From the New Editor in Chief

I am honored to be appointed by the Energy Division as the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Energy Engineering. Over the last 10 years, I have been an associate editor of this journal under the leadership of the two previous editors in chief: Professors James Martin and Hilary Inyang. I have witnessed its growth from a fledgling journal with few submissions to the international interest of today. I am particularly grateful to Prof. Inyang because of the solid foundation he has laid. Prof. Inyang fulfilled his service with the Journal and now devotes more of his time to the Steering Committee of the Washington, D.C.–based Council of Energy Research and Education Leaders (CEREL), and other engagements, especially those that have arisen from the recent Rio+20 United Nations Conference on transitioning from a brown to green economy. The editors cordially wish him success in his endeavors.

Tracing the publication history of the Journal, which was established in 1875, to the current volume, is like seeing the unfolding of major energy technologies and events over time. If we fast forward to modern times, contemporary energy issues put emphasis on sustainability, which has an influence on every facet of energy research, ranging from emission policies, to biofuel combustion, to renewable energy sources, and to smart grid technology.

To better handle papers on these emerging topics, our team of associate editors has strong credentials in the following seven major areas:

The editors also welcome papers that report state-of-the-art, cross-disciplinary energy research that may not fall directly into any of the previously noted research fields.

In recent years, advances in information technology have significantly changed the manner in which the editors operate a journal. The editors face increasing competition from other journals, and they also face authors who are becoming more demanding of shorter turnaround times for both review and publication, which are especially important to papers that report cutting-edge research. In my term as editor in chief, my goals are to streamline the manuscript review process and shorten the turnaround time. The paper submission and reviewing processes have been scrutinized, and the time spent in non-value-added steps minimized. The editors hope to leave most of the time to the reviewers, who are guarding the quality of our publications.

In just the past few months since I started my term, change is already happening. All submissions first go through a preliminary review process by an editor. Within a two-week time frame, a paper is either declined or is moved to the second phase of peer review. I feel very comfortable in saying that the editors will meet or even surpass the turnaround time goal set by ASCE of 3 and 6 months from submission to the first and final decision, respectively.

The editors currently have a call for papers on two special issues. The first one is on “Smart Grid and Emerging Technology Integration,” edited by Professors Shmuel Oren, Andrew Liu, and Yihsu Chen. With the growing popularity of the smart grid, this special issue invites papers that cover broad aspects of the smart grid, which includes policy and market design, renewables, storage and distributed generation integration, technology enabling, network reliability, cyber security, data analytics, and algorithms and computation, all with a focus on methodologies in the research field of operations research. This special issue aims to identify methods and technologies that can facilitate the grid to accommodate all types of electricity generation and energy storage, enable active demand participation, and ultimately render the grid more robust and resilient. The deadline for submissions for this special issue is April 30, 2013.

Our second special issue addresses an important technical issue that may have a profound impact in the future vehicles we drive, the fresh air we breathe, and the sustainability of our natural resources: “Innovative Technologies on Combustion of Biofuels in Engines,” edited by Professors Constantine D. Rakopoulos and Dimitrios C. Kyritsis, and Dr. Dimitrios C. Rakopoulos. Biofuels are currently the gateway for the penetration of renewable energy sources, primarily in the transport sector, with their share being increased drastically over the last few decades. This special issue calls for intensive research efforts toward the utilization of biofuels in engine technologies, with primary emphases on combustion and emission. The deadline for submission is April 8, 2013.

In conclusion, I am thrilled to have the privilege to lead this journal with its successful history, especially during this exciting energy era. I look forward to leading the Journal of Energy Engineering in opportunities that will better connect, service, and contribute to the community of energy engineering researchers and practitioners.