Systemic pathways for the decarbonization of energy systems

A shift in the global decarbonization discourse is evident—from optimizing isolated components to designing interoperability across energy flows, materials, and governance frameworks. This Editorial introduces selected papers published in the special issue of Energy Conversion and Management: X, collectively representing a mature phase of sustainability research: renewable integration, digitization of thermal processes, waste heat valorization, and the development of fair net-zero governance models. It is shown that system-level decarbonization requires coordinated design across spatial, temporal, and institutional dimensions. The special issue is structured around four integrative themes: (1) heat as a recoverable resource; (2) storage as temporal infrastructure; (3) digitalisation as operational decarbonisation; and (4) governance for credible net-zero trajectories.