Guest Editors
Prof. Dr. Xu Zheng
Email: cindy1989v@zstu.edu.cn
Affiliation: Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
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Research Interests: smart hygroscopic materials, solid desiccant cooling, atmospheric water harvesting, sorbent-based evaporative cooling
Prof. Dr. Xiaofeng Zhang
Email: xiaofengzhang@csust.edu.cn
Affiliation: College of Energy and Power Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha, China
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Research Interests: optimization and control of integrated energy system, renewable energy utilization
Prof. Dr. Quanwen Pan
Email: panqw@hzcu.edu.cn
Affiliation: Cryogenic center, Hangzhou City University, Hangzhou, China
Homepage:
Research Interests: adsorption cooling, desalination, water harvesting
Summary
This Special Issue focuses on the material advances, component development, and system-level integration for the efficient utilization of clean energy and low-grade energy sources. It highlights technologies such as solar-assisted air conditioning, low-grade heat recovery, heat pump systems (including ground-source and advanced cycles), and the integration of renewable energy into built environments.
The issue aims to address key technical challenges in performance enhancement of materials and components, system hybridization, and operational stability. Contributions are invited on topics including but not limited to: high-efficiency composite adsorbents, advanced energy storage materials, innovative component design (e.g., microchannel heat exchangers, high-efficiency compressors), system integration strategies, dynamic modeling and simulation, and experimental validation. By fostering a dialogue on material, component, and system innovations, this Special Issue seeks to accelerate the development of more efficient, reliable, and sustainable energy systems for applications in buildings, industries, and districts.
Objectives and Scope
This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for presenting recent research and technological innovations in the efficient utilization of clean and low-grade energy, with a focus on material properties, component performance, and system integration. The scope encompasses the design, fabrication, testing, and optimization of materials and components, as well as the integration and control of energy systems that harness renewable sources and recover low-grade thermal energy. It invites studies that advance the fundamental understanding, component-level breakthroughs, and system engineering approaches of such technologies, with a clear emphasis on solving practical challenges in efficiency, reliability, and scalability.
Key objectives include:
· To examine material and component innovations that enhance the performance of heat pump technologies for low-grade heat source utilization.
· To analyze the design, fabrication, and control of components for solar-composite energy systems in heating, cooling, and power applications.
· To investigate high-efficiency composite adsorbents, advanced energy storage materials, and novel component designs for improved energy conversion and recovery processes.
· To explore system integration methodologies for hybrid renewable energy systems coupled with low-grade energy recovery in buildings and industrial processes.
· To discuss modeling, simulation, and experimental techniques for evaluating material, component, and system performance under dynamic operating conditions.
· To evaluate technical pathways for scaling material and component innovations from laboratory to real-world applications.
Keywords
low-grade energy utilization, heat pump technology, solar-assisted systems, ground-source heat pump, composite adsorbents, advanced materials, component innovation, system integration, renewable energy engineering
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