Submit to Sustainability Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Infrastructures in Smart Cities

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (13 October 2023) | Viewed by 8827

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Luis Hernández-Callejo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, University of Valladolid, Campus Duques de Soria, 42004 Soria, Spain
Interests: energy; engineering; computer science; photovoltaic systems; microgrids; distributed generation; smart metering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Sergio Nesmachnow

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Instituto de Computación, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
Interests: distributed computing; parallel computing; metaheuristics; optimization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cities are transforming, and the Smart City concept has become a reality. Among the areas that affect the Smart City are energy, efficiency and infrastructure. Energy is interesting in the city, as renewable energy sources can be integrated into cities in a simple way. Energy efficiency is a vital process in all areas of science, so the city must integrate highly efficient systems and processes. City infrastructures must be transformed, and both old and new infrastructures must accommodate renewable, highly efficient systems that are simple to implement in cities.

Therefore, this Special Issue expects papers that are based on the topics mentioned above, which can be systematically summarized as follows:

Energetic efficiency and sustainability;
Infrastructures, energy and the environment;
Mobility and IoT;
Governance and citizenship.

Submissions are invited for both original research and review articles. Additionally, invited papers based on excellent contributions to the "2022 TOTALLY INTEGRAL, EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE SMART CITIES (CITIES)" (ICSC-CITIES2022) will be included. We hope that this collection of papers will serve as an inspiration for all those interested in the prosperity of smart cities.

Prof. Dr. Luis Hernández-Callejo
Dr. Sergio Nesmachnow
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

renewable energy and Smart City
energy and Smart City
smart grid, smart city and microgrid
energetic efficiency
infrastructures and Smart City
IoT
smart mobility
connected vehicle
Artificial Intelligence and Smart City
governance, citizenship, and Smart City

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

20 pages, 2110 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Urban Wind Potential and the Stakeholders Involved in Energy Decision-Making

by Alexander Vallejo Díaz, Idalberto Herrera Moya, Edwin Garabitos Lara and Cándida K. Casilla Victorino

Sustainability 2024, 16(4), 1362; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su16041362 - 06 Feb 2024

Viewed by 901

Abstract

Urban wind energy has emerged as an attractive source of distributed generation in cities to achieve sustainable development goals. The advancement in technologies for the use of urban wind energy has offered an alternative for the decarbonization of cities and the energy transition. The objectives of this work are (1) to identify the potential of wind energy through numerical weather prediction (NWP) data tools and (2) to identify the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders involved in the decision-making process. A methodology was developed in two phases and applied to a case study in the Dominican Republic. The first phase consisted of estimating the wind energy potential for the 32 provinces at a height of 10 m using open access NWP tools provided by NASA. In the second phase, 28 stakeholders were identified through snowball sampling. The Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed (RACI) matrix tool was applied to identify the roles of the 28 institutions addressed at the country level as relevant in the decision-making process for the energy sector. The annual average wind speed and energy potential for each province were determined. It was found that 24 provinces have poor potentials, below <4.5 m/s. In the northwest and east is where there is the greatest potential, between 4.83 and 6.63 m/s. The population density was established, and it was observed that the provinces with greater potential are less densely populated. Through 59 interviews, 28 institutions were identified and evaluated due to their relevance in decision making for the implementation of energy projects. According to the RACI matrix, the Ministry of Energy and Mines has been categorized as “A”, electricity distribution companies as “R”, energy associations and universities as “C”, and educational and justice institutions as “I”. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Infrastructures in Smart Cities)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 8349 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Feasibility Analysis of Offshore Wind Power Projects in the Caribbean Region of Colombia: A Case Study Using FAHP–GIS

by Adalberto Ospino Castro, Carlos Robles-Algarín, Luis Hernández-Callejo, Yecid Muñoz Maldonado and Amanda Mangones Cordero

Sustainability 2023, 15(24), 16620; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su152416620 - 06 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1011

Abstract

Planning for offshore wind energy projects is intricate due to the consideration of multiple variables in identifying optimal project areas. The primary challenge lies in locating suitable sites, a process that often necessitates extensive feasibility studies spanning several years. The primary goal of this study is to apply the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) to prioritize criteria and sub-criteria, facilitating decision-making in choosing appropriate locations for offshore wind projects in the Colombian Caribbean Sea. The weights derived from FAHP were utilized in a Geographic Information System (GIS) to analyze the physical characteristics of the Caribbean Sea’s surface. This tool plays a critical role in evaluating and selecting sites that fulfill established criteria, providing a database of indicators and map visualizations. Four criteria were defined: technical, environmental, social, and economic, along with fourteen sub-criteria, which were prioritized through FAHP based on expert judgment. The results revealed that the most relevant sub-criteria were protected areas and wind speed. Utilizing the ArcGIS Pro software, five zones meeting the predetermined criteria were identified, defining the most feasible areas for offshore wind farm installation, located in the departments of Guajira, Magdalena, Atlántico and Bolívar. The GIS–FAHP methods proved to be useful for feasibility analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Infrastructures in Smart Cities)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

26 pages, 4202 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Big Data Analysis for Travel Time Characterization in Public Transportation Systems

by Sergio Nesmachnow, Renzo Massobrio, Santiago Guridi, Santiago Olmedo and Andrei Tchernykh

Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14561; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su151914561 - 07 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1336

