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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 December 2022) | Viewed by 13243

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Dimitra Vagiona

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Guest Editor

Department of Spatial Planning and Development, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: sustainable development; renewable energy sources; environmental management and planning; project management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Assist. Prof. Georgia Pozoukidou

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Guest Editor

Department of Spatial Planning and Development, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece
Interests: spatial planning; land use planning; land use simulation models; planning support systems; participatory planning

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Renewable energy sources have emerged as a major policy issue at national, European and international level. Integrated spatial and energy planning approaches can support environmental protection and climate adaptation and mitigation policies. Spatial dimensions of renewable energy systems as well as restrictions, limitations, challenges, and opportunities in different spatial contexts have become even more important.

The focus of this Special Issue is on research and case studies that examine the issue of renewable energy planning addressing technical/engineering aspects as well as integration of sustainable energy development into spatial planning strategies at all scales, ranging from national and regional planning policies, to planning at town or local level.

This Special Issue welcomes research, review papers or case studies that are related, but not limited to the following topics:

Renewable energy sources;
Integration of energy systems;
Community-based energy production schemes;
Site selection and deployment of renewable-energy-source-related developments;
Strategic environmental and social impact assessment;
Energy saving and efficiency;
Energy conversion and management;
Low carbon emission applications;
Integrated spatial planning strategies for low carbon towns and regions;
Urban form, land use planning and energy efficiency;
Best practices in energy strategy planning and implementation;
Climate resilient energy solutions;
Environmental, social, and economic impacts of energy policies;
Role of planning and planners in energy production;
Communication, participation, and decision making in renewable energy planning;
Social dimensions of energy and sustainability;
Social innovation in energy planning;
Innovative solutions in renewable energy technologies;
Sustainable smart energy city;
Green and blue infrastructures;
Environmental impact assessment of renewable technologies;
Renewable energy sources and marine spatial planning.

Assoc. Prof. Dimitra Vagiona
Assist. Prof. Georgia Pozoukidou
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 sources
Integrated spatial energy planning
Energy policies
Participatory energy planning
Renewable energy technologies

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 7085 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Small Hydroelectric Energy and Spatial Planning: A Methodology Introducing the Concept of Territorial Carrying Capacity

by Efthymios Moutsiakis and Athena Yiannakou

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5165; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15065165 - 14 Mar 2023

Viewed by 880

Abstract

The promotion of renewable energy sources (RESs) is a key European and national policy aimed at strengthening clean energy production, decoupling from fossil fuels, and responding to climate change commitments. Spatial planning is crucial as it can spatially direct the demand for investments in RESs, taking into account the challenges related to more efficient coexistence of RESs and environmental assets, both natural and manmade. Specific objectives, such as the definition of the carrying capacity concept, take on considerable importance in ensuring the balance between the demand for RESs and a number of other priorities. Small hydroelectric power stations (SHPSs), being spatially dependent on the existence of the natural resource (water), incorporate specific impacts in the areas of installation; namely, the watercourses. Taking into consideration the concept of carrying capacity for the areas where SHPSs are proposed to be installed by the Greek Special Spatial Planning Framework for RESs, which is limited to a linear/watercourse approach, this paper proposes a new complementary approach, that of “territorial” carrying capacity. The former involves the negotiation of terms and conditions for siting an SHPS within the narrow range of a water body (watercourse), while the latter, as proposed in this paper, attempts to capture the problem at the level of the wider territory or the functional area of a catchment, an approach that places carrying capacity in a more strategic spatial planning context. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Planning and Sustainable Energy Development)

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25 pages, 38973 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Integrated GIS and Fuzzy-AHP Framework for Suitability Analysis of Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems: A Case in Southern Philippines

by Rovick Tarife, Yosuke Nakanishi, Yicheng Zhou, Noel Estoperez and Anacita Tahud

Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2372; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15032372 - 28 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2428

Abstract

This study proposes an integrated framework for assessing the suitability of renewable energy systems, including wind, solar, hydro and hybrid wind–solar and hydro–solar, in the southern Philippines. The framework employs a combination of the Fuzzy-Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques to evaluate various socio-environmental and techno-economic factors. Several suitability indices were developed and used in the analysis. The criteria used in the analysis are based on a comprehensive literature review and input from experts in renewable energy and micro-grid technology. The results indicate that energy production is the most important factor and the total suitable areas for hybrid wind–solar and hybrid hydro–solar systems are 126.60 and 629.02 square kilometers, respectively. This research provides valuable insights for decision-makers and potential investors in the renewable energy sector in the study area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Planning and Sustainable Energy Development)

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18 pages, 15936 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Planning, Environmental Activism, and Politics—Case Study of the Jadar Project for Lithium Exploitation in Serbia

by Nebojša Stefanović, Nataša Danilović Hristić and Jasna Petrić

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1736; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15021736 - 16 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2711

Abstract

It is an indisputable fact in the world today that lithium is one of the key chemical elements of the future, one that is critically important for the development of renewable energy sources, electromobility, green industry, and the overall sustainability of our planet. Lithium ore, in the form of jadarite, was discovered in Western Serbia in 2004, with an estimated 10% of the world’s reserves. This paper presents the basic elements and methodology of the spatial plan for implementing the Jadar project for the exploitation and processing of the mineral jadarite in Serbia and the accompanying strategic assessment of the plan’s impact on the environment, which was carried out by the authors of this paper. The procedure for public participation during the development of the plan was analyzed, as well as the subsequent campaign by environmental activists against the exploitation of lithium, and the political decision to invalidate the plan and stop the project. The aim of the paper is to point out the dilemma that arises, in the opinion of the authors, when the problem of lithium exploitation in the initial stages is moved from the domain of spatial planning to the domain of strictly environmental activism, and, in the end, the political domain. The authors take the position that if there is no plan for development, there is no foundation on which to develop and monitor the environmental dimension of development, direct the subsequent design process, or assess the environmental impact for each of the planned facilities, after which process it is possible to make final, binding decisions of a technical, legal, or financial nature. The basic conclusion is that the issue of the potential exploitation of lithium, the most important aspect of which is its environmental impact, must be considered and resolved in several steps, while the role of spatial planning cannot be neglected. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Planning and Sustainable Energy Development)

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24 pages, 9381 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Meaning of Electric Cars in the Context of Sustainable Transition in Brazil

by Fabienne T. Schiavo, Rodrigo F. Calili, Claudio F. de Magalhães and Isabel C. G. Fróes

Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 11073; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su131911073 - 07 Oct 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 6057

Abstract

The transition from fossil-fuel cars to those powered by electricity seems to occur differently in Brazil compared with what has been observed in other countries, where it is motivated by the goal to reduce CO₂ emissions and the need to reduce dependence on fossil-fuel imports. At present, fleets are reduced, values are high, and the infrastructure is incipient. This article presents a problematization of the local scenario and the results of a survey with local consumers. The goal is to determine whether this market tends towards a scenario where an electric car is perceived as a substitute for a fossil-fuel vehicle, with new technology but the same function (transportation) or if it tends towards a reinterpretation, seeing integration with the electricity grid. The results indicate gaps and opportunities in service design, public policies for smart cities, and new ICTs associated with smart grids. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Planning and Sustainable Energy Development)

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