Energy Challenges and Smart Applications in Production Systems—2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

We live in a time of rapid technological progress, as evidenced by the emergence of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0). Energy consumption and delivery are currently some of the greatest challenges facing civilization. Society is becoming increasingly aware of the scarcity of natural resources, the impact of climate change, and the importance of smart solutions that allow for the rational use of energy. To this end, it is crucial to pay attention to the production processes that are gigantic energy consumers. Energy efficiency in production is a great challenge that cannot be successfully achieved without ground-breaking changes in production paradigms and underlying technologies and applications. Smart solutions will undoubtedly play a major role in this area.

Despite significant technological advances in energy efficiency in many industrial sectors, there is still a need for new, smart solutions. They can be used in power supply and energy conversion systems, the control of energy consumption in production plants, or more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly production technologies. The development of Industry 4.0 and artificial intelligence (AI) provides many promising technologies, systems, and applications in the field of energy saving. Intelligent solutions can offer manufacturing companies many attractive benefits, such as reducing emissions, saving costs by reducing energy consumption, offering better customer service, and responding to market demand. The multidisciplinary nature of the problem motivates the need for innovative and robust solutions from various fields of knowledge. Industry 4.0 and AI play a key role in the success of smart applications in the area of energy efficiency.

This Special Issue aims to promote and disseminate new trends and the latest advancements in Industry 4.0 and AI, supporting energy efficiency in production and manufacturing systems and sustainable energy. We invite all interested parties to publish the results of their research. Theoretical approaches, frameworks, simulations, technological applications, as well as pilot and case studies are welcome.

Dr. Krzysztof Ejsmont
Dr. Bartłomiej Gładysz
Dr. Rodolfo Haber
Guest Editors

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