Abstract

In this article, we introduces a model based on big data analysis to characterize the travel times of buses in public transportation systems. Travel time is a critical factor in evaluating the accessibility of opportunities and the overall quality of service of public transportation systems. The methodology applies data analysis to compute estimations of the travel time of public transportation buses by leveraging both open-source and private information sources. The approach is evaluated for the public transportation system in Montevideo, Uruguay using information about bus stop locations, bus routes, vehicle locations, ticket sales, and timetables. The estimated travel times from the proposed methodology are compared with the scheduled timetables, and relevant indicators are computed based on the findings. The most relevant quantitative results indicate a reasonably good level of punctuality in the public transportation system. Delays were between 10.5% and 13.9% during rush hours and between 8.5% and 13.7% during non-peak hours. Delays were similarly distributed for working days and weekends. In terms of speed, the results show that the average operational speed is close to 18 km/h, with short local lines exhibiting greater variability in their speed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Infrastructures in Smart Cities)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 1961 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Study of UV Radiation Resistance and Reactivation Characteristics of E. coli ATCC 8739 and Native Strains: Implications for Water Disinfection

by Paola Duque-Sarango, Leonardo Romero-Martínez, Verónica Pinos-Vélez, Esteban Sánchez-Cordero and Esteban Samaniego

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9559; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15129559 - 14 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1307

Abstract

In certain countries where fresh water is in short supply, the effluents from wastewater treatment plants are being recycled for other uses. For quality assurance, tertiary disinfection treatments are required. This study aims to evaluate the inactivating efficacy with an ultraviolet (UV) system on fecal bacteria from effluents of urban wastewater treatment facilities and the post-treatment influence of the environmental illumination. The effect from different UV doses was determined for native and standardized lyophilized strains of Escherichia coli right after the irradiation as well as after 24 h of incubation under light or dark conditions. To achieve 3 log-reductions of the initial bacterial concentration, a UV dose of approximately 12 mJ cm⁻² is needed for E. coli ATCC 8739 and native E. coli. However, there is a risk of the reactivation of 0.19% and 1.54% of the inactivated organisms, respectively, if the treated organisms are stored in an illuminated environment. This suggests that the post-treatment circumstances affect the treatment success; storing the treated water under an illuminated environment may pose a risk even if an effective inactivation was achieved during the irradiation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Infrastructures in Smart Cities)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

17 pages, 1463 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Absorber Packed Height for Power Plants with Post-Combustion CO₂ Capture

by Miriam Navarrete Procopio, Gustavo Urquiza and Laura Castro

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9536; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15129536 - 14 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1550

Abstract

The electricity generation process from fossil fuels is one of the sources of CO

_{2}

emissions. The post-combustion CO

_{2}

capture is an alternative to minimize emissions. The packed absorption column is the first unit of the CO

_{2}

capture process. In this [...] Read more.

The electricity generation process from fossil fuels is one of the sources of CO

_{2}

emissions. The post-combustion CO

_{2}

capture is an alternative to minimize emissions. The packed absorption column is the first unit of the CO

_{2}

capture process. In this study, the values of the process parameters were established to reduce the absorber-packed height using a simulator developed in this work. The simulator was validated using measurements in a laboratory-scale absorption unit; simulations were carried out with the same operating conditions as measurements and two different fuels were treated; coal and natural gas. A combined-cycle power plant in Mexico was simulated, with the objective of evaluating the main parameters in the absorption process and required dimensions of the packed absorption column required to carry out the capture of CO

_{2}

in the power plant. From the result of the simulations, three columns treatment with 3 m diameter and 7 m height were established to remove 99% of the CO

_{2}

of the flue gases with 20 wt.% of MEA composition using Mellapak 500Y structured packaging. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Infrastructures in Smart Cities)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

28 pages, 4812 KiB

Open AccessReview

Municipal-Based Biowaste Conversion for Developing and Promoting Renewable Energy in Smart Cities

by Prakash Kumar Sarangi, Rajesh Kumar Srivastava, Akhilesh Kumar Singh, Uttam Kumar Sahoo, Piotr Prus and Roman Sass

Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12737; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su151712737 - 23 Aug 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1269

Abstract

In the current scenario in many cities, huge quantities of biowaste solid matter are generated, making it a big challenge to keep our cities smart/clean without creating health issues. The second challenge is to mitigate solid biowastes from municipalities, and it needs systematic valorization/conversion approaches to transform/generate them into clean/least carbon-emitting fuel sources. This effort can help make smart cities with additional amounts of energy generation that can be used by each citizen for their daily energy needs. In the cities, biowastes are reported as food waste (from domestic kitchens and restaurant/hotel), green plant residues (from parks and other cleaning activities), and other miscellaneous sources. Due to the huge generation of these biowastes, the respective cities can look dirtier and also show a poor level of development. So, people from municipal authorities and some research groups have to start converting this biowaste solid matter into renewable and sustainable energy that can help reduce this biowaste accumulation through the promotion of sustainable bioenergy sources. In valorization approaches, biological (anaerobic digestion) and thermochemical (like pyrolysis) processes are common, and these can be applied to biowaste mitigation to minimize the negative impact on the environment and its components. In India, some states, like Madhya Pradesh, have put efforts into creating biogases like green hydrogen from their cities generated biowastes. In this review, we emphasize the different sources of biowaste in cities with their volumes/quantities, factors/activities for generations, and mitigation approaches for biowaste conversion into fuels with the promotion of sustainable goal achievement. Now that waste matters, effort is put into a take-home concept/message regarding the conversion/recovery, and extraction of waste into energy/other valuable products for home needs. It helps keep cities clean, smart, and rich in revenue sources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Infrastructures in Smart Cities)

► Show Figures