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Summary: Achieving economic growth and sustainable development requires that we urgently reduce our ecological footprint by changing the way we produce and consume goods and resources. We consume more resources than the planet can generate, and growing rates of pollution and waste only worsen the problem. In this context, globally, a significant number of frameworks and programs on sustainable consumption and production have been introduced. Most of them concern the environmentally sound management of energy and raw materials and all wastes throughout their life cycle; the substantially reduce of waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse; the adoption of sustainable practices and the integration of sustainability information into their reporting cycle; the promotion of procurement practices that are sustainable; the enhancement of scientific and technological capacity intending to more sustainable patterns of consumption and production etc. This reprint" Sustainable Production and Environmentally Responsible Consumption" takes a broad view of all these issues and aimed to inform about ways contributing to sustainable consumption and production by reducing our environmental impact, promoting the use of renewable sources of energy and encouraging responsible purchasing decisions.

Summary: This reprint focuses on interdisciplinary research that reveals the problems of resource provision of the economy, both from the perspective of local projects and from the point of view of the creation of global infrastructure that contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. Considerable attention is paid to the development of the Arctic territories as one of the most promising sources of mineral and fuel resources as of 2021. This reprint also includes selected papers from European Raw Materials Conferences 2020-2021, held despite the global COVID-19 pandemic, and will be published with the financial support of the International competence Centre for mining-engineering education under the auspices of UNESCO: - Russian-UK Raw Materials Dialogue (21-23 October 2020); - Russian-German Raw Materials Conference (30 November-1 December 2020).

Summary: Energies is open to submissions for a Special Issue on "Renewable Energy Production from Energy Crops and Agricultural Residues". Biomass represents an important source of renewable and sustainable energy production. Its increasing consumption is mainly related to the increase in global energy demand and fossil fuel prices, but also to a lower environmental impact compared to non-renewable fuels. These factors take RED II directives into consideration. In the past, forestry interventions were the main supply source of biomass, but in recent decades two others sources have entered the international scene. These are dedicated energy crops and agricultural residues, which are important sources of biomass for biofuel and bioenergy. Below, we consider four main value chains: • Oil crops: Oil production from non-food oilseed crops (such as camelina, Crambe, safflower, castor, cuphea, cardoon, etc.), oil extraction, and oil utilization for fuel production. • Lignocellulosic crops: Biomass production from perennial grasses (miscanthus, giant reed, switchgrass, reed canary grass, etc.), woody crops (willow, poplar, Robinia, eucalyptus, etc.), and agricultural residues (pruning, maize cob, maize stalks, wheat chaff, sugar cane straw, etc.), considering two main transformation systems: 1. Electricity/heat production 2. Second-generation ethanol production • Carbohydrate crops (cereals, sweet sorghum, sugar beets, sugar cane, etc.) for ethanol production. • Fermentable crops (maize, barley, triticale, Sudan grass, sorghum, etc.) and agricultural residues (chaff, maize stalks and cob, fruit and vegetable waste, etc.) for production of biogas and/or biomethane.

Summary: The renewable energy sector is one of the fastest growing branches of the economy in the world, including in Poland. Extensive investigation in research centers results in the increased efficiency of obtaining energy from renewable sources, as well as a decrease in the prices of renewable energy installations. The development of renewable energy motivates further research and the development of new technologies. Investments in renewable energy may also benefit the local community by increasing the attractiveness of the region to tourists, creating opportunities for professional activation (especially in areas with high unemployment), increasing the competitiveness of the local economy and its energy efficiency and obtaining raw materials from local producers, mainly farmers, which are an additional source of income for them. Another possible economic advantage is charging lease fees, for instance, for land under wind turbines or fees for ground easement, in order to ensure access to the construction of power lines, e.g., connecting turbines to the grid; lowering heat prices for residents of a given town; building investment plots in or near heat plants and biogas plants, with the provision of heat and electricity at competitive prices directly from these plants; investors covering the costs of modernizing local roads; and creating new transmission, power lines and supply points.

