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Green Energy Technologies for Sustainability
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Green Energy Technologies for Sustainability

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2022) | Viewed by 9565

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mengyao Gao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
Interests: osmotic power generators; sustainbale energy storage; advanced materials; lithium batteries
Dr. Zhezhen Fu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin–Platteville, Platteville, 53818, USA
Interests: manufacturing processes: powder metallurgy, additive manufacturing; ceramic materials: solid-state electrolyte for solid-state batteries; mechanical properties of ceramic materials
Dr. Yuelei Pan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China
Interests: thermal conductivity; composites; porous materials; sol–gel methods; nanomaterials; aerogels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Meeting human needs while keeping our planet safe and healthy will require an accelerated transition toward sustainability. In 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were launched and adopted by the United Nations. They aim to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for everyone by 2030. Our life in the technological society has been significantly more dependent on energy supply than ever before. However, conventional energies have posed a threat to the global environment, particularly in relation to emissions of greenhouse gases and climate change. Therefore, clean and renewable energy has become a major focus for research.

This Special Issue collects research articles and critical reviews about scientific and technical information on recent advances in green and renewable energy for sustainable development. The primary areas of interest of this Special Issue include but are not limited to (1) high technological skills for achieving sustainable development goals; (2) abundant sources for renewable and green energy development; (3) safe and efficient devices for low-grade energy; (4) advanced materials for green energy; energy management systems, monitoring, modeling, and (6) utilizing electrochemistry and materials science training to broadly explore issues facing environment development. The Special Issue welcomes both qualitative and quantitative studies, as well as empirical and theoretical contributions.

Dr. Mengyao Gao
Dr. Zhezhen Fu
Dr. Yuelei Pan
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

  • climate change
  • renewable energy
  • sustainable development goals
  • low-grade energy
  • advanced materials
  • electrical generator
  • self-power devices
  • electrodes
  • electrochemistry
  • blue energy
  • energy-environment nexus
  • sustainable environment

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 4288 KiB  
Article
Thermal Investigation and Optimized Design of a Novel Solar Self-Driven Thermomechanical Actuator
by Ibrahim Sufian Osman and Nasir Ghazi Hariri
Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5078; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14095078 - 23 Apr 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2357
Abstract
As the world moves toward cleaner and greener sources of energy, the use of solar energy appeals the most for countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, since they have an abundant amount of solar radiation throughout the year. This [...] Read more.
As the world moves toward cleaner and greener sources of energy, the use of solar energy appeals the most for countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, since they have an abundant amount of solar radiation throughout the year. This paper offers a novel design for a shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator that uses solar energy to trigger thermomechanical behavior. Additionally, the proposed design of the thermomechanical actuator aims to be a piston-based linear actuator covered by a solar heat collector (SHC). Furthermore, the thermal behavior of the actuator has been studied in detail using a simulation-based study under the real-time weather conditions of Dammam city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The thermal study proves that the optimized design of the thermomechanical actuator has achieved a minimum daily temperature variation of 10 °C, which enables the SMA-based thermomechanical actuator to operate in a daily manner throughout the year. Moreover, the presented numerical results show that the proposed thermomechanical actuator requires a twice-maintenance routine yearly. Additionally, it has been observed that the SHC, which is the central part of the designed thermomechanical actuator, can increase the temperature inside the actuator by about 15 °C more than ambient temperature. The proposed study adds to the body of knowledge a design for a passive, solar-driven, and self-actuating smart thermomechanical SMA actuator that is capable of integration with various solar applications, such as the cleaning and tracking of photovoltaic systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Energy Technologies for Sustainability)
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12 pages, 2428 KiB  
Article
Enhancing the Performance of an Sb2Se3-Based Solar Cell by Dual Buffer Layer
by Mamta, Kamlesh Kumar Maurya and Vidya Nand Singh
Sustainability 2021, 13(21), 12320; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132112320 - 08 Nov 2021
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 2650
Abstract
In an Sb2Se3-based solar cell, the buffer layer is sandwiched between the absorber and the window layer, playing an essential role in interfacial electricity. Generally, CdS is used as a buffer layer, but its toxic nature and low bandgap [...] Read more.
In an Sb2Se3-based solar cell, the buffer layer is sandwiched between the absorber and the window layer, playing an essential role in interfacial electricity. Generally, CdS is used as a buffer layer, but its toxic nature and low bandgap can cause current loss because of parasitic absorption. In this work, we optimized the buffer layer by using ZnS as an alternative to the CdS buffer layer in order to decrease the use of CdS. The effect of different buffer layers on the solar device was explored by numerical simulation with the help of SCAPS 1D software. The basic parameters, such as open-circuit voltage (Voc), current density (Jsc), fill factor (FF), and efficiency (η) were analyzed and compared for both the buffer layers (CdS/ZnS). The results demonstrate that changing buffer materials and thicknesses has a significant impact on cell performance. The efficiency for the ZnS buffer layer was lower compared to that of the CdS-based solar cells because of insufficient energy band alignment. In order to enhance the efficiency of Sb2Se3-based solar cells, we used CdS/ZnS dual buffer layers and studied the device performance. The work function of the back contact also affects the device performance, and for work functions below 4.8 eV, the device’s efficiency was very low. The effect of varying the thicknesses and temperatures of the buffer layers on the I-V/C-V characteristics, quantum efficiency, and energy band structure are also reported. This study shall guide the researcher in reducing CdS and improving the device’s performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Energy Technologies for Sustainability)
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17 pages, 3718 KiB  
Article
Comprehensive Performance Evaluation of Green Infrastructure Practices for Urban Watersheds Using an Engineering–Environmental–Economic (3E) Model
by Yi-Jia Xing, Tse-Lun Chen, Meng-Yao Gao, Si-Lu Pei, Wei-Bin Pan and Pen-Chi Chiang
Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 4678; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13094678 - 22 Apr 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3199
Abstract
Green infrastructure practices could provide innovative solutions for on-site stormwater management and runoff pollution control, which could relieve the stress of nonpoint pollution resulting from heavy rainfall events. In this study, the performance and cost-effectiveness of six green infrastructure practices, namely, green roofs, [...] Read more.
Green infrastructure practices could provide innovative solutions for on-site stormwater management and runoff pollution control, which could relieve the stress of nonpoint pollution resulting from heavy rainfall events. In this study, the performance and cost-effectiveness of six green infrastructure practices, namely, green roofs, rain gardens, pervious surfaces, swales, detention basins, and constructed wetlands, were investigated. The comprehensive performance evaluation in terms of the engineering performance, environmental impact, and economic cost was determined in the proposed engineering–environmental–economic (3E) triangle model. The results revealed that these green infrastructure practices were effective for stormwater management in terms of runoff attenuation, peak flow reduction and delay, and pollutant attenuation. It was suggested that for pollution control, detention basins can efficiently reduce the total suspended solids, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and lead. The implementation of detention basins is highly recommended due to their higher engineering performance and lower environmental impact and economic cost. A case study of a preliminary cost–benefit analysis of green infrastructure practice exemplified by the Pearl River Delta in China was addressed. It suggested that green infrastructure was cost-effective in stormwater management in this area, which would be helpful for sustaining healthy urban watersheds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Energy Technologies for Sustainability)
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