Smart Grid Technologies for the Efficient Integration of Renewable Energy Systems a Multi-Disciplinary Framework for Sustainable Urban Energy Transition

The transition to sustainable urban energy systems requires effective strategies for integrating renewable energy sources into existing electricity networks. This study examines the role of smart grid technologies in enabling the efficient integration of solar, biomass, and hydrogen systems within a multidisciplinary framework for sustainable urban energy transition. Using Lagos, Nigeria, as a case study, the research adopts a quantitative scenario-based approach to evaluate technical, economic, environmental, and policy dimensions of renewable energy integration. Four scenarios were analyzed, including a conventional grid-dominated baseline and three progressive smart-grid-enabled renewable energy pathways. The results show that increased renewable integration significantly improves urban energy performance by raising renewable energy share, reducing grid losses, lowering carbon emissions, and enhancing system reliability. Solar emerged as the primary contributor to early renewable penetration, biomass improved dispatchability and system resilience, while hydrogen provided strategic flexibility for advanced integration. Economically, the solar-biomass-smart-grid pathway offered the best balance between cost and performance, whereas the solar-biomass-hydrogen-smart-grid pathway produced the strongest long-term sustainability outcome despite higher investment requirements. The study concludes that smart grid technologies are essential for coordinating diverse renewable energy sources and for supporting reliable, flexible, and low-carbon urban electricity systems. It further argues that sustainable urban energy transition depends not only on renewable energy deployment, but also on intelligent grid management, supportive policy frameworks, and integrated planning. The study contributes a practical multidisciplinary framework for evaluating renewable-smart-grid pathways in rapidly urbanizing environments.