Special issue on the 36th international conference on efficiency, cost, optimization, simulation and environmental impact of energy systems (ECOS 2023)

This editorial article introduces a Special Issue of Applied Thermal Engineering dedicated to the 36th International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimization, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems (ECOS 2023), held from 25 to 30 June 2023 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. The conference welcomed 413 participants from 38 countries and featured a rich scientific programme, including 17 plenary and keynote lectures, 2 special sessions, and 425 articles published in the conference proceedings. The 18 articles selected for this Special Issue focus on topics such as solar energy and thermal energy storage, heat pumps and industrial process optimization, hydrogen technologies and sustainable fuels and energy networks and building energy management, reflecting a curated sample of the high-quality research presented at the event. These contributions showcase ongoing advances in specific areas of applied thermal engineering and highlight the strong experimental and modelling capabilities within the scientific community.