SCOPE

The global energy transition has become the central goal for policymakers and industry stakeholders. To achieve the ambitious decarbonization targets set for 2050, a new energy paradigm is emerging—one that is largely based on renewable sources and electricity as the primary energy carrier. In this context, the design of intelligent, resilient, and digitally enhanced energy networks is essential to ensure system stability, flexibility, and user-centric efficiency.

Future energy systems will increasingly rely on variable renewable energy sources (solar, wind, etc.), requiring smart integration strategies to overcome intermittency and mismatches between production and demand. Advanced solutions such as ICT-enabled demand-response programs, real-time monitoring, predictive control, and smart storage systems are gaining momentum to guarantee grid stability and resilience.

This Special Session will serve as an open platform for presenting and discussing recent innovations in smart renewable energy networks, with a special focus on technologies, digital tools, and strategies enabling grid balancing, sector coupling, and user engagement. Among these, Power-to-X (PtX) technologies play a pivotal role by converting surplus renewable electricity into storable and versatile forms—such as hydrogen, synthetic fuels, or heat—thereby enhancing grid flexibility and strengthening the water-energy nexus.

The session will also explore the integration of next-generation renewable technologies, energy communities, energy storage systems and sustainable mobility solutions, as well as novel approaches to optimize user energy consumption and enable active prosumer participation. Special attention will be devoted to the electrification of heating and cooling (e.g., widespread adoption of heat pumps) and to the integration of light and heavy electric vehicles into future smart grids.
In response to decarbonization targets, a number of policies and technologies have been developed and implemented in recent years to reduce energy consumption and pollutant emissions in urban areas. In this framework, smart cities, based on advanced energy networks, offer a promising technological solution. They not only enhance the integration of renewable energy sources but also maintain a high quality of life for city residents. Smart energy networks can seamlessly integrate a plurality of energy vectors, renewable sources, and users, optimizing the self-consumption of renewables. Advanced and smart control systems are crucial for managing these complex energy networks. These energy strategies can efficiently distribute surplus energy among network users and across different storage systems and energy vectors.

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