Special issue on Clean Technologies and Innovations for Sustainable Energy Solutions

Introduction:

The global transition toward zero-/low-carbon and sustainable energy systems requires innovative solutions that bridge the gap between unconventional energy resources, renewable technologies, and end-use applications to build a cleaner and more resilient environment. Among the largest energy consumers worldwide, the industrial and building sectors rely heavily on carbon-based fuels and contribute substantially to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

This Special Issue focuses on the integration of unconventional and renewable energy sources, such as geothermal, wind, solar, hydrogen, and advanced bioenergy, into diverse hybrid energy systems aimed at reducing carbon footprints, enhancing energy resilience, and supporting global efforts towards decarbonization and sustainability. By combining clean energy technologies with intelligent management strategies, hybrid energy systems can transform traditional energy users into active, adaptive, and efficient participants within sustainable urban and industrial energy networks.

The scope of this Special Issue encompasses advanced energy solutions, such as smart grids, hybrid energy systems, and innovative energy storage technologies, alongside comprehensive techno-economic and environmental analyses to ensure practical and real-world implementation. These innovations are essential not only for improving energy performance and efficiency across multiple sectors but also for optimizing the use of unconventional energy resources and mitigating the impacts of climate change.

Scope and Topics of Interest:

We welcome original research articles, review papers, technical notes, and case studies that address the integration of unconventional and renewable energy resources into sustainable energy systems. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Integration of unconventional and renewable energy sources (geothermal, hydrogen, bioenergy, etc.) into energy systems
• Techno-economic and environmental analyses of clean energy systems
• Smart, hybrid or flexible energy networks for decarbonizing
• Advanced HVAC systems and energy recovery technologies for reducing carbon emissions
• Net-zero and positive-energy supported by unconventional resources
• CO₂ capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) solutions applied in industrial energy systems
• Energy storage technologies for resilient building energy systems
• Energy policy frameworks and decarbonization pathways for buildings
• Climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies through building energy transitions

Submission Instructions: 

Please read the Guide for Authors before submitting. All articles should be submitted online, please select VSI: CTSB on submission. All submissions will undergo a normal peer-review process.

Important Deadlines: Submission deadline: 30 Sep 2026

Guest Editors:

• Dr. Alireza Dehghani-Sanij, Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE), University of Waterloo, Canada. Email: alireza.dehghanisanij@uwaterloo.ca.
• Dr. Siamak Hosseinzadeh, Energy & Geoscience Institute, University of Utah, USA. Email: siamak.hosseinzadeh@utah.edu.
• Dr. Mohammad Mehdi Salehi Dezfouli, Department of Energy and Process Engineering (EPT), Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway. Email: mehdi.dezfouli@ntnu.no.
• Prof. Kody Powell, Energy & Geoscience Institute, University of Utah, USA. Email: kody.powell@utah.edu.