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Summary: Thank you for reaching for this book. It is a summary of the research presented at the 6th International Conference on Renewable Energy Sources (ICORES19), which took place in Krynica, Poland, in June 2019. This event is the most recognizable scientific meeting connected to RES in Poland. From the very beginning, this conference has been a unique occasion for gathering Polish and international researchers' perspectives on renewable energy sources and balancing them against governmental policy considerations. Accordingly, the conference has also offered panels to discuss best practices and solutions with local entrepreneurs and federal government bodies. The meeting attracts not only scientists but also industry representatives, as well as local and federal government personnel. We are open to new and fresh ideas concerning renewable energy, which is why so many scientists from Central and Eastern Europe visit Krynica to discuss the "Green Future" of this region. In 2019, the conference was organized by the University of Agriculture in Krakow, in cooperation with the AGH University of Science and Technology (Krakow), the State Agrarian and Engineering University in Podilya, the University of Žilina, the International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (CIGR) and the Polish Society of Agricultural Engineering. Honorary auspices were made by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland, the rector of the University of Agriculture in Krakow, the rector of the AGH University of Science and Technology and the rector of the State Agrarian and Engineering University in Podilya.

Summary: This Special Issue (SI) deals with different end-users' perspectives on newly developed energy policy and technology. Although the importance of end-users' preferences is not totally new to the energy sector, this issue needs to be urgently and consistently addressed if new policies, projects, and technologies are to be introduced successfully. The eight papers included in this SI are focused on various issues such as modeling the future energy demand, household energy consumption behavior, public perceptions of new energy technologies and projects, and ICT-energy efficiency interrelationship. Some papers also analyze end-users' experiences with recently introduced energy technologies. Based on these eight articles with various topics, this SI will provide fruitful insights in assessing and forecasting the evolution of the future energy sector. I hope this SI can contribute to the increase in communication and cooperation among academic researchers as well as practitioners in energy fields.

Summary: The decarbonization of all sectors is essential in addressing the global challenge of climate change. Bioenergy can contribute to replacing our current dependence on fossil fuels and offers significant possibilities in many conventional and advanced applications, from power to heating and cooling installations. Energy systems in the building and industrial sectors can convert biomass to other usable forms of energy and improve energy performance. Moreover, bioenergy sustainability means energy can be managed for an extended period of time. Further research is needed to develop better green energy production methods and new procedures to evaluate and valorize biomass in a circular economy context. Some of the most critical bottlenecks to increase the use of bioenergy are energy conversion and management from resource to final energy. The countries where this source is strengthened can achieve security of energy supply and energy independence. In addition, biomass boilers and biomass district heating systems are interesting options to achieve nearly zero-energy buildings, contributing the needed biomass harvesting to rural development and to improve resource planning and distribution. The aim of this book is to present a comprehensive overview and in-depth technical research papers addressing recent progress in biomass-based systems and innovative applications.

Summary: Effective environmental decision-making is often challenging and complex, where final solutions frequently possess inherently subjective political and socio-economic components. Consequently, complex sustainability applications in the "real world" frequently employ computational decision-making approaches to construct solutions to problems containing numerous quantitative dimensions and considerable sources of uncertainty. This volume includes a number of such applied computational analytics papers that either create new decision-making methods or provide innovative implementations of existing methods for addressing a wide spectrum of sustainability applications, broadly defined. The disparate contributions all emphasize novel approaches of computational analytics as applied to environmental decision-making and sustainability analysis - be this on the side of optimization, simulation, modelling, computational solution procedures, visual analytics, and/or information technologies.

Summary: In this book, the articles published in the special issue of the journal Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050), entitled "Sustainable Integrated Clean Environment for Human & Nature" are re-printed. The objective of this book is to answer the following questions regarding technical, economic, and social approaches:1. What is the current state of the environment? Is it clean?2. How can we make our environment clean and suitable for humans as well as nature?3. How can we keep our environment clean through sustainable practices? The re-printed research articles and review papers aim to cover the subjects mentioned below: 1. COVID-19 and the sustainability of a clean environment for humans and nature: visions, challenges, and solutions2. Clean technologies and nature-based approaches, including environmental remediation and resource circulation3. Global sanitation, hygiene, and public health issues4. Economic approaches, including the development of economic models, life cycle assessment, and the circular economy5. Social awareness and effective education on human rights for procuring clean air and water Through including the latest studies in the above-mentioned fields, this book addresses the technicians, economists, social activists, and decision-makers who are concerned about clean environment concepts for sustainable development of the current and next-generation through respectful interactions between humans and nature.

