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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 December 2023) | Viewed by 18560

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Ali Elkamel

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Interests: energy and environmental engineering systems; air pollution modeling, simulation anenergy and environmental engineering systems; air pollution modeling; planning and optimization; sustainable development of the petrochemical industry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Ali Ahmadian

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Canada and Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Bonab, Bonab P.O. Box 5551761167, Iran
Interests: energy economics; energy and environment; transportation electrification; smart energy hubs; machine learning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Economic analysis and environmental assessment are necessary in today’s smart energy systems. In this issue, various important factors such as minimizing the performance costs and environmental pollution and increasing the sustainability and reliability should be considered. Additionally, the uncertainty modeling of input parameters should be considered in this problem. Furthermore, the risk associated with these uncertainty parameters should be managed to reduce the related risk in the uncertain environment. Finally, the flexibility of sustainable systems should be increased in different conditions. To reach this goal, the purpose of this Special Issue is to provide an opportunity for researchers to present valuable works for economic analysis and environmental assessment of sustainable energy systems.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

New optimization procedures economic analysis of sustainable energy;
A multiobjective optimization model for sustainable energy economic analysis;
Optimization model for evaluation of environmental policies;
Machine learning applications in sustainable energy economic analysis;
Network optimization models energy economic and environmental assessment;
Uncertainty modeling in energy economic assessment;
Transportation electrification impact on sustainable energy economic;
Application of energy storage technologies in sustainable energy economic modeling;
Transportation electrification impact on environmental assessment;
Economic analysis of smart energy hub systems;
Environmental assessment of multicarrier energy systems;
Electricity market modeling in sustainable economic analysis;
Market-based scheduling of sustainable energy systems.

Prof. Dr. Ali Elkamel
Dr. Ali Ahmadian
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

optimization in sustainable design
multiobjective optimization model
cost and pollution minimization
increasing sustainability and reliability
uncertainty and risk management
electricity market modeling
smart energy hub systems
transportation electrification

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 1968 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Using a Photoacoustic Cell for Spectroscopy of Toxic Air Pollutants including CO₂, SO₂ and NO Gases

by Reza Hadjiaghaie Vafaie and Ghader Hosseinzadeh

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9225; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129225 - 7 Jun 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1530

Abstract

Due to the rise in global temperature and climate change, the detection of CO₂, SO₂ and NO pollutants is important in smart cities. In this paper, an H-shaped photoacoustic cell is utilized for the detection of low-concentration gases. The geometry of the cell is miniaturized and designed with specific parameters in order to increase its efficiency and performance. The designed cell eliminates problems such as bulkiness and cost, which prevent the use of sensors in detecting greenhouse gases. The simplicity of the design expands the application rate of the cell in practice. In order to consider the viscosity and thermal effects, the cell is formulized by fully linearized Navier–Stokes equations, and various parameters, such as acoustic pressure, frequency response, sound speed (sound velocity) and quality factor, are investigated for the mentioned gases. The performance of the system is frequency-based, and the target gases can be detected by using a microelectromechanical resonator as a pressure sensor. Quality factor analysis expresses that CO₂, SO₂ and NO gases have quality factors of 27.84, 33.62 and 33.32, respectively. The performance of the cell in the resonance state can be expressed by the linear correlation between the results. The background noise generated in the photoacoustic research has been removed by miniaturization due to the obtained resonance, and the proposed cell provides a proper signal-to-noise ratio. The results of the proposed system represent the increase in the quality factor, which reduces the losses and thus increases the sensitivity of the system in the study of greenhouse gases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Energy Economics and Environmental Policy)

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24 pages, 7186 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New Decision Framework for Hybrid Solar and Wind Power Plant Site Selection Using Linear Regression Modeling Based on GIS-AHP

by Meysam Asadi, Kazem Pourhossein, Younes Noorollahi, Mousa Marzband and Gregorio Iglesias

Sustainability 2023, 15(10), 8359; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15108359 - 21 May 2023

