Dear Colleagues,

Considering the critical role of energy sources in economic and environmental management, post-COVID economic recovery preferences, geopolitical conflicts, and energy market fluctuations play a significant role in economic and political instability. This causes energy shortages, price volatility, and unstable economic recovery. Furthermore, the interruption of energy sources owing to conflicts is a significant setback to the energy transition process. Although clean and sustainable energy transitions are required to meet the 2030 SDGs and COP27 commitments, it is expected that they can divert political attention and resources away from green, clean, renewable, and carbon-free energy technology investments and change the climate change mitigation process. This can cause countries to spend more economic resources to diversify their energy mix options, preventing regional effects. Energy insecurity due to geopolitical conflicts may be induced by energy infrastructure, creating rivalries around controlling energy sources, transits, parts, technologies, and power transmission lines. Under such conditions, regional energy cooperation may not be considered the first choice for policymakers, and delayed energy infrastructure can be an outcome. Thus, a diverse understanding of energy sensitivity, knowledge, collaboration, and cooperation is required. Therefore, the current call for research is critical for a sustainable energy transition with minimum energy security conditions.

The possible themes for the guidelines include, but are not limited to:

• A way forward for a secure and resilient energy transition in the post-COVID economic recovery process.
• Challenges and opportunities to develop alternative energy sources as part of economic recovery plans.
• Energy security measures for transitioning to a low-carbon economic recovery process.
• Energy diversification and economic recovery goal balancing parameters and a way forward.
• The role of FinTech in energy security and the sustainable energy transition in the post-COVID recovery process.
• Energy efficiency policies and strategies for energy security in post-COVID recovery plans.
• The role of financial institutions and green investment in the sustainable energy transition.
• The role of energy-exploring economies in transitioning to a more sustainable energy mix during the post-COVID economic recovery process.
• Energy security, transition challenges, and potential risks to economic growth, sustainable environments, and climate change mitigation targets.
• Energy interconnections between sustainable investments and technologies that contribute to promoting energy security cooperation, a sustainable energy transition, economic recovery, and sustainable environmental management.
• Impact of Green Deal policies for the European Union and OECD members.

Prof. Dr. Antonio Sánchez-Bayón
Dr. Mohamed Elheddad
Guest Editors

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• Policy and Finance for Clean Energy Transition in Energies (3 articles)