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Review

Urban Energy Management—A Systematic Literature Review

by
Paweł Modrzyński
1,* and
Robert Karaszewski
2
1
Faculty of Management, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, 85-790 Bydgoszcz, Poland
2
College of Business Administration, American University in the Emirates, Dubai 503000, United Arab Emirates
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Energies 2022, 15(21), 7848; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15217848
Submission received: 19 September 2022 / Revised: 20 October 2022 / Accepted: 21 October 2022 / Published: 23 October 2022
(This article belongs to the Section A: Sustainable Energy)
Browse Figure
Versions Notes

Abstract

:
Environmental protection is currently one of the key priority areas of the European Union (EU). The search for effective solutions for the supply and use of energy in cities is currently a key topic. The reduction in gas emissions and the use of renewable energy sources are goals that result from environmental aspects. The purpose of this publication is to conduct a literature review in the area of municipal energy management. Municipal energy management systems integrate many areas, from energy supply systems and the modernization of public transport to the energy demand reduction of residential and commercial facilities. The results of the literature review research have allowed for the classification of articles based on the following criteria: research methodology, research purpose, research data collection method, use of research results article type, and research subject area.

1. Introduction

Environmental protection has now become a priority goal of the strategies of many countries, city regions, and international organizations. The European Union (EU) has set an ambitious target—a total reduction in gas emissions by 2050, with an intermediate target reduction of 55% in gas emissions by 2030 [1]. The EU has indicated that the energy sector is a key player in achieving the assumed gas reduction targets and providing green energy [2,3]. Large agglomerations, cities, or local governments, in general, play a key role in energy consumption and, thus, also in CO2 emissions to the atmosphere [4]. At the end of the eighteenth century, the share of the population living in cities did not exceed 5%, and one-hundred years later, at the end of the nineteenth century, this share had grown to the level of 13%, and in 1960, it reached 34% of the global population [5]. The turning point came in 2008, when more than half of humanity, i.e., 3.3 billion people, lived in urban areas. The dynamics of urban development are evidenced by the population data from the 20th century, where the population in cities increased from 200 million to 2.8 billion inhabitants [6]. The increase in the population in cities and the corresponding economic growth directly affect the growing energy demand [7]. The development of information technology enables the integration of various energy systems covering areas such as lighting, public transport, and residential and technical infrastructure. In the well-known concept of the smart city [8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16] or sustainable urban development [17,18,19,20,21,22], it is noticeable that researchers have put more emphasis on the current priority area: energy management systems. The current geopolitical situation in the world and rising energy prices have additionally intensified the research area of energy management [23,24,25,26,27,28,29], the results of which may contribute to the more effective use of current energy sources and allow for a more efficient use of renewable energy sources, which is directly part of the international and domestic energy strategy of many countries [30,31].

