Decarbonization Pathways for Industrial Parks: Integrated Systems, Enabling Technologies, and Policy Frameworks

In the context of global carbon neutrality commitments, zero-carbon parks have emerged as pivotal testbeds for implementing low-carbon energy systems. These parks integrate distributed renewable energy, energy storage systems, flexible loads, and carbon capture technologies to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. However, traditional optimization approaches focusing solely on electricity dispatch fail to capture the complex interactions between electricity flows and carbon emissions. The concept of electricity-carbon synergy has gained increasing attention, recognizing that carbon reduction cannot be achieved through energy management alone. Recent advances in carbon trading mechanisms, life-cycle assessment methodologies, and multi-energy system optimization provide new opportunities for coordinated electricity-carbon management. Nevertheless, significant challenges remain in modeling carbon flows, quantifying implicit carbon emissions, designing effective market mechanisms, and developing real-time optimization algorithms. This Research Topic aims to advance the state-of-the-art in electricity-carbon synergistic optimization for zero-carbon park operations.

This Research Topic addresses the fundamental challenges in achieving coordinated electricity-carbon optimization for zero-carbon park operations. The primary goal is to bridge the gap between theoretical optimization models and practical implementation by soliciting high-quality research that tackles:
Technical Challenges: Developing accurate models that capture the coupling mechanisms between electricity networks and carbon flows, including both explicit carbon emissions from energy conversion and implicit carbon embedded in equipment manufacturing and operation.
Optimization Methodologies: Creating innovative algorithms for multi-objective optimization that balance economic efficiency, carbon reduction, and operational reliability under uncertainties from renewable generation and carbon pricing.
Market Mechanism Design: Establishing integrated electricity-carbon trading frameworks that incentivize park operators to optimize both energy dispatch and carbon emissions simultaneously.
Practical Implementation: Demonstrating real-world applications through case studies, pilot projects, and validation of proposed methodologies.

Through this Research Topic, we aim to foster interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers in power systems, environmental science, operations research, and policy studies, ultimately accelerating the transition toward zero-carbon industrial and commercial ecosystems. The specific themes of this Research Topic are listed as follows, but are not limited to:
- Multi-energy system modeling with integrated carbon flow analysis
- Multi-objective optimization considering electricity costs, carbon emissions, and reliability
- Demand response and flexible load management for carbon reduction
- Energy storage planning and operation under electricity-carbon synergy
- Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) integration in parks
- Blockchain and digital technologies for carbon tracking and trading
- Uncertainty management for renewable energy and carbon price volatility
- Life-cycle carbon assessment for park energy infrastructure
- Integrated electricity-carbon market design and bidding strategies
- Real-time optimization and control for zero-carbon operations
- Data-driven and AI-based methods for carbon emission prediction

This Research Topic welcomes Original Research Articles, Reviews, Methods, Perspectives, and Case Studies. Manuscripts should emphasize methodological innovation, practical applicability, and validation through simulation or experimental data from real zero-carbon park projects.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Electricity-Carbon Synergy, Zero-Carbon Park

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.