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Renewable energy sources (RESs) offer key transformative potential from a societal point of view due to their modularity and ability to generate energy at the local level, allowing for the development of grassroots democratic and participatory initiatives. The paper aims to share insights into the processes of creating RES cooperatives in Poland. One of the first cooperatives to be established in the Upper Silesian region in Poland was the energy cooperative (EC) "Our Energy". This study presents an in-depth empirical analysis of a community-based renewable energy cooperative. The study employed a case study methodology, including a SWOT analysis framework, to describe the research subject and identify its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Key findings indicate that members benefit from stable energy prices and full recovery of the energy produced, and the cooperative is at the forefront of energy-sharing practices that minimize costs through direct transactions with the local municipality. The strategic goals of the EC focus on expanding membership, increasing the number of photovoltaic installations, implementing energy balancing, combating energy poverty, and reducing emissions. Challenges such as financial constraints and a lack of real-time monitoring of energy distribution are acknowledged, and carbon footprint reduction innovations and stakeholder engagement are highlighted as forward-looking approaches. The study highlights the role of cooperatives as a model for community-led sustainable energy initiatives. However, the study acknowledges the limitations of its small sample size, suggesting the need for broader research to understand the impact of collaborative energy on decarbonization. Future research directions are proposed, focusing on the long-term sustainability and socioeconomic impacts of energy cooperatives. This study contributes to the scholarly discourse on renewable energy cooperatives by offering insight into their potential to bridge the gap between energy producers and consumers and support sustainable community development. The main novelty of this paper lies in its detailed examination of a specific renewable energy cooperative, incorporating SWOT analysis, stakeholder perspectives, quantitative assessments, and a forward-thinking approach. This multifaceted analysis contributes to the existing literature on renewable energy initiatives, providing a valuable reference for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The green transition is a challenge for the Polish economy and energy sector. In this paper, the expert method of analysis was applied and findings revealed that the challenges and prerequisites for an effective transformation of the power sector mainly include technical, technological and organizational issues of energy production and use. The provision of electricity at competitive prices and with a low carbon footprint, for individual consumers and industry, is a prerequisite for maintaining the well-being of the population and ensuring the competitiveness of domestically produced goods. The ambitious climate policy goals of the European Union require immediate action and call for radical changes in the Polish energy sector; in the coming years, it must drastically reduce the amount of energy produced from fossil fuels and replace it with so-called green energy from renewable sources. The main purpose of this article was to highlight the need to modify Poland's energy policy until 2040 in order to make it more consistent with the ambitious climate goals of the European Union. This article also shows that Poland's energy transition must include a shift from fossil fuels to renewables, while ensuring that energy security is stabilized by the current energy and generation resources. To this end, we discuss the issues of creating reserves in the national energy system for the entire period of Poland's energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy sources are an alternative to traditional sources and are based on inexhaustible and environmentally friendly supply. Various controversies have been stirred up by the development of energy production from renewable sources, e.g., due to the high cost of these investments or carbon footprint at the production stage of renewable installations, or later in the disposal process. However, they seem to be gradually offset by the numerous benefits that outweigh the initial costs of their support. Therefore, it is not surprising that European Union (EU) countries are at the forefront of the transition to a low-emission economy. This is evidenced, e.g., by a 22% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in Member States, with gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 58% between 1990 and 2017. Nevertheless, the use of renewable energy sources such as sun, wind, water, etc. is much more expensive than burning fossil fuels. This argument of high investment costs can be decisive in decisions of both public debates and individual households. Therefore, education on renewable energy sources is needed to facilitate the process of transition to a zero-emission economy in the European Union countries. This education should, above all, be addressed to young people, who will be making these decisions in the future. Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 will largely depend on the knowledge and awareness of young people. The aim of the paper is to diagnose the perception of the transition to a zero-carbon economy in the opinion of Polish schoolchildren. We put a particular emphasis on renewable energy sources as a key element shaping the security of the state in terms of sustainable ecology and friendly social development. We achieved the aim of the study through a research process with use of theoretical and empirical research methods. We analysed the literature on the subject and the current legal acts in the field of renewable energy sources. We also conducted a survey of high school students in Poland. The analysis of the research results allowed us to formulate recommendations on the possibility of shaping state security in the field of sustainable ecology and friendly social development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the carbon footprint, energy demand and life cycle costs of a model of a building located in the Central Europe climate zone. One specific example—the quantitative differences in global warming potential, life cycle costs and thermal comfort—has been shown, depending on the different construction (wood, brick) and heat sources used; traditional and energy-saving solutions have been considered. The research was carried out using the EnergyPlus simulation program for a multi-zone model of a naturally ventilated single-family house. Calculations were made for a 25-year life cycle using the standard climate data for Warsaw (Poland). The real occupancy schedule of the individual rooms was adopted and the instantaneous ventilation airflow was modeled, and its intensification due to the additional opening of windows was optimized. An estimated budget of the entire structure of the building and the heat sources was used for the cost analysis. The research has succeeded in developing some general conclusions and guidelines and recommendations for both the investors and designers of energy-saving and environmentally friendly houses. Considering the most economical an ecological solution, wooden houses are better than brick houses. In the wooden building, however, there are a larger number of thermal discomfort hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]