Emerging Renewable Energy Technologies and Smart Long-Term Planning

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to comprehensively address the rapid advancement of emerging renewable energy technologies, designed to operate as standalone sources or within hybrid systems. It also seeks to analyze the role of renewables in long-term smart energy planning, highlighting how these developments can transform the global energy mix toward more sustainable, resilient, and equitable systems. The work addresses technological evolution, multi-sectoral integration, scenario-based planning, and the socioeconomic impact of the energy transition. First, it examines in detail innovations in solar energy, wind turbines, geothermal energy, energy storage, green hydrogen, smart grids, and digital energy management platforms. This Special Issue explores the maturity level, costs, implementation barriers, and deployment potential of these technologies in different regions of the world.

It also focuses on energy hybridization, proposing models where renewable technologies are combined with energy storage, digitalization, and demand flexibility to respond to climate variations; optimize resources; and ensure stability in isolated, urban, and industrial systems. The Special Issue also aims to address long-term planning methodologies, using tools such as EnergyPLAN, MATLAB, LEAP, and optimization models to construct prospective scenarios for 2030, 2050, and beyond, if necessary. These scenarios allow for the comparison of technological pathways, life-cycle costs, emissions, and energy security, integrating social, economic, and environmental variables.

Finally, the human impact of the energy transition is analyzed, including green job creation, workforce retraining, industrial opportunities, governance, and the public policies needed to accelerate the change. Through case studies, it demonstrates that the transition to clean energy is not only technically feasible but also essential for addressing climate change and promoting more equitable development. Overall, the Special Issue serves as a comprehensive and strategic guide for researchers, planners, students, and decision-makers interested in building the energy systems of the future.

Dr. Daniel Icaza
Dr. Fernando González-Ladrón-de-Guevara
Guest Editors

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