Supporting the 2030 agenda for sustainable development: Special issue dedicated to the conference on sustainable development of energy, water and environment systems 2019

Abstract This paper is an editorial for the virtual special issue (VSI) of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (RSER) dedicated to the 14th Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES 2019) held from October 1, 2019 to October 6, 2019 in Dubrovnik. The VSI published both high quality review papers and original research articles presented at SDEWES 2019 that were of relevance to RSER. A total of 38 articles from the SDEWES 2019 were invited by the guest editors for this VSI. After a scrutinizing peer review process, 28 articles were accepted and published. These articles fall into three broad categories, dealing with smart energy communities, bioenergy and solutions for sectors that are difficult to decarbonize, and produce knowledge relevant to a number of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This editorial discusses the contributions of the articles relevant for expanding the knowledge on the use of demand side flexibility, advancing the three visions of the bioeconomy, moving forward on the difficult challenges for a sustainable energy system and developing effective tools and guidelines for policy makers. Also, the editorial identifies synergies and trade-offs with a number of SDGs, confirming that the generated knowledge is a valuable support to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.