2. Theoretical Background and Previous Studies

Municipal energy management systems fit directly into the concept of the smart city or sustainable development, the current priorities of which are: effective management of natural resources, minimizing energy consumption, using renewable energy sources, and, therefore, reducing gas emissions to the atmosphere [27]. Sharifi and Yamagata indicated that urban areas are responsible for the consumption of 60% to 80% of global energy, and this share is expected to gradually increase in the future [32]. Earlier studies of the literature in the field of ‘urban energy’ focused on single areas, including ecology [31,32,33,34], poverty [35], governance [36], natural disasters [37], and agriculture [38]. The energy resilience of cities, understood as an integrated system of infrastructure and information and communications technology systems (ICT), has not been well researched in urban studies literature thus far [39]. Sharifi and Yamagata also indicated that in the event of a power supply disruption, the costs of energy systems creation fall within 1–2% of the annual development potential of nations. They included the following components as threats to urban energy systems: (1) rise in the number of extreme events (typhoons, extreme precipitation, bush fires, etc.), (2) droughts and water scarcities, (3) extreme temperatures, (4) peak oil and fossil fuel depletion, (5) volatility of global energy markets, (6) old and inefficient infrastructure, (7) technical deficiencies and failures and technological lock-in, (8) political instability and geopolitical conflicts, (9) complex, long-distance, and interconnected energy systems, (10) terrorism, sabotage, vandalism, etc., (11) cyber attacks, (12) electricity theft, (13) energy poverty, (14) population increase and urbanization and lifestyle changes, and (15) de-regularization and privatization [32]. Abbasabadi and Ashayeri indicated that existing methods and tools for assessing energy consumption in cities often reduce the definition of energy consumption in cities to the operational energy of buildings, ignoring other essential elements such as transport energy and embedded energy in buildings and infrastructure [40].
Agudelo-Vera et al. indicated that integrated resource management and urban planning are important factors in sustainable urban development. Resources are broadly understood here and include elements such as water, energy, and food. Until now, unsustainable urban development has been rooted in the mass consumption of resources and the production of waste, with the poor use of recycling in the process of recreating natural resources [40]. Xianchun and Zhuoran, who analyzed the urbanization process of China, drew attention to the significant problems and challenges of urban planning. The rational management of natural resources has become a particularly important element of the management of urban areas, the level of which exceeded 50% in 2011 [41]. The problem of the growing consumption of resources resulting from dynamically progressing urbanization processes was indicated by Hong et al., who emphasized the role and importance of analyzing the energy efficiency of buildings and urban infrastructure, which are the main beneficiaries of energy [42].
According to Jaccard, the term ‘urban energy system’ is defined as the combined processes of obtaining and using energy in society and in an economy [43]. Based on this definition, Keirstead et al. diagnosed three features of municipal energy systems [44]: “(1) Combined processes Delivering energy services requires many different steps including resource extraction, refining, transportation, storage, and conversion to end service. While the urban environment may be physically separate from many of these processes, they should be considered in an overall analysis if they are ultimately being used to service urban demands. (2) Acquiring and using Energy systems represent a balance between supply and demand. Historically cities might be seen as centers of passive demand which must be supplied from an ex-urban source, but recent work suggests that there are now significant opportunities for in-city energy generation. Given these possibilities, urban energy systems should be conceived of as including both sides of the supply and demand equation. (3) Given society or economy An energy system is a socio-technical system, comprised of more than just pipelines, fuels, and engineering equipment. Markets, institutions, consumer behaviors and other factors affect the way technical infrastructures are constructed and operated. Urban energy systems therefore need to be viewed more widely and account for local context” (p. 3848).
Sustainable energy systems, according to Manfren, Caputo, and Costa, will reduce the impact of the energy sector on the environment while ensuring the appropriate standards of energy services. Urban energy systems require an advanced multidisciplinary approach that will enable the correct modeling of real phenomena while maintaining computational transparency [45]. The complexity of municipal energy systems was analyzed by Sahin et al. using the Sydney Hydroelectric Dam as an example. In their article, Sahin et al. investigated the possibility of storing flood water, making better use of desalination and hydropower resources, and increasing renewable production [46].
Nazmul Islam investigated the renewable energy potential of municipal solid waste (MSW) and the climate benefits of reducing carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere using the city of Bangladesh as an example, which used the Waste to Energy (WtE) strategy for efficient waste management in urban areas [47].
The connection of municipal energy systems with environmental protection and the use of renewable energy sources has become a common research direction. Theodoridou et al. examined the establishment of a methodology approach in order to estimate energy conservation and solar systems potential in urban environments based on the implementation of geoinformatics decision-making tools into a fine-scale analysis over an extended geographical area [48].
An interesting voice in the discussion on urban energy systems is that of Tanko, who analyzed the effects of a dynamically changing world economy in African cities based on traditional energy systems. In Tanko’s study, the African energy sector was characterized by two parameters: social poverty and the uneven concentration of natural energy resources (oil and gas). The study concluded that more than 70% of the crude oil produced was exported, and African oil and gas plants continuously burned gas as production waste and did not use in any way [49].
Lehmann contributed to the discussion undertaken by Tanko, as he analyzed energy systems and resource management challenges in rapidly developing cities in the Southeast Asia region. Based on the Southeast Asian Urban Nexus project, Lehmann studied the integration of resource management processes that increased resource efficiency and infrastructure investments that reduced CO2 emissions and reduced the amount of produced waste [50].
Sustainable municipal energy systems are in line with the assumptions of the smart city concept, which is based on the collection, processing, and use of huge amounts of data generated by cities and their infrastructure. Heating and cooling devices are the main consumers of electricity in cities, and through their widespread use, these devices contribute to global warming. Sharma et al. developed a model in which traditional heating and cooling systems were replaced with systems that accumulate natural solar heat and recover industrial waste heat. For the purposes of storing thermal energy, a seasonal thermal energy storage (STES) system was proposed, which would meet the requirements of the smart city concept [51].
Lohri et al. analyzed the use of briquettes made from carbonized biowaste in energy production by urban households in low- and middle-income countries. The primary source of energy for these farms was charcoal, which comes primarily from forest cuttings and is based on long transport routes—both of which are factors that contribute to environmental degradation. The research by Lohri et al. proved the effectiveness of waste reduction and the use of bio-waste for energy production [52].
The publication by Berardi et al. is part of the discussion on green trends in municipal energy systems. Berardi et al. conducted an economic analysis of the use of “green roofs” to reduce energy consumption in buildings, mitigate the urban heat island effect, reduce air pollution, improve water management, increase sound insulation, and protect the environment [53].
An important aspect raised in the discussion on urban energy systems is in the publication by Ren et al., wherein the aspects of ‘urban-rural’ cooperation in building regional energy resource circuits are presented. Based on the developed model, Ren et al. conducted simulations of the energy system’s efficiency based on mutual cooperation between the city and the countryside. They proved that it is the best option both from an economic point of view and, above all, from an environmental point of view, where the possible level of CO2 emission reduction could exceed even 50% of the initial level [54].
At the end of the analysis of the previously conducted studies and research in the field of municipal energy management systems, it is worth paying attention to the concept of life-cycle assessment (LCA) [55], a subject focused on the aspects of waste management and the consumption of raw materials [56,57,58,59,60,61].