Summary: In the current scenario in which climate change dominates our lives and in which we all need to combat and drastically reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, renewable energies play key roles as present and future energy sources. Renewable energies vary across a wide range, and therefore, there are related studies for each type of energy. This Special Issue is composed of studies integrating the latest research innovations and knowledge focused on all types of renewable energy: onshore and offshore wind, photovoltaic, solar, biomass, geothermal, waves, tides, hydro, etc. Authors were invited submit review and research papers focused on energy resource estimation, all types of TRL converters, civil infrastructure, electrical connection, environmental studies, licensing and development of facilities, construction, operation and maintenance, mechanical and structural analysis, new materials for these facilities, etc. Analyses of a combination of several renewable energies as well as storage systems to progress the development of these sustainable energies were welcomed.

Summary: In recent years, several projects and studies have been launched towards the development and use of new methodologies, in order to assess, monitor, and support clean forms of energy. Accurate estimation of the available energy potential is of primary importance, but is not always easy to achieve. The present Special Issue on 'Renewable Energy Resource Assessment and Forecasting' aims to provide a holistic approach to the above issues, by presenting multidisciplinary methodologies and tools that are able to support research projects and meet today's technical, socio-economic, and decision-making needs. In particular, research papers, reviews, and case studies on the following subjects are presented: wind, wave and solar energy; biofuels; resource assessment of combined renewable energy forms; numerical models for renewable energy forecasting; integrated forecasted systems; energy for buildings; sustainable development; resource analysis tools and statistical models; extreme value analysis and forecasting for renewable energy resources.

Summary: This reprint explores the complex relationship between renewable energy consumption and economic growth. The reprint contains 14 papers covering a wide range of topics related to energy use efficiency in various countries and economic sectors. The articles include studies on adopting renewable energy sources, the impact of battery electric vehicles on greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union, the influence of philanthropy on eco-efficiency, and the impact of energy efficiency regulations on energy poverty. This reprint also includes studies on the race to zero emissions in MINT economies, the competitiveness of the cultural industry and its impact on Chinese economic growth, and the impact of education levels on the energy-growth-environment nexus. This reprint serves as a call to action for all stakeholders to contribute to the global energy transition by identifying and analyzing the effects of renewable energy consumption on economic growth. It inspires policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to embrace sustainable energy practices and support the development of measures that foster green growth. Therefore, this reprint provides important insights into energy use efficiency theories, methods, and diverse applications, making it a valuable resource for anyone interested in the future of energy and its impact on the global economy.

Summary: This book is a collection of papers covering various aspects of the optimal control of power and energy production from renewable resources (wind, PV, biomass, hydrogen, etc.). In particular, attention is focused both on the optimal control of new technologies and on their integration in buildings, microgrids, and energy markets. The examples presented in this book are among the most promising technologies for satisfying an increasing share of thermal and electrical demands with renewable sources: from solar cooling plants to offshore wind generation; hybrid plants, combining traditional and renewable sources, are also considered, as well as traditional and innovative storage systems. Innovative solutions for transportation systems are also explored for both railway infrastructures and advanced light rail vehicles. The optimization and control of new solutions for the power network are addressed in detail: specifically, special attention is paid to microgrids as new paradigms for distribution networks, but also in other applications (e.g., shipboards). Finally, optimization and simulation models within SCADA and energy management systems are considered. This book is intended for engineers, researchers, and practitioners that work in the field of energy, smart grid, renewable resources, and their optimization and control.

Summary: Geothermal energy is a renewable, sustainable, and ecologically friendly resource of energy that can be captured with shallow or deep installations, or a combination of both-alone or integrated with other technologies. It can then be employed for a variety of purposes, for example, electricity generation, space heating and cooling, agriculture, and aquaculture. Given the nature/features of this green energy resource-such as being a local, climate-independent, potentially constant, robust, generally available, resilient, almost greenhouse gas-free, and long-lived energy source-geothermal solutions can and should make a more prominent contribution to the future global energy supply mix, in addition to helping lessen humanity's environmental footprint and enabling it to attain its sustainable development goals. This Special Issue, "New Trends in Enhanced, Hybrid and Integrated Geothermal Systems", addresses existing knowledge gaps and aids advance deployment of geothermal energy globally. It consists of eight peer-reviewed papers that cover a range of subjects and applications related to geothermal energy.