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: Worldwide, electricity systems are evolving to adapt to a low-carbon economy in which increasingly more renewable energy resources are being integrated. These changes, in turn, make the development of new methods, tools, and approaches to deal with the operation and planning of electricity systems necessary. On the other hand, new regulations must be developed in order to deal with a wide integration of renewable and distributed energy resources, both from a generation and a network (transmission and distribution) perspective. Furthermore, the natural gas sector is going through significant transformation related mainly to both technological advances and strategic policy decisions. While there is great uncertainty in the future of natural gas within the global energy matrix, it is clear that it will play a major role during the next years as a bridge fuel towards a decarbonized economy. In this context, natural gas systems are undergoing deep transformations, necessitating the development of new tools to operate and plan gas systems as well as new approaches to regulate them. This book, therefore, seeks to contribute to the energy transformation agenda through original contributions focused on both power and natural gas systems, addressing innovative operation and planning methods as well as regulation of both energy systems.

Summary: This reprint gathers several works focused on recent and novel research in solar radiation modeling and forecasting where remote sensing techniques and retrieval information is employed as a part of the methodology. The use of machine learning algorithms in solar irradiance modeling and solar power forecasting is included in some of the works here presented. This is a topic with high interest nowadays because of the impact in solar energy deployment and in atmospheric studies as well. The recent improved remote sensing information and available data and the advances in machine learning algorithms have a relevant presence in this reprint indicating the current ad near future path of the contributions in solar radiation modeling.

Summary: This book focuses on aspects related to new perspectives and challenges in traffic and transportation engineering supporting energy saving in smart cities. Transportation, like other spheres of human activity, is constantly changing due to economic development. People are constantly improving the ways of moving using various energy sources, expanding infrastructures, and adapting cities to increasing traffic volumes. Many of the contents presented in this book are characterized by a multidisciplinary approach to a global problem. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: road traffic measurements; data analysis; road traffic (micro-, meso-, macro-) modeling; simulation models; road and intersection capacity; optimization, route choice; human factor in road traffic and transportation engineering; road safety; pedestrian and bicycle traffic and infrastructure; public transportation solutions; parking issues; contemporary problems of road traffic engineering and sustainable transportation; intelligent transportation systems (ITS); traffic control and management; smart grid services; electric mobility; environmental impacts of transportation systems; life cycle analysis (LCA) of alternative energy vectors for road vehicles; transportation systems and process modeling; sustainable transportation development; life cycle impact; fuel consumption; and emissions.

Summary: This reprint focuses on new trends in photo-electrocatalysis, specifically addressed to the remediation of wastewater and energy production. The remediation of wastewater, up to a level that is acceptable for discharge into receiving waterbodies, involves an ever-growing demand of energy, so effective and low-energy treatment processes are highly desirable. Among the other treatments, photo- and photo-electrochemical treatment processes may be considered as advanced oxidation processes (AOP), which are based on the generation of OH radicals, strong oxidizing agents able to indiscriminately degrade even the most persistent organic compounds. Photocatalysis and photo-electrocatalysis can be considered as effective methods for organic degradation, especially when the semiconductor is active in the range of visible light. Several results are presented on new morphologies and structures, which allow more photoactive, visibly responsive, and stable materials, as well as studies on combined processes in which photo- or photo-electrochemistry contribute to an increase in the sustainability of the whole process, lowering costs and achieving the most valuable final products. In view of the circular economy concept, microbial fuel cell systems are also considered as possible way to recover energy from organic pollutants contained in wastewater.

Summary: An economic development model analyzes the adoption of alternative strategy capable of leveraging the economy, based essentially on RES. The combination of wind turbine, PV installation with new technology battery energy storage, DSM network and RES forecasting algorithms maximizes RES integration in isolated islands. An innovative model of power system (PS) imbalances is presented, which aims to capture various features of the stochastic behavior of imbalances and to reduce in average reserve requirements and PS risk. Deep learning techniques for medium-term wind speed and solar irradiance forecasting are presented, using for first time a specific cloud index. Scalability-replicability of the FLEXITRANSTORE technology innovations integrates hardware-software solutions in all areas of the transmission system and the wholesale markets, promoting increased RES. A deep learning and GIS approach are combined for the optimal positioning of wave energy converters. An innovative methodology to hybridize battery-based energy storage using supercapacitors for smoother power profile, a new control scheme and battery degradation mechanism and their economic viability are presented. An innovative module-level photovoltaic (PV) architecture in parallel configuration is introduced maximizing power extraction under partial shading. A new method for detecting demagnetization faults in axial flux permanent magnet synchronous wind generators is presented. The stochastic operating temperature (OT) optimization integrated with Markov Chain simulation ascertains a more accurate OT for guiding the coal gasification practice.