3. Research Method

3.1. Research Subject

The starting point for this research in the area of ‘Urban Energy Management’ was a scientific paper from 2012 which presented the current research trends. Even then, the authors pointed to the multithreaded nature of this research problem. Keirstead et al. tried to create definitions of municipal energy systems. From a review of 219 articles, they identified five key areas related to this topic: technology design, building design, urban climate, systems design, and energy policy evaluation [44].
The current study analyzed studies registered in international journals over the past five years, from 2018 to 2022. The research analyzed scientific articles available in the Science Direct database, whose substantive scope covered the broadly defined subject of municipal energy management systems. Scientific journals of international scope, published in English in reputable scientific journals, were qualified for the study.
In the process of selecting scientific journals which were the subject of further studies of literature, the following keywords were adopted: ‘urban energy management’ and ‘city energy management’. The adopted thematic area of literature selection, ‘Urban Energy Management’, is very wide, which slowly led to the analysis of many publications in the field of energy, from the areas of energy system efficiency to ecological urban transport and environmental effects. Further research subjects were narrowed down to the following areas: ‘Energy’ and ‘Business, Management and Accounting’. The next step in selecting the publications to be analyzed was to narrow the publications down to articles of the following types: review articles and research articles (see Table 1).
After conducting the selection, which was carried out according to the criteria adopted in the research methodology, 185 scientific articles were finally obtained, 34.1% of which were published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, 7.0% in Energy and Applied Energy, and 5.4% in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. Based on the adopted criteria, a list of journals in which the analyzed articles were published is presented in Table 2.
Table 3 shows the number of documents by year. The distribution of the publications in the particular years under analysis is even.

3.2. Systematic Review

This study conducted a systematic review of smart city studies from the last five years. The research posed the main research question, which was defined as follows: ‘What are the main research trends in the area of municipal energy management systems?’. The broadly formulated research question allowed the analysis to include articles that broadly fit into the analyzed subject matter, which included the issues of technological, infrastructural, systemic, ecological, safety, and management solutions—and their effectiveness, efficiency, and profitability. According to the research question posed in this way, the framework of the analysis was defined in two research methodologies (see Table 4 and Table 5). In the next stage of the research, the analyzed publications were grouped according to the following criteria: research purpose, research date collection method, use of research results, and analysis unit or research area. Using the methodology developed by Myeong et al. [62], the breakdown of the analyzed articles was based on the nature of the data, including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed data (see Table 4). In the second methodology (see Table 5), the research material was further divided based on the adopted research tool. The group of analyzed research tools included interviews, case studies, surveys, experiments/models, and literature studies.
The further division used in methodology 2 referred to the research objective, which assumed the division of the analyzed publications based on criteria such as exploratory research, descriptive research, and explanatory research (see Table 6). The analysis of the data used in publications allowed for the application of the following data classification into primary data and secondary data (see Table 7) [63]. The analysis carried out on the basis of the research tools used and the nature of the data used in the researched scientific publications allowed for the use of another key element of the methodological division, namely, the division of publications based on the nature of the presented research results into the following categories: basic research, applied research, and evaluation research (see Table 8). The last analyzed research area adopted within the second methodology was the division of the publications into research areas or analyzed units/sectors [62].
The adoption of this methodology made it possible to carry out and present the research material in the field of broadly defined municipal energy management systems in an exhaustive and synthetic way. This methodology allowed for isolation and publication grouping according to current scientific trends and applied research tools or methods of presenting or using research results. At the same time, the adopted research methodology is in line with the current canons of presenting research results as literature reviews.
The current literature review deals with the impact of energy systems in cities in the context of climate and environmental change, as well as in the context of CO2 and other gas emissions to the atmosphere. The purpose of the literature review was to analyze and learn about research trends in the area of urban energy management. The environmental aspect, considered very broadly, was the reduction of CO2 and other gas emissions to the atmosphere.

