The Committee of the United Nations has arrived at an agenda to achieve global sustainable development by 2030. There are about seventeen sustainable development goals (SDGs). As affordable and clean energy (SDG 7) is the key to achieve every other 16 SDGs, it is apt to mention the potential of distributed electricity generation and the engineering challenges in achieving SDG 7. In distributed electricity generation, a biogas-fired micro-gas turbine (MGT) generator with an output from 5 kW to 500 kW is one of the options. With the concept of the agro-energy complexes, efforts are being made in European countries to integrate biogas production from agricultural farm wastes and electricity generation using MGT. The development of an MGT requires the design and precision manufacturing of tiny radial compressors and turbines that are efficient against tip leakage. To improve thermal efficiency, MGTs are equipped with exhaust gas heat recuperators. To increase the temperature of gas at the entry to the turbine, cooling systems are to be developed. MGTs drive the Permanent Magnet Alternators (PMAs). PMAs generate electricity at a frequency in the range of a few kHz equivalent to the speed from 50000 RPM to 100000 RPM of the MGTs. Using solid-state power electronics, the unsteady electrical power in the range of a few kHz is converted into steady electrical power from 380 V to 480 V and from 40 Hz to 60 Hz grid frequency. High-speed air bearings are necessary to support the rotor. In distributed electricity generation where an MGT is used, air bearings can be a reliable option for extending the service time between overhauls. The major obstacle to the application of air bearings is the phenomenon of a self-excited whirl. During the air-bearing design, research efforts are being made to analyze and evaluate this kind of dynamic instability.

The primary goal of this special issue is to focus on such engineering challenges for attaining the global SDGs of the United Nations. We invite contributions with particular interest in attaining the following SDGs: affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), and climate action (SDG 13).

Through this special issue, we aim to showcase the advancement in engineering knowledge to achieve global sustainable development. We welcome researchers from various disciplines to provide interdisciplinary perspectives on the engineering challenges in global sustainable development. Your contributions will play a crucial role in advancing knowledge in engineering fields to attain global SDGs.

Original research articles, review articles, and case studies with equal emphasis on experimental, computational, and analytical studies, that address the challenges in global sustainable development from the following disciplines of engineering will be considered for presentation at the conference after a thorough peer-review process: Civil, Mechanical, Marine, Aeronautical, Automation, Aerospace, Production, Automobile, Electrical, Electronics, Communication, and Computer Science.