Summary: The Special Issue of Energies on the subject area of "Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) for Electric Vehicles (EV)", covers new work on EV and associated topics like charging process, smart grids, emerging ITS for EV and applications for electromoV market penetration with an increase of 60% per year, associated challenges of the charging process and system and changes in the energy market and grid. EV is associated with sustainability and the EU has committed to reducing CO2 emissions by 37.5 percent by 2030. The charging process and open energy market with renewable energy create interesting research problems where IoT and intelligent systems play an essential role in the flexibility of the EV charging process and the EV operation.bility. Considering EV market penetration with an increase of 60% per year, associated challenges of charging process and system and the change on the Energy market and Grid. EV is associated with sustainability with the commit of EU in, aiming to reduce CO2 emissions by 37.5 percent from 2021 to 2030. Charging process and open energy market with renewable energy creates interesting research problems where IoT and Intelligent System plays an essential role in the flexibility of the EV charging process and the EV operation.

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: The sustainable development of our planet depends on the use of energy. The growing population of the world inevitably causes an increase in the demand for energy, which, on the one hand, threatens the potential for shortages of energy supply, and, on the other hand, causes the deterioration of the environment.Therefore, our task is to reduce this demand through different innovative solutions (i.e., both technological and social). Social marketing and economic policies can also play a role in affecting the behavior of households and companies, by causing behavioral change oriented to energy stewardship, and an overall switch to renewable energy resources. This book provides a platform for the exchange of a wide range of ideas, which, ultimately, would facilitate the driving of societies to long-term energy efficiency.

Summary: After almost two decades of continuous development in bio, circular, and green economy, the time is ripe for the assessment of the major achievements and challenges that private and public enterprises face today to further enhance these global sustainability concepts. Due to the central role of political incentives for the development and implementation of environmentally friendly and sustainable practices, the present book project focuses on the nexus between public policies, institutions, quality of public sector management, and patterns of interaction between government and private businesses in backing bio, green, and circular economy practices and eco-innovation. In addition, the project also accommodates surveys that elaborate on the differences between the implementation of new organizational forms and scientific innovations in technologically advanced and developing settings.

Summary: Providing the security of a broad-based energy and slowing the speed of climate change are the main challenges today of the basic of legal framework to stimulate the development of alternative energy sources. Energy from renewable sources is one part of the system, which not only enables to provide energy self-sufficiency, but also contributes to the reduction heating of the Earth's atmosphere. International climate agreements indicate the need to intensify the prevention of global warming and accelerate the reduction in CO2 emissions. The implementation of such challenging plans as outlined in the European Green Deal or "Fit for 55," among others, entails the almost complete elimination of GHG emissions in the energy sector, which can be very challenging for some member states. In the EU, the preferred direction of development of RES use is distributed generation and increasing the share of the use of by-products and organic waste for the production biofuels. This creates great opportunities for rural areas, which until the last century were identified with agriculture and the production of food or raw materials. While the role of agriculture will not diminish, as incomes are rising in relatively poor countries with a high elasticity of demand for food, these areas will increasingly perform a number of other important functions as well. The production of energy raw materials and energy, which is no longer a mere idea, but is becoming, thanks to the development of new technologies, a mainstream energy sector that can make contribution to improving energy security and achieving climate neutrality.

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: This Special Issue summarizes, in a single reference, timely emerging topics related to power electronics for sustainable energy conversion. Furthermore, at the same time, it provides the reader with valuable information related to open research opportunity niches.