4. Results and Discussion

4.1. Results of Research Method Analysis

As a result of the research analysis, within the group of 185 publications, the largest share was attributed to publications that used quantitative methods (126 publications (68.1%)), followed by those that used mixed methods (46 publications (24.9%)) and qualitative methods (13 publications (7.0%)) (see Table 4). Quantitative data were used to describe case studies [24,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72] and to build models [19,73,74,75,76,77,78]. Mixed methods were also used to describe case studies [79,80,81,82,83] and questionnaire studies [84,85]. Qualitative methods were also used to describe case studies [83,84]. In the analysis, quantitative research showed a slight upward trend.
The next stage of the adopted methodology was the classification of publications according to the adopted research technique. According to this methodological criterion (see Table 5), the following data was obtained: 98 case studies (53.0%), 41 experiments/models (22.2%), 24 surveys (13.0%), 21 literature studies (11.4%), and 1 interview (0.5%). The main research areas of the case studies were: environmental and economic efficiency of smart-cities infrastructure, including energy infrastructure [27,29,54,86,87,88,89,90], the use of renewable energy sources in urban space or its elements or its performed functions, e.g., urban transport [91,92,93,94], construction, the energy efficiency of housing infrastructure and public buildings [95], the use of modern technologies and infrastructure in energy and media [96,97,98], and environmental protection, including a reduction in CO2 emissions or a reduction in the consumption of energy resources [99,100,101]. The literature review in the investigated publications concerned the following subjects: the ecological efficiency of energy and energy management systems in the area of cities and smart cities [8,26,102], the use of renewable energy sources in the area of functions performed by cities [13,103,104,105], town planning and building [106,107,108], and big data [109]. It is worth noting that many of the analyzed articles combined the subject matter related to several of the above-mentioned energy areas [93,110].
The literature review carried out for the period 2018–2022, in accordance with the adopted assumptions and criteria, showed that descriptive studies were slightly dominant (74 publications (40.0%)), followed by exploratory studies (67 publications (36.2%)) and explanatory studies (44 publications (23.8%)) (Table 6).
The descriptive studies were dominated by publications based on literature studies, the subject of which was related to energy efficiency in the context of renewable energy sources and energy diversification, in particular [26,89,111,112,113].
The exploratory studies by Epting et al. indicated a research gap in the area of using subsurface geothermal resources in urban areas, where the possibility of using them would require a properly conducted assessment of the energy potential [114]. In the topic of energy efficiency of subsurface resources, Epting et al. used quantitative modelling to analyze heat flow and heat transport. It was pointed out that, in combination with geographic information systems, the assessment of thermal potential and heat demand could form the basis of the management concepts, as well as the overall economic and ecological thermal planning for the use of subsurface resources [115]. Bevilacqua pointed to the ‘green’ trends in green construction that would enable the reduction of CO2 or heat emissions [116,117].
In the explanatory study by Haraguchi et al., a stochastic analysis of the costs of producing energy from waste was presented [22]. Similar topics can be found in the studies by Wang et al. [118], Vergara-Araya et al. [64], and Padilha and Mesquita [119].
The next stage of the analysis was the division of the publications according to the data source into primary and secondary data. In the individual years covered by the analysis, it was clearly visible that the majority of the publications used primary sources. Out of the 185 analyzed publications, 123 publications used primary data (66.5%) and 62 publications used secondary data (33.5%). Such a large percentage of publications with primary data resulted from the research subject—in works such as case studies or experiments/models, the research used data generated from IT and energy systems (Table 7).
According to the use of research results, more than half of the publications were basic studies, that is, 94 (50.8%) were basic studies, followed by 64 (34.6%) applied studies and 27 (14.6%) evaluated studies (Table 8). Those that were basic research presented models for comparative analysis of climate strategies [120] and sustainable energy systems using, among other things, waste for energy production [77,121,122]. In the applied research publications, case studies were used in areas such as life cycle assessment [79], integrated energy management systems [64,123], and energy measurements [96].
Chang et al. in evaluated studies that assessed integrated water resource management systems [88]. Wang et al. analyzed the benefits of municipal waste management systems and their use in the energy production process [118].

