consistently higher than those reported in the ERA5 and MERRA databases. This difference is attributed to the fact that the coarse grid resolution of global databases does not capture the precise, optimized placement of turbines at sites specifically selected for high wind potential, often considering local topography. Despite this initial wind speed variance, the subsequent verification of the energy yield model showed satisfactory agreement with real production data. The relative mean bias error (rMBE) was found to be below 8% for the ERA5 input paired with the 3 MW turbine data and below 12% for the MERRA input paired with the 0.8 MW turbine data. The findings confirm that while global reanalysis databases may underestimate local wind speeds due to generalized grid resolution, the tested energy yield model provides satisfactory results for wind turbine planning in Poland. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy Systems: Technological Innovations and the Environmental Trade-Offs)
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