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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "G1: Smart Cities and Urban Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2023) | Viewed by 7389

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Oana Luca

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Civil, Industrial and Agricultural Engineering, Technical University of Civil Engineering, Bucharest, Romania
Interests: smart and sustainable mobility; housing; regional development; sustainable energy; climate studies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Ilinca Nastase

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Guest Editor

Building Services Engineering Faculty, Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest, Bd. Pache Protopopescu no.66, 021412 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: passive control of jet flows; experimental fluid mechanics; thermal comfort; optical measurement techniques; laser diagnostic
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global energy sector is in the midst of a transition, due to economic, health, social, and environmental concerns driven by climate change. Achieving a zero-emission economy by the middle of the century requires a profound reshaping of the energy system, with a major shift from carbon-intensive fossil fuels to clean energy sources. In addition to the smart approach, research is necessary for the design of pathways to zero net emissions in cities around the world, with ambitious and targeted actions; in buildings and neighborhoods, in public and private transport, and in industry and services. The participation and cooperation of all stakeholders is necessary to shape the new system.

In this context, this Special Issue is dedicated to the Transition to Sustainable and Integrated Energy Systems for Smart Cities and Industries. Submissions are expected to include papers on the following topics:

Policies and strategies towards energy transition.
Energy efficient and healthy buildings.
Net zero solutions for sustainable and smart neighbourhoods.
Sustainable transport including electrification, sustainable bioenergy or green hydrogen, enhanced public transport, and shared mobility.
Energy and waste management.
Energy communities.

Prof. Dr. Oana Luca
Prof. Dr. Ilinca Nastase
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. Energies 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 2600 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

energy transition
energy efficiency
renewable energy
electric mobility
sustainable transport
net zero energy districts
zero emission
waste management
sustainable development
smart systems
smart buildings

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1495 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Direct Effect of Enriching the Gaseous Combustible with 23% Hydrogen in Condensing Boilers’ Operation

by Răzvan Calotă, Nicolae N. Antonescu, Dan-Paul Stănescu and Ilinca Năstase

Energies 2022, 15(24), 9373; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15249373 - 11 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 915

Abstract

Following the international trend of using hydrogen as combustible in many industry branches, this paper investigates the impact of mixing methane gas with 23% hydrogen (G222) on condensing boilers’ operation. After modeling and testing several boilers with heat exchange surface different designs, the authors gathered enough information to introduce a new concept, namely High-Performance Condensing Boiler (HPCB). All the boilers that fit into this approach have the same operational parameters at nominal heat load, including the CO₂ concentrations in flue gases. After testing a flattened pipes condensing boiler, a CO₂ emission reduction coefficient of 1.1 was determined when converting from methane gas to G222 as combustible. Thus, by inserting into the national grid a G222 mixture, an important reduction in greenhouse gases can be achieved. For a 28 kW condensing boiler, the annual reduction in CO₂ emissions averages 1.26 tons, value which was experimentally obtained and is consistent with the theoretical evaluation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transition to Sustainable and Integrated Energy Systems for Smart Cities and Industries)

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52 pages, 2898 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fundamental Directions of the Development of the Smart Cities Concept and Solutions in Poland

by Łukasz Brzeziński and Magdalena Krystyna Wyrwicka

Energies 2022, 15(21), 8213; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15218213 - 03 Nov 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1923