4.2. Results of Research Content Analysis

4.2.1. Urban Energy Management

Energy management in cities is a complex process, combining various systems responsible for measuring energy consumption, optimizing the energy supply process, and using waste in this process. Due to the development of technology and the popularization of the smart city concept, this area is very popular among researchers from the scientific point of view [26,111]. An important aspect of managing the energy area is its social and environmental dimension [27]. An equally important research trend in the area of energy management in urban space is zero-emission construction [124]. In the publications under study, the management of energy systems was subjected to a broader analysis and was often an important element of the studied city’s strategy [125].

4.2.2. Waste Management and Green Energy

The interest in renewable energy sources and the use of waste for energy production is the result of the influence of many economic, social, and technological factors [89,123,126]. Publications in the area of green energy also cover the subject of using, for example, green roofs to increase the energy efficiency of heating systems and reduce CO2 emissions in the urban space [117,127].

4.2.3. Urban Traffic Management

Urban transport management, in particular, public transport, is analyzed in terms of energy consumption, environmental aspects, e.g., CO2 emissions, and the use of renewable energy sources. Fernández et al. examined all the above-mentioned factors in the context of urban traffic management policy [91]. Shah et al. presented an overview of the current barriers, strategies, and technologies used in the implementation of green transportation [128]. Using a publicly available urban transport congestion index, Wen et al. developed a model to analyze the hourly emissions of CO2 and other pollutants [129].

4.2.4. Smart City/Sustainability

The management of municipal energy systems, the use of renewable energy sources, and environmental aspects, in general, are areas that directly fit into the concepts of smart cities and sustainable urban development. In the studied publications, the smart city concept was analyzed in the areas of energy and environmental efficiency [13], low-emission technologies (using technology parks in cities as an example) [130], technological possibilities and the use of big data [109], and building multi-criteria decision-making models [131].
An important element of the discussion in the area of smart cities is also the social responsibility of urban policy and energy infrastructure management models [27]. Sustainable urban development is understood as systems integration, namely, the integrations of food, energy, and water (FEW) [132].

4.2.5. Smart Grids

Rostampour et al. investigated smart grids in the context of distributed energy management and storage systems. Aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) is a construction technology used for the seasonal sub-surface storage of thermal energy that can reduce energy consumption in larger buildings by more than 50% [133]. There is growing interest in the energy modelling of municipal facilities as a tool to assess the effective energy management of municipal buildings and carbon reduction policies. Lim and Zhai verified the identifiability of unknown parameters in a building stock by analyzing the effect of the meta-model’s accuracy on the estimation of unknown parameters in the proposed urban building energy model [134].

4.2.6. Technology and Infrastructure

Kang et al. reviewed the literature in the area of battery energy storage systems in cities [135]. The authors focused on the analysis of battery energy storage systems (BESSs), the potential of which, despite technological changes, is still not fully utilized. Distributed energy systems that are more frequently used in cities are a potential area of the effective use of BESSs (see Figure 1).

