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This virtual special issue published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews contains 25 high-quality selected extended papers presented at the HERAKLION 2019 7th International Conference on Sustainable Solid Waste Management held in Heraklion, Crete in Greece from 26th to June 29, 2019. The articles published in this special issue focus on recent developments in sustainable waste-to-energy systems and waste management practices and highlight the critical challenges and potential solutions. The editorial paper aims to give a brief overview of the key findings and future perspectives proposed in these 25 selected papers. It is worth noting that although the articles presented in this special issue covered a wider range of topics, they are categorized into five categories. These include the latest developments in 1) waste-to-energy technologies, 2) biofuels and bioenergy, 3) waste valorization, 4) emerging renewable and sustainable energy systems, and finally, 5) biorefineries and circular economy. • Twenty five high quality peer-reviewed papers were selected from HERAKLION 2019 Conference. • The mian theme of sustainable waste-to-energy systems catogorised into five topics. • It will support advancement of waste-to-energy technologies and circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decision-making process regarding the choice of alternative energy technologies is multidimensional, made up of a number of aspects at different levels, economic, technical, environmental and social. This paper uses a multicriteria decision making model, PROMETHEE II, to determine the best fuel mix for electricity generation in an isolated Greek island, Lesvos. Having analyzed the energy profile of the island, a set of 7 energy policy scenarios are determined and assessed against economic, technical, environmental and social criteria. The energy policy scenarios include the use of conventional fuels, wind energy and natural gas, in its liquid form, liquefied natural gas (LNG). Weighting of criteria is carried out according to three different perspectives, each one focusing on sustainability, economic and environmental/social benefits. Two sensitivity analyses are performed taking into account the fluctuations of the electricity demand and the fluctuations of the fuel prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key factor hampering the delivery of high energy performance renovations in buildings is the under-qualification of the construction sector's workforce with regard to energy efficiency and renewable energy sources systems. Towards this direction, this paper proposes an integrated methodological framework, determining measures for the case of Greece, which are delivered in the form of a national qualification roadmap. These measures aim to enhance the qualifications of the blue collar workers and generally empower the Greek construction sector. They also facilitate the adherence of Greece to the European Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Sources Directives and support the attainment of the national energy objectives for 2020. The methodological framework is initiated with the analysis of the status quo of the Greek building sector and the skills and qualifications gap of the workforce, as well as the identification of the corresponding barriers that impede growth. Subsequently, a number of diverse measures are proposed and evaluated, using a synergy of decision analysis and evaluation methods. The measures that are assessed as of high priority are afterwards specified to concrete actions. Throughout the whole modular procedure, multiple relevant national bodies were actively engaged via transparent consultation procedures and multilateral discussions. Finally, 44 acknowledged organisations declared their endorsement to the roadmap by signing an official letter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key policy analyzed in this paper, is the achievement of a significant decarbonization of the Greek Energy System by the year 2050 through the decarbonization of the two sectors presently responsible for the highest levels of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) emissions, namely power and transport. The objective is to reduce GHG emissions by 2050, through the maximization of renewable energy sources (RES) penetration in electricity, with a simultaneous intensive electrification of the transport sector and the electrical interconnection of non-connected islands. An important parameter considered in the present work is that expansion planning of power systems under environmental constraints leads to a rather complex techno-economic analysis involving large scale penetration of Renewable Energy Sources. The penetration level of variable renewable electricity is subject to a number of restrictions implied by the need for (a) storage capacity to decrease the energy curtailment which can occur when the customer load is low and RES electricity generation is high (b) fast reserve capacity to deal with variations of variable RES or combined heat and power (CHP) electricity generation (c) transmission system expansion related to the penetration of areas with high RES potential. New methodologies are developed and a number of novel scenarios are formulated in conformity with the European energy strategy towards 2050. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decarbonization of energy system requires the promotion of sustainable energy policies. Towards this direction, a holistic approach is required that is based on an in-depth analysis of the links related to the energy system transformation chain. Among others, implementing electrification of road transport is widely discussed, mainly to encounter climate change and environmental pollution in urban areas. This paper presents a methodological scheme to estimate environmental and social benefits (internalization of externalities) associated with the promotion of vehicle fleet electrification. Emphasis is given on urban scale, where electric vehicles have their main environmental advantage over conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. Demonstration of the applicability is performed for Greece, focusing on the three largest cities of the country. Reductions of energy consumption and emissions are estimated for two defined scenarios in the 2020–2050 period and the benefits to public are monetized. Among others, the scenario that intensively promotes electrification of vehicles, contributes to the avoidance of 10.200 Years of Life Lost due to premature mortality attributed to particulate pollution, saving more than 730 M€ as social benefit. These results can be used to assess the cost-benefit of energy and transport policies intended to promote vehicle fleet electrification in urban areas. • Methodology to estimate environmental and social benefits of fleet electrification. • Emphasis to urban scale, where electric vehicles present environmental advantages. • Application for the three largest cities of Greece: Athens, Thessaloniki, Patra. • 10.200 Years of Life Lost avoided associated to the intense penetration scenario. • The social benefit of electrification is estimated at the order of 730 M€. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Virtual Special Issue contains extensions of some of the papers presented at the 22nd Conference of Process Integration, Modelling and Optimisation for Energy Saving and Pollution Reduction (PRES′19) in Crete, Greece on the 20 to 23 October 2019 related to the scope of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. The works are not limited to review articles; most of them have significant contributions to knowledge development in the field of sustainable energy. The energy recovery and intensification section discusses nano-enhanced phase change materials and fluids, heat exchanger network synthesis and heat pump integration in industrial processes. Bio-based renewable energy covers biomass from algae, seaweed, municipal solid waste and food waste, which are converted into valuable products by anaerobic digestion, co-cracking, incineration and fermentation. The articles in the energy system management section focus on batteries, energy efficiency rating, low carbon transitions and wave energy integration technology screening. Lastly, the data-driven energy management section includes a few reviews on the implementation of Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 for the chemical industry from system to equipment levels. These developments have the same ultimate goal to bridge the gaps for achieving the average global temperatures rise target set by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]