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1. Review of Dynamic Building Envelope Systems and Technologies Utilizing Renewable Energy Resources

   https://doi.org/10.3390/designs9020041  

   Almesbah, Mohammad; Wang, Julian (April 2025, Designs)

   Dynamic building envelopes integrated with renewable energy sources, termed Dynamic and Renewable Source Building Envelopes (DREBE), provide an innovative approach to optimizing building envelope designs. Yet, these systems are not mature enough and not widely adopted in the industry and few literature resources are employed to understand them. These systems dynamically respond and adapt to various environmental, energy, and occupancy demands for higher energy efficiency and comfort levels compared to traditional building envelopes while simultaneously producing energy. Their potential in climate change mitigation and fostering sustainable urban development warrants great attention from industry and urban planners. Especially in positive energy districts, which aim to reach net-positive energy goals through utilizing smart energy efficient building systems on the district level. This paper reviews innovative systems like dynamic photovoltaic shading devices and phase change materials and evaluates their performance by answering two research questions, what are the current DBE trends and are they feasible in achieving net-positive energy consumption? The analysis conducted reveals the dominance of solar-based dynamic renewable energy systems and a great need for alternatives. The study suggests that alternatives like wind as a renewable energy source should be studied with dynamic systems. Moreover, the study highlights current research gaps including insufficient data on long-term application and economic costs associated with such systems. To address this gap, the study suggests exploring in depth some of these systems and then branching into various combinations of dynamic envelope systems with multiple renewable or adaptive components to further enhance the overall building performance. By synthesizing the current body of literature, this paper gives insights into advancing the application of the dynamic building envelope systems and highlights their crucial role in the future of sustainable urban environments. 

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2. Thermosets from Birch Bark: A Holistic Approach Using Green Solvents and Processes

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.5c05162  

   Dodge, Megan L; Goodhope, Luke; Pisacane, Qwin; Tang, Rongmin; Harrill, Sophia I; LaFrance, Heather M; Lehman-Chong, Alexandra M; Stanzione, Joseph F; Soh, Lindsay; Gordon, Melissa B (August 2025, ACS Omega)

   Many recent efforts towards sustainable polymer development use building blocks from renewable biomass feedstocks. However, issues arising from the processes used to extract starting materials from biomass are often overlooked despite the safety and environmental hazards associated with energy-intensive separation processes and solvent utilization. Here, we describe a holistic approach towards using green solvents and processes to synthesize polyester thermosets from birch bark, a waste product from the paper and pulp industry. Betulin, a diol with a pentacyclic ring structure, was extracted from the bark of silver birch trees via reflux boiling using green solvents available from biobased sources. Ethanol and 1:1 ethanol:ethyl acetate mixtures were effective solvents for extraction with additional selectivity achieved via antisolvent precipitation. Betulin-rich extracts containing 62.2-81.5 wt% betulin were produced and directly used to prepare polyester thermosets using one-pot, solventless polycondensations with 100% of the starting materials available from biomass feedstocks. The polymers prepared directly from extracts had comparable properties to those synthesized from pure betulin, suggesting that additional processing steps required to achieve higher purity betulin may not be warranted. Overall, we present an approach to polyester development from betulin-rich birch bark extracts which incorporate green chemistry and engineering principles from feedstock to product. 

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3. Role of Energy Mix in Determining Climate Change Vulnerability in G7 Countries

   https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042161  

   Dai, Hui; Mamkhezri, Jamal; Arshed, Noman; Javaid, Anam; Salem, Sultan; Khan, Yousaf Ali (February 2022, Sustainability)

   Anthropogenic activities are responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, causing extreme events like soil erosion, droughts, floods, forest fires and tornadoes. Fossil fuel consumption produces CO2, and trapping heat is the major reason for a rapid increase in global temperature, and electricity generation is responsible for 25% of greenhouse gas emissions. Fossil fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and their adverse impact have become the focus of efforts to mitigate climate change vulnerability. This study explores empirical determinants of vulnerability to climate change such as ecosystem, food, health and infrastructure. The sustainable use of energy is necessary for development, and a source of response to climate change. The present study focuses on renewable energy consumption to determine climate vulnerability in G7 countries between 1995 and 2019. The panel ARDL approach showed that the renewable to non-renewable energy mix showed a quadratic effect on vulnerability, whereby a minimum threshold of renewable energy is required to witness a reduction in food, health and infrastructure vulnerability. Other results indicate that trade openness and development expenditures reduce health vulnerability. Development expenditures also decrease ecosystem vulnerability, while trade openness increases it. However, both of these variables increase infrastructure vulnerability. Avoiding severe food and water crises requires investment to tackle climate change, conserve energy and water resources, reform global trade and food markets, and adapting and adopting climate-resilient responses to change. 

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4. Living on the Electric Vehicle and Cloud Era: A Study of Cyber Vulnerabilities, Potential Impacts, and Possible Strategies

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3603287.3651209  

   Vu, Long; Suo, Kun; Islam, Md Romyull; Dhar, Nobel; Nguyen, Tu N; He, Selena; Shi, Yong (April 2024, ACM)

   In recent years, electric vehicles (EVs) have emerged as a sustainable alternative to conventional automobiles. Distinguished by their environmental friendliness, superior performance, reduced noise, and low maintenance requirements, EVs offer numerous advantages over traditional vehicles. The integration of electric vehicles with cloud computing has heralded a transformative shift in the automotive industry. However, as EVs become increasingly interconnected with the internet, various devices, and infrastructure, they become susceptible to cyberattacks. These attacks pose a significant risk to the safety, privacy, and functionality of both the vehicles and the broader transportation infrastructure. In this paper, we delve into the topic of electric vehicles and their connectivity to the cloud. We scrutinize the potential attack vectors that EVs are vulnerable to and the consequential impact on vehicle operations. Moreover, we outline both general and specific strategies aimed at thwarting these cyberattacks. Additionally, we anticipate future developments aimed at enhancing EV performance and reducing security risks. 

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5. Optimal planning for electric vehicle fast charging stations placements in a city scale using an advantage actor-critic deep reinforcement learning and geospatial analysis

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2024.105567  

   Heo, Jae; Chang, Soowon (October 2024, Sustainable Cities and Society)

   The transition to Electric Vehicles (EVs) for reducing urban greenhouse gas emissions is hindered by the lack of public charging infrastructure, particularly fast-charging stations. Given that electric vehicle fast charging stations (EVFCS) can burden the electricity grid, it is crucial for EVFCS to adopt sustainable energy supply methods while accommodating the growing demands of EVs. Despite recent research efforts to optimize the placement of renewable-powered EV charging stations, current planning methods face challenges when applied to a complex city scale and integrating with renewable energy resources. This study thus introduces a robust decision-making model for optimal EVFCS placement planning integrated with solar power supply in a large and complex urban environment (e.g., Chicago), utilizing an advantage actor-critic (A2C) deep reinforcement learning (DRL) approach. The model balances traffic demand with energy supply, strategically placing charging stations in areas with high traffic density and solar potential. As a result, the model is used to optimally place 1,000 charging stations with a random starting search approach, achieving total reward values of 74.30 %, and estimated the capacities of potential EVFCS. This study can inform the identification of suitable locations to advance the microgrid-based charging infrastructure systems in large urban environments. 

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