4.2.7. Building Energy Performance

Forecasting the energy performance of a building is a key energy management strategy for a building. Previous studies mainly used data from metered buildings, which meant that the formulated conclusions related only to a narrow part of the city’s infrastructure, which significantly limited the effectiveness of the models built in this way. Jiang et al. proposed a novel semi-supervised deep learning method, namely, the dynamically updated multi-fold semi-supervised learning method based on deep neural networks (DUMSL-DNN), which was proposed to predict building energy use intensity (EUI) by utilizing unlabeled samples [87]. Cai et al. analyzed urban space in terms of carbon dioxide emissions. Globally, cities are responsible for over 70% of the emissions of these gases into the atmosphere. The sustainable energy performance of buildings focuses not only on analyzing and minimizing the energy demands of buildings, but also on reducing CO2 emissions. Cai et al. used the spatial modeling of carbon dioxide emissions in cities to reduce carbon emissions. A building’s attributes are key indicators of its energy demand, and they are important in the CO2 inventory process but are often not included in the modeling process due to data availability. Using Hong Kong as an example, Cai et al. employed high-resolution CO2 inventory modeling tools with publicly available data provided by the city. The spatial distribution of Hong Kong’s carbon emissions can provide reference information for low-carbon city management for other high-density cities. The method is potentially widely applicable, thus contributing to a global collaborative effort to reduce carbon dioxide emissions [136].

4.2.8. Carbon/Gas Emission

Many publications mention the topic of reducing CO2 emissions, which is treated additionally, when analyzing the area of energy management, the use of renewable energy sources, or the use of modern technologies in, for example, construction. However, it is worth paying attention to research, the main research topic of which is the reduction of CO2 emissions, where metropolises are the main producers of emissions. Using the city of Beijing as an example, Zheng et al. estimated the carbon emissions in urban functional zones [90]. Sereenonchai et al. studied low-emission public transport using the integrated strategies of urban and rural municipalities in Thailand as an example [80]. Meng et al. developed a literature review of the area of the latest technologies and solutions of urban energy with water and carbon (urban energy-water-carbon (EWC)), the aim of which was to identify appropriate tools for the management of such systems [137].

4.2.9. City/Region and Country

On the basis of the adopted research methodology, the publications were also divided according to the criterion of the studied area. In this case, solutions from this broadly defined energy area were examined based on case studies of cities, [69,82,111,138,139], regions/local governments [50,80,140,141], or countries [142,143,144,145,146] (see Figure 1).

4.2.10. State Policy/Governance

The creation of standards and legal regulations in the field of effective management of energy systems based on environmental criteria in line with, among other things, the social responsibility of this branch of the economy is also an important research area. This methodological criterion included publications on the use of solar energy, including the production of photovoltaic energy [147], and the effects of implementing energy strategies in municipalities [148] (see Figure 1).

5. Conclusions and Discussion

The literature review for the period 2018–2022 was carried out in terms of the applied research methods and research content.
On the basis of the adopted research criteria, the publications were grouped, and the following conclusions were obtained: (1) quantitative research was dominant, (2) case studies and experiments/models were the most popular research tools, (3) the conducted research was primarily descriptive, (4) researchers mainly used primary data, and (5) the conducted research was basic research, in most cases.
The analysis of the content of the studied publications allows us to draw the following conclusions: (1) the research area ‘urban energy management’ combines many additional research areas, including energy efficiency, economic efficiency, environmental protection, the use of modern technologies in energy infrastructure and construction, urban spatial planning, and public transport; and (2) the multidimensionality of the research referred to in point 1 is the result of, among other things, the implemented various functions of cities, which combine the objectives of energy supply for residents with the creation of conditions for sustainable urban development.
‘Urban Energy Management’ is a very broad concept, and it seems that on the basis of the literature review, it is undoubtedly difficult to build a uniform definition of this issue. When developing the above topic, researchers should indicate an additional area of interest, such as efficiency or environmental impact. Energy use in cities has been the subject of much research in recent years. However, such a broad topic inevitably results in many alternative interpretations of the problem domain and the modelling tools used in its study [22].
Based on the grouping of the analyzed research topics, the following research trends were identified: (1) urban energy management, (2) waste management and green energy, (3) urban traffic management, (4) smart city/sustainability, (5) smart grids, (6) technology and infrastructure, (7) building energy performance, (8) carbon/gas emissions, (9) city/region and country, and (10) state policy and governance.
The conducted research shows that the current research trends have directed municipal energy systems to search for solutions for increasing their efficiency, among other things, through a reduction in the consumption of energy resources, metering (striving for better monitoring and management of these systems), and the integration of existing networks and systems using renewable energy sources. At the same time, the strong emphasis of city activity is focused on sustainable development, the essence of which is related to reducing the CO2 emissions of both public transport and urban infrastructure (i.e., housing and public utility facilities). In the analyzed publications, attention was also paid to research on the use of organic materials in construction, e.g., green roofs, the use of which increases energy efficiency and allows for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions while increasing the active surface in urbanized areas. Public transport is also an important research area in which renewable energy sources play an important role.
The aim of this publication was to conduct a literature review of what is currently a very important research area. The result of the literature review was to show the current trends and directions of research in this area. This publication may be a starting point for other researchers, and this manuscript could be implemented as a part of literature review in a wider paper; therefore, future authors are advised to do so, or to expand the number of databases and compare the structure of the results among them.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, P.M. and R.K.; methodology, P.M. and R.K.; project administration, P.M.; resources, P.M.; supervision, R.K.; writing—original draft, P.M. and R.K.; writing—review and editing, P.M. and R.K. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This work was not supported by any external source. The authors assume all responsibility for preparing and conducting the research.

