Ricerc@Sapienza

This pioneering Special Issue aims at providing the state-of-the-art on open energy data analytics; its availability in the different contexts, i.e., country peculiarities; and at different scales, i.e., building, district, and regional for data-aware planning and policy-making. Ten high-quality papers were published after a demanding peer review process and are commented on in this Editorial.

EU targets for sustainable development call for strong changes in the current energy systems as well as committed protection of environmental resources. This target conflicts if a policy is not going to promote the compatible solutions to both the issues. This is the case of the additional renewable energy sources to be exploited for increasing the share in the electricity mix and in the gross final energy consumption. Solar energy is, currently, the cheapest solution in Southern European Countries, like Italy.

The aim of the article is to analyse the evolution of spatial and energy planning integration, seen as a mean to foster local development, from the birth of the theme to the current prospects of shared sustainability and Decentralised Energy System (DES) solutions. The paper is a review of the evolution of the spatial and energy planning integration, exploring weaknesses

Cities play a key role in driving the transition to sustainable energy. Urban areas represent
between 60% and 80% of global energy consumption and are a significant source of CO2 emissions,
making energy management at the urban scale an important area of research. Urban energy systems
have a strong influence on the environment, economy, social dimensions and urban spatial
planning. Energy consumption affects the urban microclimate, urban comfort, human health, and

Mediterranean islands are heavily dependent on fossil fuels and have to deal with specific problems such as small-scale generation of electricity, high distribution costs and underutilization of Renewable Energy Source (RES) potential. These challenges result in high energy costs and CO2emissions. In order to promote a shift towards cleaner energy systems, islands have to invest on RES and smart solutions for sustainable energy supply. The present study examines the feasibility of RES introduction in the Maltese energy system.