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3293

Abstract

Currently, worldwide attention to clean energy and sustainable energy has been expedited because of its many environmental benefits. In fact, wind and solar energies play a prime role in decarbonizing the energy market. However, finding the most suitable locations for wind/solar power plants is difficult because of the non-homogeneous distribution of these sources. This paper presents a novel method for selecting the optimal locations for wind and solar farms by mapping the space of the decision criteria to the site score. In addition, the multiple linear regression model was used, with the help of the combination of GIS and AHP methods, to model the siting of wind and solar power plants. The site scoring method used in this study is reliable and globally evaluated; therefore, the scores are accurate and effective. To reveal the ability of the proposed method, two study areas were investigated and researched. The results achieved based on the introduced method showed that, in case study 1, areas with an area of about 9, 4 and 7 km² are suitable for the construction of wind, solar and wind/solar power plants, respectively. This paper also used fourteen existing wind/solar, wind and solar farms from five continents around the world. The results showed that the suggested model acts the same as the real data. In addition to the interest these results hold for the development of renewable energy in the study area, this novel approach may be applied elsewhere to select optimum sites for wind, solar, and combined wind and solar farms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Energy Economics and Environmental Policy)

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15 pages, 274 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of Powerbroking in the Mediterranean Hydrocarbon Issue and Its Impact on Environmental Crisis—A Kin-State Case Dimension on Cyprus

by Bahrooz Jaafar Jabbar and Mehmet Direkli

Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2735; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032735 - 2 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1992

Abstract

The Mediterranean Sea is prone to pollution as it is almost entirely enclosed by land and its warm waters need more than 80–90 years to clean and revive themselves. The dynamic environment and climate variables affect this region, known as the cradle of civilization. Many studies have examined the Mediterranean hydrocarbon issue through varying approaches that explain how cooperation or conflict is promoted in the region. The regional security complex approach, securitization theory, resource regionalism, location theory, and the materialist school have been considered to analyze the Mediterranean basin’s hydrocarbon relations. These approaches have focused on the issue’s political, economic, security, and geographical aspects, while there needs to be more analysis on the role of the kin-states. However, the interests of each country and regional conflicts have marginalized environmental problems. This study suggests that studying the role of Greece and Turkey in Cyprus as kin-states contributes to the direction of stability for hydrocarbon gas exploration and highlights the environmental threats. It applies a new approach to the issue of Mediterranean hydrocarbon relations by utilizing the concept of kin-states and emphasizing the environmental hazards in the Mediterranean region. At the same time, hydrocarbon development is deemed a high priority for the world in general and specifically for Europe. This study reveals the role of kin-states as powerbrokers as a significant hindrance to the progress of the peaceful development of the hydrocarbon infrastructure, ensuring clean energy in the region and reducing the vulnerability of the entire island. It recommends a multilateral approach that puts kin-states at the center of hydrocarbon cooperation. Thus, the matter of environment is analyzed by interpreting the theoretical contribution to international relations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Energy Economics and Environmental Policy)

27 pages, 3517 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermo-Economic Analysis of Innovative Integrated Power Cycles for Low-Temperature Heat Sources Based on Heat Transformer

by Nazila Nematzadeh, Hadi Ghaebi and Ebrahim Abdi Aghdam

Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 13194; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013194 - 14 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1422

Abstract

This paper proposes two novel integrated power cycles as appropriate systems for low-temperature heat sources. The proposed cycles encompass an absorption heat transformer (AHT) system to convert low-temperature heat source to high-temperature source and supply the required heat for driving Kalina cycle (KC) and absorption power cycle (APC) as bottoming cycles. A comprehensive simulation of the system is presented based on the thermo-economic viewpoint. The results show that the AHT/KC has higher energy and exergy efficiencies than the AHT/APC, with 7.69% and 49.03%, respectively. In addition, the sum unit cost of the product (SUCP) for the system is calculated 87.72 $/GJ. According to the results, throttle valve 1 and absorber 1 are the most destructive components of the AHT/KC and AHT/APC, respectively. The net output power in the AHT/KC and the AHT/APC is assessed 60.06 kW and 34.86 kW, respectively. The circulation rate (CR), Coefficient of performance (COP), and exergetic coefficient of performance (ECOP) for both cycles are 3.819, 0.4108, and 0.6107, respectively. The study of key parameters demonstrates that the energetic performance of the proposed power cycles increases and decreases by a rise in the temperature of the generator and condenser, respectively. From the exergetic perspective, rising temperature of the generator improves the efficiency of the cycles, while increasing the ammonia concentration as well as condenser and absorber temperatures reduce the exergy efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Energy Economics and Environmental Policy)