Abstract

As city areas have been experiencing dynamic growth, the efficient development of cities is becoming a priority for technologically advanced countries and for states further down on the list from the global leaders. Smart cities are friendly for both people and the environment, in which life is better, safer, and healthier, the results of a creative approach to developing and implementing various innovations. Boasting sustainable and modern infrastructure and management, ecological city centres are perceived as key foundations of the future. Still, developing cities towards being “smart” is a serious challenge, not just for self-government and government administrators, but also for entities offering technical and technological solutions used for the purpose of implementing the improvements. The research objective was an attempt to indicate the expected changes in the shaping of the idea of smart cities in Poland. The authors’ own research was conducted from 2 August to 31 August. The method of focus group interviews with experts, specialists in the field of smart city, was used. Twenty-three practitioners participated in the study. The geographic area of the analysis covered the territory of the Republic of Poland. The time perspective of the study concerned the end of the current decade. The research process consisted of three stages: (1) preparation, the analysis of the literature on the subject (in which the variables selected for the study were identified); (2) the implementation of focus interviews; and (3) the analysis of the research results. In the last stage of the study, the statistical analysis and qualitative approach to responses were also used (by creating clusters). A network of relations, spanning a total of 3034 connections, was developed from the responses of experts on the fundamental development directions, beneficial factors, and adverse factors. On the basis of the research results, a SWOT analysis was prepared, containing the key beneficial factors, adverse factors, benefits, and disadvantages of smart city development. It was shown, on the basis of the conducted research, that the key development directions for smart cities in Poland by 2030 are: smart and sustainable buildings and infrastructure, smart mobility, and smart energy. The developed results of the analyses constitute an added value and can be used particularly in planning investments in intelligent solutions (identification of barriers and key development factors). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transition to Sustainable and Integrated Energy Systems for Smart Cities and Industries)

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23 pages, 1658 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Premises for the Future Deployment of Automated and Connected Transport in Romania Considering Citizens’ Perceptions and Attitudes towards Automated Vehicles

by Liliana Andrei, Mihaela Hermina Negulescu and Oana Luca

Energies 2022, 15(5), 1698; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15051698 - 24 Feb 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2019

Abstract

This paper is an initial exploratory study that provides recommendations for the sustainable development of future automated and connected transport (ACT) systems in Romania. To achieve this, our paper investigates the different factors that influence mobility behaviour related to ACT systems through two different themes. The first part analyses (i) the strategic framework that is relevant to future ACT deployment and (ii) the spatial development patterns of large cities in Romania that might influence future mobility behaviour based on ACT systems. We presumed, and the study confirmed, that there is currently a poor focus on ACT systems in strategic documents and that the current spatial patterns show some premises for unsustainable mobility behaviour based on ACT systems. The second part describes the results of our analysis on the WISE-ACT survey deployed in Romania. We explored how informed Romanian citizens are about AVs; whether they are ready to use them; and what perceptions, concerns, and attitudes might influence their mobility behaviour when using ACT systems. The present analysis mainly shows that the perceptions of Romanian citizens are widely similar to those of citizens from other countries and that, for Romania, the orientation towards unsustainable forms of individual travel is maintained in terms of the future use of AVs. The recommendations that are presented here primarily address the spatial and attitudinal factors that have been identified as prerequisites for unsustainable future mobility behaviour linked to ACT systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transition to Sustainable and Integrated Energy Systems for Smart Cities and Industries)

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Graphical abstract

16 pages, 5739 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation on the Ammonia Boiling Heat Transfer Coefficient in Plate Heat Exchangers

by Anica Ilie, Alina Girip, Răzvan Calotă and Andreea Călin

Energies 2022, 15(4), 1503; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15041503 - 17 Feb 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1828

Abstract

This investigation aims to compare the experimental and theoretical ammonia boiling heat transfer coefficient in a plate heat exchanger (PHE). Measured data were gathered during functioning of a single stage vapor mechanical compression refrigeration system placed in the Thermal Systems Research Center of the Technical University of Civil Buildings Bucharest (TUCEB). Experimental values fall within the range of 1377–3050 W/m²K. Theoretical values were obtained from 12 correlations confirmed by the literature to date, developed for similar working conditions. The experimental values are close to the theoretical ones for Shah and Jokar correlations applied for a vapor quality of 0.5. The theoretical values are in the range of 1440–2076 W/m²K and 1558–2318 W/m²K, respectively. Shah correlation predicted 82.35% of all data within the ±30% error band at an MAE value of 14.23%, and Jokar et al. predicted 76.47% of all data within the ±30% error band with an MAE value of 17.7%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transition to Sustainable and Integrated Energy Systems for Smart Cities and Industries)

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