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

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

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