Energy-Efficient and Sustainable Cooling Technologies for Buildings and Industry

Cooling and refrigeration are cornerstones of comfort, productivity, and safety across modern buildings and industry, facilitating everything from climate control and manufacturing to the storage of essential goods. Yet, as the demand for cooling rises globally, the sector’s energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions pose significant challenges for both sustainability and climate change mitigation. Recent years have seen rapid advancements in HVAC, refrigeration, and integrated system design, highlighting pathways to significantly enhance energy efficiency and reduce environmental impacts. Ongoing debates focus on the balance between innovative system performance, adoption of novel refrigerants, and integration with renewable energy, while major studies underscore the pressing need for systemic transformation to meet low-carbon targets. Despite these efforts, there remain substantial gaps in maximizing system optimization, exploring next-generation refrigerants, and scaling renewable-powered cooling, especially under global decarbonization commitments.This Research Topic aims to showcase recent progress in energy-efficient and sustainable refrigeration and air-conditioning for both buildings and industrial applications. We seek to bring together contributions that advance fundamental understanding and practical approaches for enhancing cooling technologies, with special attention to innovation in system design, heat transfer enhancement, renewable energy integration, and intelligent system management. By promoting interdisciplinary exchange and examining both emerging and applied solutions, this Research Topic aspires to shape future directions for sustainable cooling in support of global energy and climate goals.The scope of this Research Topic encompasses a broad yet focused investigation of technologies and strategies addressing energy efficiency and sustainability in cooling. Contributors are encouraged to explore established and emerging fields, cross-linkages with renewable energy, and novel concepts in design and operation. We invite articles that cover, but are not limited to, the following thematic areas:• High-efficiency refrigeration, HVAC, and hybrid systems• Sustainable and low-GWP refrigerants• Low-global warming potential (GWP) and natural refrigerants• Advanced heat transfer and thermal management technologies• Cooling solutions for sustainable and nearly zero-energy buildings• Renewable energy-powered and solar-assisted cooling systems• Smart control, digital twins, and AI-driven optimization• Thermal energy storage and load management for cooling applications• Modeling, simulation, and performance analysis of cooling systemsAdditionally, we welcome studies and reviews on system integration, carbon footprint reduction, and advanced strategies for industrial and commercial applications. Both original research and comprehensive reviews are encouraged. Topic editors: João Nuno Pinto Miranda Garcia, José M C Pereira Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79963/energy-efficient-and-sustainable-cooling-technologies-for-buildings-and-industry