Data Availability Statement

No new data were created in this study. Data sharing is not applicable to this research.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Energies 15 07848 g001 550
Figure 1. Classification of the researched articles according to the selected thematic areas.
Figure 1. Classification of the researched articles according to the selected thematic areas.
Energies 15 07848 g001
Table
Table 1. Criteria for the analysis of trends in the literature on urban (city) energy management.
Table 1. Criteria for the analysis of trends in the literature on urban (city) energy management.
ItemsContents
Keyword‘urban energy management’ and ‘city energy management’
Subject areasenergy, business, management, and accounting
LanguageEnglish
Document typereview articles, research articles
SourceScience Direct database
Time interval2018–2022
Table
Table 2. Journals of ‘urban energy management’ or ‘city energy management’ research.
Table 2. Journals of ‘urban energy management’ or ‘city energy management’ research.
JournalsCountRate (%)
Journal of Cleaner Production 6334.1
Energy137.0
Applied Energy137.0
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews105.4
Energy and Buildings94.9
Renewable Energy 94.9
Resources, Conservation and Recycling94.9
Cities 63.2
Technological Forecasting and Social Change52.7
Journal of Environmental Management 52.7
Energy Reports 52.7
Energy Procedia 42.2
Energy Conversion and Management 31.6
Environmental Impact Assessment Review 31.6
Environmental Science & Policy 31.6
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 21.1
Geothermics 21.1
Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments 21.1
Water-Energy Nexus 21.1
Chinese Journal of Population, Resources and Environment 21.1
Journal of Power Sources 10.5
Building and Environment 10.5
Journal of Business Research 10.5
Technology in Society10.5
Futures 10.5
Others105.4
Total185100.0
Table
Table 3. The number of documents by year.
Table 3. The number of documents by year.
YearTotal
202240
202130
202039
201933
201843
Total185
Table
Table 4. Research methodology 1.
Table 4. Research methodology 1.
YearQuantitativeQualitativeMixedTotal
20182541443
20191911333
2020292839
2021242430
2022294740
Total1261346185
Table
Table 5. Research methodology 2.
Table 5. Research methodology 2.
YearInterviewCase StudySurveyExperiment/ModelLiterature StudyTotal
2018 02856443
2019 01369533
2020 021411339
2021 11638230
2022 02067740
Total198244121185
Table
Table 6. Research purpose.
Table 6. Research purpose.
YearExploratoryDescriptiveExplanatoryTotal
20182214743
2019719733
202014141139
20211091130
20221418840
Total677444185
Table
Table 7. Research date collection method.
Table 7. Research date collection method.
YearPrimary DataSecondary DataTotal
2018291443
2019191433
2020291039
202122830
2022241640
Total12362185
Table
Table 8. Use of research results.
Table 8. Use of research results.
YearBasic ResearchApplied ResearchEvaluated ResearchTotal
20182512643
20191811433
20202014539
20211611330
20221516940
Total946427185
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Modrzyński, P.; Karaszewski, R. Urban Energy Management—A Systematic Literature Review. Energies 2022, 15, 7848. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15217848

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Modrzyński P, Karaszewski R. Urban Energy Management—A Systematic Literature Review. Energies. 2022; 15(21):7848. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15217848

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Modrzyński, Paweł, and Robert Karaszewski. 2022. "Urban Energy Management—A Systematic Literature Review" Energies 15, no. 21: 7848. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15217848

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Modrzyński, P., & Karaszewski, R. (2022). Urban Energy Management—A Systematic Literature Review. Energies, 15(21), 7848. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15217848

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