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Energy Transition Engineering

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 June 2023) | Viewed by 17387

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Energy Transition Engineering, Heriot-Watt University Orkney Campus, Stromness KW16 3AN, UK
Interests: transition engineering; demand response; demand side management; building energy systems; transport energy; urban energy activities modelling; urban transition; renewable energy; sustainability; energy policy
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Every aspect of human enterprise has always been intimately reliant on access to and engineered use of energy. The COP21 Paris Agreement (2015) requires the rapid reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to 1.5 °C. The relationship between energy transition and the long-term wellbeing of societies and ecosystems is now a critically important interdisciplinary research area. Energy transition means the dramatic decline of fossil fuel production by at least 10% per annum. The COVID19 pandemic caused the shut-down of nonessential travel, retail and manufacturing, which resulted in an 11% decline in oil demand over the first half of 2020, according to the IEA. The COVID19 response has already spurred the development of online meeting and teaching products. The curtailment of personal and public transport also provided new perspectives for urban residents on the quality of life with traffic down to a bare minimum. This Special Issue invites the early and innovative analysis of interventions, policies, new businesses, technology innovations and ways to facilitate behaviour and expectation changes. For the past few decades, sustainable energy researchers have focused on renewable energy production and alternative technologies. In this special issue we seek the technical analysis of projects involving changes to engineered systems, but also new kinds of markets, IT, communications, property development, social business, policy and behaviour.  Energy transition projects are necessarily “upstream” in nature. Innovations in research, and even research proposals and research methodologies, that are “ground up” are also sought for sharing with the energy transition field. Examples of energy transition research projects are as follows:

  • Concept design and scenario modelling of transition shift projects in any subject;
  • Building renovation programme design and financial innovations which achieve passive standards for low energy consumption, plus walking access to activity systems and affordability;
  • Changes to urban form that result in no need for private vehicles, quality community interaction and play spaces, low crime, urban forestation, community gardening, affordable housing and commercial property, and water quality;
  • Changes to the manufacturing, business platform and product line that eliminate disposable plastic;
  • Changes to urban development policy and real estate models that result in affordable residential living with access to activities via active modes;
  • Changes to agricultural practices and economic models that build up soil and forest ecology, and provide full nutrition access for all people with no wastage;
  • Changes to corporate and local policies that result in partnerships in production, conservation and recovery, as well as economic participation and education;
  • Strategic ecological reserve constructions that lead to the recovery of fresh water, ocean, grassland, desert and forest ecosystems, while improving human understanding, enjoyment and enterprise.

The need is clear for these and many other energy research projects in order to achieve the transition to future livable cities, viable economies, low carbon energy systems, the recovery of ecosystems and a stabilised climate. Energy Transition Engineering requires new types of research that are interdisciplinary and innovative, and that integrate engineering, management and policy. Energy transition is emerging, but the rigorous treatment of innovative processes, designs, implementations and outcomes is necessary to enable evolution from last century’s projects of growth to this century’s projects of transition to very low energy. 

Papers in any subject area are invited for consideration as Energy Transition Engineering projects if they address any of the following:

  • Historical studies of the dynamics of change in energy technology, economics, end use or resource use, or the examination of past energy transitions;
  • Concept design and development scenarios of transition shift projects;
  • Big data collection and management, and methods to deal with the complexity of today’s energy ecosystems. In particular, studies of perception and energy end use behaviour in buildings and transportation are particularly of interest;
  • Biophysical energy scenarios that explore the future if historical trends continue, and that critically evaluate the probability of new technologies arising to fill the technological and efficiency gaps between future growing energy use and declining carbon emissions;
  • Analysis of oil, gas and other energy sources in the long-term, especially modelling of the geological and energy return on energy invested (EROI) implications of energy sources and different types of energy systems;
  • Future studies of energy supply and end use systems, and the innovative modelling and exploration of biophysically rational futures;
  • Design of policy, business and community opportunities for transition developments;
  • Descriptions of energy transition projects with case studies of design, stakeholders, investment or marketing strategies. In particular, novel project plans and new analysis tools that could be useful to others in similar situations are welcomed;
  • Case studies for completed energy transition projects with analysis of the outcomes, learning from the project, and evaluation of the potential for further projects to lead to localised energy transitions.

Prof. Dr. Susan Krumdieck
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

  • energy transition
  • low carbon
  • carbon transition
  • net zero
  • EROI
  • regeneration
  • marine environments
  • urban form
  • urban transition
  • transformation
  • wicked problems
  • building retrofit
  • product transition
  • waste elimination

