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On 25 September 2015, the United Nations adopted the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” and thereby also 17 sustainable development goals (UN-SDGs)[1] to assess global development [1] and in the preamble it urges that bold and transformative steps be taken to “shift the world onto a sustainable and resilient path [1].” Six goals (1, 2, 9, 11, 13, 14) of the UN-SDGs call explicitly for resilient and sustainable development [1]. The World Bank supports the UN approach: “Resilience and development are inextricably linked. When we invest in infrastructure, we have to invest not just for today but for the future, and that means building resilience into everything we do.”[2] The food-energy-water nexus (FEW-Nexus) represents key linked sectors of the green economy and is therefore at the centre of the current discussion about transforming the globalized economy towards resilient and secure sustainable development.
The session aims to identify methods and management strategies for the transformation process towards resilient and secure sustainable development with a special focus on the FEW nexus sectors. The session intends to present measuring and methodological approaches (sustainability indicator systems, nexus metrics, input-output modelling, general equilibrium modelling and linear programming models, system dynamics) for the FEW nexus, but also encourages theoretical reflections about securing resilient development by fulfilling the UN-SDGs.
More and more scientific evidence points in the direction that 100% renewable energy systems are technically possible. After COP21, The Paris Agreement and COP22 almost 50 nations worldwide have committed to such a target. While such 100% renewable energy systems are technically possible some energy systems design may be very costly and some not sustainable with regards to e.g. bioenergy consumption. Scientific knowledge about feasible long-term targets and system designs is needed to identify key technologies and system re-design options. At the same time an affordable and technically possible transition from fossil fuels and into a redesigned energy system should take place and existing infrastructure may be used in new innovative ways. With constantly decreasing LCOE from onshore and offshore wind power as well as photovoltaics these capacities can be expanded to a point where the electricity grid of a country is not enough. Smart energy systems may provide robust and cost-effective investment strategies that will facilitate an efficient transformation towards a sustainable energy system suing synthetic gas storage, electrofuels, large-scale heat pumps with thermal storage for district heating. A two-dimentional approach can enable trade between nations or regions as well as trade between sectors i.e. combining The Smart Energy System’s cross-sectoral approach (electricity, heat and gas) with a cross-border approach.
In this special session we invite researchers focusing on energy system analyses, modelling or feasibility studies to submit abstracts. Abstract should focus on a sectorial integration approach, i.e. a Smart Energy System design merging the electricity sector, the heating sector and the transport sector, enabling the use of infrastructures and energy storages across energy carriers.
The dependence of the world’s energy production on fossil fuels and related environmental pollution remain among the greatest challenges today. The combustion of fossil fuels releases large quantities of pollutant and CO2 emissions into the environment, which are the largest drivers of climate change. The latest report from the scientific panel on anthropogenic global warming indicates that remarkable and joint global action is required to reduce these emissions, and the longer we wait to address this issue, the more difficult, technologically challenging and expensive will become. The need to burn more efficiently and cleanly remains a great challenge and huge responsibility for the international combustion community and therefore the main objective of this special session is to bring together the scientists, researchers, and experts to exchange and share their experiences, new ideas, and research results about all aspects of combustion science and sustainable combustion technologies: fundamental physical and chemical aspects of traditional and novel fuel sources; reaction kinetics, combustion emissions, pollutants, soot and particulates; IC engine combustion; gas turbine combustion; furnace combustion; coal, biomass, biofuel and waste combustion, multiphase flows and sprays; particle technology, gasification and pyrolysis; new combustion technologies.
In Dubrovnik, at SDEWES 2015 the session has received a considerable attention, having three time slots and spanning two conference days. Similarly, the sessions at the SEE SDEWES 2016 in Piran and the SDEWES 2016 in Lisbon have both been very well attended by participants, widening the geographical coverage. Many of the presenters have been invited to publish extended manuscripts in dedicated Special Issues of journals with a high Impact Factor, among which Applied Energy (IF 5.746), Energy (IF 4.292), Energy Conversion and Management (IF 4.801), Journal of Cleaner Production (IF 4.959).
This session concerns with the Renewable Energy Developments, it includes the following areas:
Mathematics is an academic discipline which ultimately comprehend all methodologies in science and technology, without excepting theory and practice in sustainable development of water, soil, and ecosystems. Collaboration among mathematicians and scientists in other research fields shall lead to scientific solutions of real world problems as well as to formulation of new mathematical problems. In this regard, this special session aims at providing a forum for all those interested in mathematical approaches to modelling and optimizing water and soil environment, life phenomena, and their interactions with human activities. The session organizer specializes in water resources engineering based on the methodologies of fluid dynamics and mathematical optimization, emphasizing applications to sustainable rural development in different regions with arid, semi-arid, and monsoon climates. Tentative session themes include: modelling hydrological and agro-ecological environment with stochastic processes and differential equations; nonlinear dynamics in behavioral and physiological mechanisms of animals and plants; subsidies, microfinance, and insurance for agriculture, environment, and rural development; viscosity solutions of degenerate elliptic equations appearing in the above-mentioned problems; computational methods applicable to the above-mentioned problems; and mathematics education in agricultural universities and colleges. However, other themes beyond expectation of the session organizer are most welcomed.
Changing energy supplies towards 100% renewable power resources is no longer a question of whether it is possible or not to achieve the aim. But the question is how to reach the aim to an affordable cost and how to reach the aim to obtain a reliable energy system.
