Sustainable Energy Planning in a New Situation

• Published in: Energies (Basel) Vol. 16; no. 4; p. 1626
• Main Authors: Tsangas, Michail, Papamichael, Iliana, Zorpas, Antonis A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.02.2023
• Subjects: Alternative energy sources; Clean energy; Climate change; COVID-19; Emissions; energy; Energy conservation; Energy consumption; Energy efficiency; Energy industry; Energy management systems; energy planning; Energy policy; Energy poverty; Green market; Green technology; Natural gas; Nuclear energy; Poverty; Priorities; Security; strategic energy plan; Sustainability; Sustainable development; Ukraine war; Urban development; United Kingdom > UK; Ukraine; Russia
• ISSN: 1996-1073; 1996-1073
• DOI: 10.3390/en16041626

Energy is one of the most important aspects of urban development and technological advancements. As its production and consumption are connected to several environmental, social, and economic issues covering all three sustainability pillars, strategic and targeted energy planning is vital to the smooth transition towards a more efficient and greener society. In accordance with the specific priorities of every state, sustainable energy planning should also satisfy the international trends, requirements, and targets, including the global commitments for sustainable development. As of this time, energy transition with further deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency improvement are the priorities for a sustainable future. However, due to recent global events, a new situation has been established. The COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine have caused new circumstances challenging the recognized approaches for an effective sustainable energy strategy. While the global pandemic led to a temporary reduction of energy use and created habits for further savings, the war caused energy security issues, especially for Europe, and an increase in energy prices. Moreover, both questioned the implementation of green energy strategies and policies and initiated energy poverty. In this framework, the perspectives of the criteria, on which the energy planning and the relevant research could lean, are investigated and discussed.