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14 pages, 1176 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does Retirement Affect Household Energy Consumption Structure? Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity Design

by Xiaofeng Lv, Kun Lin, Lingshan Chen and Yongzhong Zhang

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12347; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912347 - 28 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1717

Abstract

Whether retirement can affect household energy consumption structure is an interesting topic in relation to environment and aging. Based on China’s Urban Household Survey (UHS) data, we adopt a regression discontinuity design (RDD) to identify this causal effect. The empirical results show that households suddenly reduce their overall energy consumption by about 2.5 percent when they retire. Specifically, retirement greatly reduces household energy consumption expenditure related to work by about 55.4 percent, reduces non-durable products by about 12.1 percent, and reduces dining out consumption by about 55.3. Moreover, the mechanism analysis shows that householders reduce their social activities after retirement and spend much more time at home, so that the direct energy consumed increases and the indirect energy consumed decreases. The reduction in household non-durable energy consumption expenditure after retirement is closely related to the reduction in work-related energy consumption. Our conclusion has passed a series of validity tests and robustness tests. Our finding implies that it is valuable to design energy policies by considering these causal effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Energy Economics and Environmental Policy)

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14 pages, 3060 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Investigation of Monthly/Seasonal Data Clustering Impact on Short-Term Electricity Price Forecasting Accuracy: Ontario Province Case Study

by Nazila Pourhaji, Mohammad Asadpour, Ali Ahmadian and Ali Elkamel

Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 3063; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14053063 - 6 Mar 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2057

Abstract

The transformation of the electricity market structure from a monopoly model to a competitive market has caused electricity to be exchanged like a commercial commodity in the electricity market. The electricity price participants should forecast the price in different horizons to make an optimal offer as a buyer or a seller. Therefore, accurate electricity price prediction is very important for market participants. This paper investigates the monthly/seasonal data clustering impact on price forecasting. To this end, after clustering the data, the effective parameters in the electricity price forecasting problem are selected using a grey correlation analysis method and the parameters with a low degree of correlation are removed. At the end, the long short-term memory neural network has been implemented to predict the electricity price for the next day. The proposed method is implemented on Ontario—Canada data and the prediction results are compared in three modes, including non-clustering, seasonal, and monthly clustering. The studies show that the prediction error in the monthly clustering mode has decreased compared to the non-clustering and seasonal clustering modes in two different values of the correlation coefficient, 0.5 and 0.6. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Energy Economics and Environmental Policy)

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Review

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34 pages, 2861 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Critical Review on the Impacts of Energy Storage Systems and Demand-Side Management Strategies in the Economic Operation of Renewable-Based Distribution Network

by Morteza Zare Oskouei, Ayşe Aybike Şeker, Süleyman Tunçel, Emin Demirbaş, Tuba Gözel, Mehmet Hakan Hocaoğlu, Mehdi Abapour and Behnam Mohammadi-Ivatloo

Sustainability 2022, 14(4), 2110; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042110 - 12 Feb 2022

Cited by 42 | Viewed by 5070

Abstract

Energy storage systems (ESSs) and demand-side management (DSM) strategies have significant potential in providing flexibility for renewable-based distribution networks. Therefore, combining ESSs and DSM strategies with renewable energy sources (RESs) to solve economic, operational, environmental, and power-related political issues has received special attention from power system planners around the world. In this regard, developed countries, which are pioneers in renewable technologies, have proposed various supportive policies and practices for the widespread use of ESSs and DSM strategies in the context of distribution networks. Hence, this paper performs a comprehensive review of the most recent actions taken to build the infrastructure necessary to achieve 100% renewable energy. On this basis, this paper firstly surveys the necessity of using ESSs and DSM strategies in renewable-based distribution networks. Then, the existing policies and incentive programs implemented in different countries for the development of RESs in optimal coordination with ESSs and DSM strategies are presented. The impacts of utilizing ESSs and DSM strategies in improving the economic performance of the renewable-based distribution networks are also investigated. Finally, prevalent energy management strategies, which are proposed to optimize utilization of ESSs and DSM strategies in renewable-based distribution networks, are investigated from the perspective of optimization approaches. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Energy Economics and Environmental Policy)

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