Sustainability for Green Energy Systems: Conversion, Utilization, Management, Opportunities, and Challenges

Dear Colleagues,

The dependence on fossil fuels in some sectors such as transportation, heating, industry, and energy production is very high. Nowadays, 85% of the world's primary energy demand has been met by burning fossil fuels in thermal power plants. However, reserves of fossil fuel resources are finite and are rapidly depleting day by day. Furthermore, the energy market is highly dependent on operating costs, wars (e.g., Russia and Ukraine), and crises (e.g., COVID-19). From this point of view, energy market prices have a high volatility and adversely affect the economies of most governments. In this framework, the significance of energy diversity is well understood by policymakers. However, with today’s technology, the energy efficiency of fossil fuels is quite high compared to that of renewable energy sources; thus, it is not easy to change our dependence on fossil fuels in a short time. Many countries are now trying to enlarge their diversity in their energy production portfolio rather than relying on fossil fuels only. Policymakers and decisionmakers are revising their future energy investments accordingly. In recent years, it has become common to estimate the future energy trajectory of countries and, accordingly, their carbon footprints by establishing many realistic scenarios with soft computing and machine learning algorithms. This Special Issue aims to apply this perspective, which includes clean energy systems, sustainable energy management, alternative fuels for lower emissions, hybrid renewable energy systems, artificial intelligence, and soft computing, to the latest research focusing on distributed energy systems, energy resource management, future energy consumption, and future carbon footprints. We cordially invite original works that showcase innovative models and algorithms, and employ case studies, experimental research, or state-of-the-art reviews on these topics.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Clean energy sources: new technologies, innovations, latest trends, policies, challenges, and applications;
• Application of alternative fuels for the transportation sector;
• Building energy management systems (BEMS);
• Carbon capture: methods, new applications, and policies;
• Industrial energy management;
• Different strategies for HVAC+R energy saving;
• Role of green energy in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
• Soft computing applications for renewable energy systems;
• Application of the first and second laws of thermodynamics for hybrid renewable energy systems;
• Identification and application of modern technologies for green electricity production;
• Combustion, performance, and emission characteristics of nano-added fuels in ICEs;
• Environmental impact and assessment of green energy utilization;
• Economic and social impacts of the green energy transition;
• Machine learning applications for sector-based greenhouse gas emissions;
• Future of fossil-based fuels and the transportation sector;
• Estimating the future carbon footprint arising from the energy-related sectors by using machine learning algorithms;
• Biomass and biofuels, including production, utilization, life-cycle assessment, etc.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Ümit Ağbulut
Dr. Ali Etem Gürel
Prof. Dr. Nedim Sözbir
Dr. Hüseyin Bakir
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• clean energy
• sustainable fuels
• transportation
• energy systems
• artificial intelligence
• renewable energy systems
• alternative fuels