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Sustainability
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Energy Transition in the Urban Environment
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Energy Transition in the Urban Environment

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 January 2024) | Viewed by 2692

Special Issue Editors

Dr. José A. Silva

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto Dom Luiz, Faculdade Ciências, Universidade Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: photovoltaic energy; renewable energies; energy storage; sustainable mobility
Dr. David Pera

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Environmental Research and Innovation (ERIN) Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
Interests: photovoltaic energy; renewable energies; energy storage; sustainable mobility

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

More than 50% of the world's population lives in cities and urban areas, which account for nearly 80% of the anthropogenic CO2 emissions. To reduce global CO2 emissions and limit the average temperature increase to less than 2 °C, as established by the Paris Agreement, it is required a massive scaling-up and acceleration of renewable energy in power generation, energy efficiency of industry and buildings, and the decarbonization of the transport sector.  Furthermore, the recent energy crisis further stresses the urgency of these transformations towards more affordable, secure and sustainable energy. This Special Issue addresses the most recent scientific developments in the different areas that support the general action plan that will definitively transform the urban energy landscape in the ongoing transition.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, urban planning, the potential of renewable energy sources in urban environments, positive-energy buildings and districts, local energy communities, smart grids and distributed energy systems, demand-response management, and the decarbonized mobility of people and goods.

Dr. José A. Silva
Dr. David Pera
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 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

  • decarbonization
  • renewable energies
  • distributed energy systems
  • energy efficiency
  • smart grids
  • sustainable mobility

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3291 KiB  
Article
Estimation of Energy Distribution Coefficients in Collective Self-Consumption Using Meta-Heuristic Optimization Techniques
by Joan Tomàs Villalonga Palou, Javier Serrano González and Jesús Manuel Riquelme Santos
Sustainability 2024, 16(7), 2741; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16072741 - 26 Mar 2024
Viewed by 237
Abstract
The expansion of collective self-consumption is set to be a fundamental pillar for the development of energy-positive communities. In Spain, the regulation establishes an allocation scheme of self-consumed and surplus energy among the participants, based on distribution coefficients. This implies that the members [...] Read more.
The expansion of collective self-consumption is set to be a fundamental pillar for the development of energy-positive communities. In Spain, the regulation establishes an allocation scheme of self-consumed and surplus energy among the participants, based on distribution coefficients. This implies that the members of the self-consumption community must decide (or otherwise are assigned by default, according to the criteria established in the regulation) the distribution coefficients assigned to each of the consumers for the allocation of the distribution of the energy generated by the self-consumption system, as well as for the allocation of the surpluses. In this paper, the behavior of several algorithms based on heuristic techniques will be analyzed, with the aim of achieving an adequate economic optimization focused on obtaining the distribution coefficients that maximize the net present value (NPV) of the collective installation (according to the annual savings from the implementation of the self-consumption facility, compared to conventional consumption). The modeling of the problem is performed under fully realistic conditions, considering hourly consumption data, electricity prices for domestic consumers and irradiation and photovoltaic production. The results obtained show a clear improvement in the economic performance of the plant by optimizing the distribution coefficients, compared to the standard approach corresponding to the default coefficients established in the regulatory framework. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Transition in the Urban Environment)
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19 pages, 3783 KiB  
Article
Research on Urban Energy Sustainable Plan under the Background of Low-Carbon Development
by Qingqin Wang, Xiaofeng Sun, Ruonan Wang, Lining Zhou, Haizhu Zhou, Yanqiang Di, Yanyi Li and Qi Zhang
Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14206; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914206 - 26 Sep 2023
Viewed by 678
Abstract
Rational planning and the use of renewable energy are effective means to reduce urban carbon emissions. In view of the few urban renewable energy planning cases and unclear methods, the paper takes the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City renewable energy planning project as a case [...] Read more.
Rational planning and the use of renewable energy are effective means to reduce urban carbon emissions. In view of the few urban renewable energy planning cases and unclear methods, the paper takes the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City renewable energy planning project as a case to provide a renewable energy planning method under the guidance of carbon constraints. Based on scenario analysis, the energy demand of urban buildings, industry and transportation is analyzed and predicted. On the basis of meeting the needs of terminal energy use, with the goal of reducing carbon emissions, the renewable energy planning scheme from 2021 to 2050 under the low-carbon scenario has been formulated, including the promotion of energy-efficient buildings, the utilization of renewable energy in buildings, the electrification of terminal energy use, and the application of large-scale municipal renewable energy. It is planned that, by 2050, the overall renewable energy utilization rate of the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City will reach 76.76%. It will use renewable energy to heat about 60 million square meters, generate about 766 million kWh of electricity, save about 0.723 million tons of standard coal and reduce 1.287 million tons of carbon dioxide every year, which will have a good effect of energy conservation and emission reduction. In this paper, the renewable energy planning method under the guidance of carbon constraint is established, which can achieve the purposes of saving resources, protecting the environment and driving sustainable development. The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City is an international co-creation city, which will receive extensive attention and provide theoretical guidance and demonstration cases for urban renewable energy planning in the context of carbon peak and carbon neutrality in the new era. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Transition in the Urban Environment)
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21 pages, 8469 KiB  
Article
Technical Feasibility for the Boosting of Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) in Existing Mediterranean Districts: A Methodology and Case Study in Alcorcón, Spain
by Martina Dell’Unto, Louise-Nour Sassenou, Lorenzo Olivieri and Francesca Olivieri
Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14134; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914134 - 24 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1130
Abstract
The deployment of Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) is currently facing a set of diverse and complex challenges, mainly arising from their novelty and the lack of practical experience. In that sense, there is a clear need for translating concepts and strategies into instruments [...] Read more.
The deployment of Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) is currently facing a set of diverse and complex challenges, mainly arising from their novelty and the lack of practical experience. In that sense, there is a clear need for translating concepts and strategies into instruments that support the design, planning and operation of PEDs. The present research aims to address this gap by introducing a methodology to assess the potential of an existing district to be converted into a PED in the specific context of Mediterranean cities, which, in addition to presenting similar climatic characteristics, share a common urban pattern and culture. The first step consists of analyzing the initial state of the district through the study of its bioclimatic and urban characteristics and estimation of its energy demand. Then, the second step allows for selecting and designing a set of passive and active strategies for the district. Finally, the technical feasibility of the scenario is evaluated by calculating its annual energy balance. The methodology is applied to a district of Alcorcón, Spain. Results show that the selected district could achieve an annual surplus of 4 GWh and, therefore, has the technical potential to be converted into a PED. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Transition in the Urban Environment)
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