This special session will concentrate on several aspects and several energy sectors of the energy transition process but all topics are dedicated to the distribution grid level and its challenges.
In conventional systems, energy conversion is typically performed by different devices separately producing electricity, heat, cooling energy and/or other products. This approach has been used for a long time, driven by the requirements for system simplicity and reliability and supported by the large availability and low prices of fossil fuels. However, in the past decades this scenario has been rapidly changing due to the increasing concerns about depletion of fossil fuels resources and greenhouse gases emissions. In this framework, new energy conversion paradigms must be developed, aiming at improving systems efficiency and sustainability, simultaneously reducing their environmental impacts. As a consequence, energy conversion devices can be integrated in single optimized systems, maximizing the utilization of energy inputs (either from renewable or fossil sources) and limiting any possible waste energies. Such a target may be achieved by adopting Polygeneration systems. In fact, polygeneration is the combined production of multiple types of energy (e.g. electricity, heat and cool) and material products (e.g., desalted water, hydrogen, glycerine, ammonia,etc.). Polygeneration systems can be based on both renewable (solar, wind, hydro, biomass and geothermal) and fossil fuels-based (reciprocating engines, combined cycles, etc.) technologies, in different combinations. At meantime, in order to increase their penetration potential, polygeneration systems must accurately face with the dynamic trends of user energy and products demands and minimize the mismatch between instantaneous production and loads. This is extremely important in order to favor the growth of the so called Distribute Generation, which is unanimously recognized to achieve a number of benefits, in terms of increased efficiency, reduction of transportation losses and maximization of use of local resources. To this scope, polygeneration systems can be equipped with suitable thermal (sensible, latent and chemical) and electrical storage systems (battery, supercapacitors, super wheel, CAES, mini-hydro) and specific control systems aiming at optimizing the utilization of energy sources and/or products in order to maximize the economic profitability.
In this framework, this Special Session aims at collecting recent studies and contributions focused on polygeneration systems. Manuscripts focused on crucial aspects like systems modeling, control strategies and experimental analysis at whole-system or single-component levels are welcomed. Also, studies including thermoeconomic analyses and single- or multi-objective optimizations are well targeted for the Session.
The concept of circular economy offers potential solutions to the current global interconnected crises of economy, environment, society and institutions. This session will be devoted to brainstorming, research, modeling, analysis, measurement and assessment of activities that contribute to the transition to circular economy and sustainable knowledge society, and to the social impact of these activities. The session is organized in cooperation with the World Academy of Art & Science, Club of Rome - European Research Centre and National Associations.
The global energy demand is anticipated to grow by approximately 40% by 2040, driven primarily by developing economies with surging populations and gross domestic product growths. In parallel, water demand is projected to increase by 55% globally between 2000 and 2050, essentially contributed by industry and notably manufacturing, and the power generation and domestic sectors. While supplies need to grow to respond to the demand, lower-carbon fuels and technologies require to be deployed to limit environmental emissions and mitigate their climatic impact.
Regions exposed to hot climates, including the Mediterranean and Middle East, face specific, exacerbated challenges in meeting their domestic power, cooling and water demands. As a result of global warming compounding population and/or economic growth, such regions are anticipated to experience increased industrial and building cooling loads, compounded by severe water stress and a deterioration of water quality. Depending upon the type and amount of energy and water resources available locally, as well as local climatic conditions, optimal power, cooling and water technology options and their integrations in such regions will require unique, tailored solutions.
Nowadays the trend for the production processing industries led to the steady increase. There are a lot of wastes with by-products, energy, water and raw materials is consumed. The special section “Industrial applications and IT tools for sustainable future” originated as a part of a comprehensive worldwide research and solutions, which is designed to develop ecologically sustainable, environmentally friendly, resource-saving industrial applications for processing industries and IT tools which will help to improve it in most sustainable way.
The session involves a recent developments and innovations for the waste minimisation incorporating by-products, energy, human resources for processing industries. It is connected with new approaches for technology and equipment developments and installations, system optimisation, organisational issues and IT tools making more sustainable industrial clusters and regions. One of the main goals is ecologically sustainable, environmentally friendly, resource and energy saving industrial applications. Mathematical models and computer-aided process engineering tools guarantee the efficient and sustainable operation of the production systems with key objectives the reduction of operation cost, profit increasing as well as safety and operability improvement. The technological advancements are accommodated in an information system for easy access and utilisation. Expert systems assist the user to make a decision according to the needs and particular specifications. It would be potentially interesting for researchers who deal with industry, industrial staff and developers of IT applications and makes closer cooperation.
A wide range of energy storage systems coupled with energy planning design strategies are currently investigated for solving the renewable energy sources (RES) capacity firming. Intermittency of RES production is the main drawback in handling the energy transition towards high share of renewables in the energy systems. Large part of storage systems are analyzed by their Power-to-Power (P2P) reconversion efficiency but, the forthcoming and foreseeable interaction between electricity, heating and transport sectors call for new solutions and metrics. This session will be devoted to the design and evaluation of other Power-to-What (P2X) technologies, such as Power-To-Gas (P2G), Power-To-Heat (P2H), Power-To-Vehicle (P2V), etc. to boost the RES integration in the current systems in a narrow connection to Electricity, Heating and Cooling Networks Planning as well as present and future Transport sectors.
Electricity-to-Fuel, Electricity-to-Heat and Electricity-to-Transport would seem the paradigm shift to merge all the sectors and promote the Smart Energy Systems concept.