Summary: The electric power sector is poised for transformative changes. Improvements in the cost and performance of a range of distributed energy generation (DG) technologies and the potential for breakthroughs in distributed energy storage (DS) are creating new options for onsite power generation and storage, driving increasing adoption and impacting utility distribution system operations. In addition, changing uses and use patterns for electricity-from plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) to demand response (DR)-are altering demands placed on the electric power system. Finally, the infusion of new information and communications technology (ICT) into the electric system and its markets is enabling the collection of immense volumes of data on power sector operations and use; unprecedented control of generation, networks, and loads; and new opportunities for the delivery of energy services. In this Special Issue of Energies, research papers on topics related to the integration of distributed energy resources (DG, DS, EV, and DR) are included. From technologies to software tools to system-wide evaluations, the impacts of all aforementioned distributed resources on both operation and planning are examined.

Summary: This reprint is mainly aimed at economists involved in the energy market. Energy market processes have an enormous impact on people's day-to-day economic activities. The economics of sustainability leads the way in theorizing how best to prevent environmental degradation whilst also fostering positive economic development. For these reasons, the focus of this reprint is mainly on pollution and the energy transition. Works on energy resources and future-oriented solutions that reduce the consumption of classical energy resources are explored in the reprint. Papers relating to contemporary accounting and the stock market are also presented. The geographical area of the works showcased here essentially covers the entire eastern hemisphere of the globe (Asia, Africa and Europe). They are mainly empirical studies, although in one case a bibliometric analysis is included.

Summary: Energy transitions and environmental sustainability does not occur overnight as it may take years of policy debates both from within domestic jurisdictions and from international organisations. It often requires energy saving technology innovations to drive appropriate investment decisions that can then allow energy transition to occur. There is no one global solution. Countries progress in their energy transition goals by taking small steps as demonstrated in this special issue, "Energy Transition and Environmental Sustainability". This Special Issue provides thirteen interesting papers showing examples of projects undertaken or challenges encountered in various countries, such as: Legal reforms for energy transition in Taiwan and Japan; Transition towards solar PV in South Korea; Transition to electricity driven buses in Central Europe; Vehicle transition and the development of electric car production in the United States, the European Union and Japan; Cooling solutions for buildings in Pakistan; Projects in Ecuador to replace fossil fuel use with Hydropower; The Role of Electrification in the Decarbonization of Central-Western Europe; Energy technology innovation through the application of new technologies in oil resource development; Wastewater treatment challenges in Poland; Increased climate change litigation facing Australian Energy Companies; Renewable energy solution to a Childcare facility in Tokyo; and Canadian policies to support renewable gas production from organic waste. This Special Issue provides global perspectives and uncertainties on energy transition and will appeal to all levels of readers.

Summary: This collected volume consists of high-quality research covering a wide range of topics related to energy economics and politics in developed countries. The papers are informative on how to encourage sustainable development and facilitate financing technology development, transfer, and applications to mitigate climate change. Air pollution, environmental regulations, green energy, energy certificates, transmission rights, and power generation are among the energy-related topic analyzed by the contributions included in this Special Issue.

This is an open access book. This book contains research papers presented at the 3rd International Conference on Energy and Sustainable Futures (ICESF), which took place at Coventry University, UK, in 2022. The ICESF is an annual conference organised by the UK-based Doctorial Training Alliance (DTA) programme. It is a multidisciplinary conference focused on addressing the future challenges and opportunities for meeting global energy targets and sustainable development goals. The conference brought together academic researchers, industry experts and research students to showcase the latest innovations and research on a wide range of topics in the areas of energy and sustainability, including • renewable energy; • ICT and control; • computational fluid dynamics; • optimization; • conventional energy sources; • energy governance; • materials in energy research; • energy storage and • energy access.

This open access book presents papers displayed in the 2nd International Conference on Energy and Sustainable Futures (ICESF 2020), co-organised by the University of Hertfordshire and the University Alliance DTA in Energy. The research included in this book covers a wide range of topics in the areas of energy and sustainability including: • ICT and control of energy; • conventional energy sources; • energy governance; • materials in energy research; • renewable energy; and • energy storage. The book offers a holistic view of topics related to energy and sustainability, making it of interest to experts in the field, from industry and academia.

Electricity generation from renewable sources of energy has had a long history in Germany and is highly topical. This paper deals with both aspects. A sociological analysis of technology shows how innovative technologies gradually emerged from the Utopian vision of 'velvet' energies, which became the basis of the rapidly growing regenerative electricity production. The second aspect of the paper is an analysis of the growing potential - as well as possible obstacles - of regenerative energies. The expansion of energy production from renewable sources and the tendency towards the concentration of such installations (e.g. large wind farms or solar parks) is increasingly met with opposition from the public. In addition, it is felt that considerable changes in the energy sector can only be successful if its promoters become more active.