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 8073 KiB  
Article
Primary Power Analysis of a Global Electrification Scenario
by Natanael Bolson, Maxim Yutkin and Tadeusz Patzek
Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14440; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914440 - 3 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2141
Abstract
Electrification scenarios dominate most plans to decarbonize the global economy and slow down the unfolding of climate change. In this work, we evaluate from a primary power perspective the impacts of electrifying the power, transport, residential and commercial sectors of the economy. We [...] Read more.
Electrification scenarios dominate most plans to decarbonize the global economy and slow down the unfolding of climate change. In this work, we evaluate from a primary power perspective the impacts of electrifying the power, transport, residential and commercial sectors of the economy. We also investigate the electrification of industrial intense heat processes. Our analysis shows that, in terms of primary power, electrification can result in significant savings of up to 28% of final power use. However, actual savings depend on the sources of electricity used. For intense heat processes, these savings are very sensitive to the electricity sources, and losses of over 70% of primary power can occur during the conversion of heat to electricity and back to heat. Overall, this study highlights the potential benefits and limitations of electrification as a tool for reducing primary power consumption and transitioning to a more sustainable energy system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Transition Engineering)
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23 pages, 2967 KiB  
Article
New Approaches to the Concept of Energy Transition in the Times of Energy Crisis
by Lazar D. Gitelman and Mikhail V. Kozhevnikov
Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5167; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065167 - 14 Mar 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5489
Abstract
The article presents conceptual foundations for solving the problem of global importance that determines the sustainable development of all countries and regions without exception. The energy transition is being implemented amid the unfolding global energy crisis; economic ties and logistics routes are being [...] Read more.
The article presents conceptual foundations for solving the problem of global importance that determines the sustainable development of all countries and regions without exception. The energy transition is being implemented amid the unfolding global energy crisis; economic ties and logistics routes are being broken and rebuilt; and political decisions are being taken, shaping the socio-economic and technical architecture of the world. Having summarized scientific publications and analytical reports and the results of expert surveys, the authors were able to substantiate that the energy transition is an interdisciplinary task that requires taking into account numerous factors of different nature and risks arising from the one-sided orientation of energy systems to use a particular type of energy source or type of energy production. As the main conceptual provision of the article, a thesis about the social equivalence of the final results of the energy transition is put forward: reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring the reliability of energy supply and a socially acceptable level of electricity prices. New elements of the energy transition concept include the definition of transformation milestones, a diversified technical policy, and tools for advanced training of personnel to work in complex projects of energy system transformations. It has been proven that the main factor for the successful implementation of the energy transition is the presence of a technical policy, i.e., a set of measures that enable consistent decisions regarding various types of generating capacities, the development of the power grid complex, and the transformation of power-consuming systems. As part of this policy, special attention is paid to recommendations for the development of thermal and nuclear power plants, which are often ignored within long-term energy transition programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Transition Engineering)
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17 pages, 2079 KiB  
Article
Application of the InTIME Methodology for the Transition of Office Buildings to Low Carbon—A Case Study
by Isabel Andrade, Johann Land, Patricio Gallardo and Susan Krumdieck
Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12053; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912053 - 23 Sep 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3276
Abstract
The COP21 Paris Agreement requires urgent abatement of 80% of the current fossil-based energy consumption to keep global warming below dangerous levels. Heating loads in commercial buildings can be reduced by retrofitting the building envelope, upgrading the efficiency of heating equipment, implementing energy [...] Read more.
The COP21 Paris Agreement requires urgent abatement of 80% of the current fossil-based energy consumption to keep global warming below dangerous levels. Heating loads in commercial buildings can be reduced by retrofitting the building envelope, upgrading the efficiency of heating equipment, implementing energy management strategies, substituting renewable energy sources, and influencing energy-saving behavior. However, achieving the downshift of gas or coal heat is a wicked problem. The Interdisciplinary Transition Innovation Management and Engineering (InTIME) methodology was applied to address the wicked problem of district heating of campus buildings of the University of Canterbury, in Christchurch, New Zealand. The carbon downshift scenario requires a reduction in coal purchase by 80% from the first year through the engineering of adaptive measures for facility operators and occupants. Accordingly, a successful downshift of fossil-fuel energy would depend on the effective adaptation of the office workers. Adaptation plans to facilitate demand participation and sustained worker productivity could be designed once the actual heating behaviour is known. The contribution of this work is a novel fossil fuel abatement concept: the Targeted Heating Energy—Assessment and Intervention Design (THE-AID), which focuses on the assessment of the heating behavioural patterns of office workers. Building services engineers can use the THE-AID concept to develop adaptation plans through intervention design and resource facilitation focused on building occupants. THE-AID projects could achieve significant emissions reduction in the near term at a low cost and increase resilience to heat supply disruptions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Transition Engineering)
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24 pages, 3805 KiB  
Article
Decarbonization of Nitrogen Fertilizer: A Transition Engineering Desk Study for Agriculture in Germany
by Florian Ahrens, Johann Land and Susan Krumdieck
Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8564; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148564 - 13 Jul 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4638
Abstract
The use of fossil fuel and artificial nitrogen fertilizer in German agriculture is a wicked problem. The incumbent system allows access to nutrition, but relies on unsustainable fossil fuel, produces greenhouse gas emissions along the whole production chain, and nitrogen pollution. This article [...] Read more.
The use of fossil fuel and artificial nitrogen fertilizer in German agriculture is a wicked problem. The incumbent system allows access to nutrition, but relies on unsustainable fossil fuel, produces greenhouse gas emissions along the whole production chain, and nitrogen pollution. This article uses the Interdisciplinary Transition Innovation, Engineering, and Management (InTIME) method for German agriculture systems with data from FAO and the German Ministry For Food And Agriculture. The purpose of this article is a rigorous analysis of the complex agriculture system and the development of feasible opportunities for sustainable carbon downshifting. Sustainability indicators are biodiversity loss, fossil-fuel use, mineral depletion, energy use, carbon emissions and eutrophication. The results indicate that the technology-based solution of “green hydrogen” as a substitute for fossil hydrogen in the fertilizer production decreases the sustainability of the agriculture system. The most promising results arise from shifting consumption of meat and animal-based products to a more plant based diet, and transitioning to organic agriculture. Net-zero sustainability goals and a reduction in eutrophication are achieved by 75% downshift of animal products and the upscaling of organic agriculture. Strategic scenarios to achieve the results are developed and recommendations for policy implementation to ease the transition are examined. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Transition Engineering)
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