This special issue is dedicated to the research presented and discussed at the 8th International Conference on Sustainable Energy & Environmental Protection held from the 11th to the 14th August 2015 in Paisley, Scotland. The contents of this special issue are within the aims and scope of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. The aim of the International conferences on Sustainable Energy & Environmental Protection is to gather experts, practitioners and early career researchers together in a relaxed environment to present their research findings. The articles published in this special issue summarise a snapshot of the diverse range of topics from bioenergy and biogas, energy storage and district heating and energy in buildings to carbon emissions, carbon flux in soil and social aspects of carbon discussed at the conference within the framework of sustainable development. A total of eighteen extended manuscripts were invited by for consideration for publication following the conference and after a robust review process by experts in the field a total of ten articles were accepted.