Energy Transition Engineering

Dear Colleagues,

Every aspect of human enterprise has always been intimately reliant on access to and engineered use of energy. The COP21 Paris Agreement (2015) requires the rapid reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to 1.5 ^oC. The relationship between energy transition and the long-term wellbeing of societies and ecosystems is now a critically important interdisciplinary research area. Energy transition means a dramatic decline of fossil fuel production of at least 10% per annum. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused nonessential travel, retail and manufacturing to be shut down, consequently resulting in an 11% decline in oil demand over the first half of 2020, according to the IEA. The COVID-19 response has already spurred the development of online meeting and teaching products. The curtailment of personal and public transport also provided new perspectives for urban residents on quality of life, with traffic down to a bare minimum. This Special Issue invites an early and innovative analysis of interventions, policies, new businesses, technology innovations and ways to facilitate behaviour and expectations changes. For the few past decades, sustainable energy researchers have focused on renewable energy production and alternative technologies. In this Special Issue, we seek the technical analysis of projects involving changes to engineered systems, but also new kinds of markets, IT, communications, property development, social business, policy, and behaviour.  Energy transition projects are necessarily “upstream” in nature. Innovations in research and even research proposals and research methodologies that are “ground up” are also sought for sharing within the energy transition field. Examples of energy transition research projects are: 

• Building renovation program design and financial innovations which achieve passive standards for low energy consumption, plus walking access to activity systems and affordability.
• Changes to urban form that result in no need for private vehicle, quality community interaction and play spaces, low crime, urban forestation, community gardening, affordable housing and commercial property and water quality.
• Changes to a manufacturing, business platform and product line that eliminates disposable plastic.
• Changes to urban development policy and real estate models that result in affordable residential living with access to activities via active modes.
• Changes to agricultural practices and economic models that build up soil and forest ecology, and provide full nutrition access for all people, with no wastage.
• Changes to corporate and local policies that result in partnerships in production, conservation and recovery, as well as economic participation and education.
• Strategic ecological reserve constructions that lead to the recovery of fresh water, ocean, grassland, desert and forest ecosystems, while improving human understanding, enjoyment and enterprise. 

The need is clear for these and many other energy research projects, in order to achieve the transition to the future liveable cities, viable economies, low carbon energy systems, recovering ecosystems and stabilised climate. Energy transition engineering requires new types of research that are interdisciplinary and innovative, and integrate engineering, management and policy. Energy transition is emerging, but the rigorous treatment of innovative processes, design, implementation and outcomes is necessary to enable evolution from last century’s projects of growth to this century’s projects of transition to very low energy.  

Papers in any subject area are invited for consideration as energy transition engineering projects, so long as they address: 

• Historical studies of the dynamics of change in energy technology, economics, end use, resource use, and examination of past energy transitions.
• Big data collection and management and methods to deal with the complexity of today’s energy ecosystems. In particular, studies of perception and energy end use behaviour in buildings and transportation are particularly of interest.
• Biophysical energy scenarios that explore the future if historical trends continue, and critically evaluate the probability of new technologies to fill the technology and efficiency wedges between future growing energy use and declining carbon emissions.
• Analysis of oil, gas and other energy sources in the long term, especially modelling of geological and energy return on energy invested (EROI) of energy sources and different types of energy systems.
• Future studies of energy supply and end use systems. Innovative modelling and exploration of biophysically rational futures.
• Design of policy, business and community opportunities for transition developments.
• Descriptions of energy transition projects with case studies of design, stakeholders, investment or marketing strategies. In particular, novel project plans and new analysis tools that could be useful to others in similar situations are welcomed.

Case studies for completed energy transition projects with an analysis of the outcomes, learning from the project, and evaluation of the potential for further projects to lead to localised

Dr. Susan Krumdieck
Guest Editor

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