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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]

The integration of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) into energy systems requires a meticulous assessment of various factors, spanning renewable energy potential, legal frameworks, technical considerations, community engagement, and consumer preferences. This article synthesizes a multifaceted discussion on the subject, focusing on the need for comprehensive analyses before deciding to implement SMRs. Drawing insights from geographic information systems (GIS) and lessons from renewable energy development in Poland, this paper underscores the significance of aligning energy strategies with local needs, emphasizing stakeholder participation. This study examines the factors influencing location attractiveness for various energy technologies, including small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), wind, solar, and hydroelectric power plants, within Poland. Employing 17 indicators sourced from Statistics Poland and URE, coupled with the application of the k-means algorithm, we outline four distinct clusters that delineate the zones of location attractiveness for SMRs and other renewable energy sources. While large and medium-sized cities exhibit optimal location attractiveness, coastal counties in northern Poland emerge as more suitable for renewable energy sources than for SMRs. The study outlines four distinct energy development strategies based on typologies of regions, each tailored to maximize the utility of available resources and minimize environmental impact. The strategies encompass renewable energy utilization, energy efficiency enhancement, energy diversification, and adaptation through innovation. Emphasizing the interplay between renewable energy potential, energy demand, and local conditions, the research suggests the strategic deployment of SMRs as part of an energy mix in areas where renewable energy resources are limited. By leveraging SMRs' continuous energy production, these reactors can complement intermittent renewables, bolstering energy security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although European energy policy supports the reduction of energy consumption, the current economic and political situation in Poland and uncertainty related to the origin of energy sources do not support it. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to identify and assess the factors that affect the energy-saving behaviour of Polish consumers in the process of energy consumption. The research problem concerns the specificity of behaviours that are part of new trends in consumption, such as greening and the ethical dimension of consumption. The research question arises as to what the social responsibility of consumers is in the process of energy consumption. The research problem comes down to the question of factors that determine the behaviour of an individual consumer in the energy market. In order to realise the indicated purpose of the article, a conceptual research model was built and direct research was conducted using the research method, which was an online survey (CAWI). The research was run among 1422 individual consumers. After verifying 14 research hypotheses, it can be concluded that energy-saving behaviour is influenced in similar ways by a set of factors. In the paper there are findings which show that the generally understood energy-saving behaviour (Y1—at home and Y2—off-site) is influenced by the following factors: X1—energy-saving knowledge, X3—green consumer values, X5—social influence, X6—beliefs, and X7—consumer awareness. The specific mechanism of influence of each of the dominant factors is that the higher the intensity of these factors in consumer behaviour, the more actions are taken to save energy inside or outside the home. However, X2—energy-saving cost perception and X4—materialism presents this influence mechanism only for Y1—energy-saving behaviour at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy crisis in Europe in 2022 and its consequences have brought changes to approaches towards the issue of energy security, energy policy, and the ability to react to crisis phenomena in the energy market in a short period of time. European countries that are dependent on Russian fossil fuels have faced numerous dilemmas and challenges in 2022. This paper aims to analyse the instruments and energy policies introduced as the reactions of European countries, specifically with the examples of Poland and Germany, to the ongoing fossil fuel crisis in the context of a short period. Due to the specificity of the energy market, the countries' energy policies mainly concern long- and medium-term goals. In 2022, there was an unprecedented situation in which many European countries had to make significant changes to their fossil fuel imports quickly. We analyse and evaluate how two European countries that are heavily reliant on imported energy resources responded in a short time to the necessity of modifying their patterns of fossil fuel supply and demand. The results of our research are models that illustrate both countries' reactions to the disturbances in the energy market during the initial months of the energy crisis. As part of the research, we conducted an analysis of the energy mix of Poland and Germany, their import energy dependency, and self-sufficiency. We then compared them with the short-term energy policies of both countries. As a result, we elaborate on a comparative analysis of the models of Poland's and Germany's responses to the crisis. The research also assesses the similarities and differences in the response models in Poland's and Germany's short-term energy security policies. The results of our research may help, in the future, to choose the available short-term instruments in the energy policy of countries in the face of a sudden need resulting from disruptions in supply chains. The article contributes to the future discussion on renewed national and regional energy security, as well as efficiency concepts. Our research findings could be valuable in selecting appropriate short-term energy policy tools for countries during supply chain disruptions. This article provides significant input for future deliberations on enhancing national and regional energy security, and also efficiency strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving energy efficiency includes a number of measures implemented as part of the greening of the energy industry, which in turn is a prerequisite for the creation of a sustainable energy industry to ensure energy and environmental security for the world. Despite the adoption of the EU directives on energy efficiency, there is still insufficient public awareness in this area in Poland and Slovakia. This is particularly surprising because improving energy efficiency not only brings national and global benefits, but also has a significant impact on the well-being of individuals and households. The main purpose of the paper is to analyze the national policies of Poland and Slovakia, which are based on the European Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency, and which introduce new measures aimed not only at increasing energy efficiency, but also at increasing the well-being of households and individuals. Methods of desk research and content analysis were used. The current situation in both countries is illustrated by case studies that document the administrative process (Slovakia) and the calculation of energy savings (Poland) when using renewable energy sources in the case of family houses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the application of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) for evaluating what technologies using renewable energy sources (RES) for electricity production have the chance to develop in Poland under the current socio-economic conditions. First, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was used to determine the weights of the optimization criteria. Five main criteria and 30 sub-criteria were identified. Next, the authors modified numerical taxonomy (NT) to rank eight RES technologies (such as onshore and offshore wind farms, photovoltaics, or biogas plants). The results show that offshore wind farms are the RES technology with the greatest development opportunities in Poland. The following three technologies: distributed photovoltaic energy, biogas plants, and biomass power plants, respectively, received a similar rating in the ranking. Hydropower and geothermal were the lowest-ranked technologies. The ranking, which is the result of multi-criteria analysis, in several respects, is significantly different from the directions of activities indicated in the state energy policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is taking place on a global scale and it is substantially affected by human activity, including increasing greenhouse gas emissions. One of the thematic objectives of EU's new financial objective is a more environmentally friendly low-emission Europe that promotes clean and fair energy transformation, green investments, and a circular economy, among others. The Polish economy is mainly based on energy production from conventional sources (fossil fuels). Considering that the demand for electricity in Poland is predicted to increase by as much as 50% until 2040, it is necessary to take action aimed at increasing the share of renewable energy sources. The subject of analysis is the Opolskie Voivodeship (a NUTS 2 type region), the capital of which features the biggest Polish coal power plant. In 2014–2019, it was expanded by two units with 1800 MW in total capacity, thereby indicating that investments in energy obtained from conventional sources are still implemented and to a large extent at that (the expansion has been the biggest infrastructural investment in Poland since 1989). The Opolskie region is characterised by substantial excess in acceptable environmental burden (dust pollution, among others). The aim of the paper is to evaluate the key environmental conditions for the Opolskie region's development in terms of the assumptions of the domestic and EU energy policies. The Opolskie region's developmental challenges in the environmental area were determined on the basis of selected indicator estimations up to 2030. The research hypothesis assumes that the environmental conditions for the Opolskie region's development are unfavourable. The methodological part features an analysis of the cause and effect dependencies in the "environment" area, which enabled an assessment of the Opolskie Voivodeship's current situation as well as an analysis of the dependencies relevant to the region's development. This was followed by an estimation of selected indicators in the "environment" area until 2030, which allowed for an assessment of their probable levels and thereby a specification of the region's development conditions. The estimation was conducted using the data available in public statistics, i.e., Statistics Poland's data. The indicators estimated for 2030 were presented using three forecasting methods: (a) the monotonic trend, (b) the yearly average change rate, and (c) the logarithmic trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a survey concerning energy literacy conducted among a group of 913 students at the Cracow University of Economics in Poland—a country whose power system is still primarily based on burning coal and where the prospects of the closure of the mining sector present particularly difficult challenges. The aim of the study was to investigate specific aspects of energy literacy such as knowledge, behaviour, attitudes, and self-efficacy, and to determine what affects them using multivariate linear regression analysis. According to the findings, the primary factors determining energy literacy are gender, going away from home to study, and the experience of energy poverty. Self-efficacy, attitude, and the pro-ecological elements of both attitude and knowledge are the factors that have the most impact on students' behaviour. The absence of a statistically significant impact of general knowledge on behaviour is a critical presumption for developing the premises of an effective pro-environment energy strategy. Based on the data, we present a number of policy proposals, including informational activity as well as ways of influencing the emotional and behavioural domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important climate change mitigation strategies is to exploit the potential of individual behavioral changes in order to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the insights of behavioral economics are proving helpful in this regard. This contributes to improving traditional instruments, developing new ones related to choice architecture (nudges), and combining them within behavioral decarbonization intervention strategies. It is important, in terms of their effectiveness and efficiency, whether the instruments of such interventions are supported by citizens. This paper presents the results of a survey of Polish respondents' (n = 1064) reactions to hypothetical nudges regarding the choice of a "green energy" supplier. The main research questions of the study are: how much civic support do these behavioral intervention tools have, and what is the importance of selected factors for their acceptance? The aim of the study is to present nudges as one of the strategies of pro-environmental behavioral change and to analyze selected factors of acceptance of these instruments by the Polish society. There are two main conclusions of the research: (1) Poles' support for the green nudges analyzed is comparatively high, like in other European countries; (2) statistically significant differences in support for one of them are age and individual political party preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses one of the contemporary economy's most challenging endeavors: the energy transition. Specifically, the aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of Poland's energy transition process between 2004 and 2021. A comprehensive approach is employed to analyze Poland's energy transition process, focusing on the effectiveness of implementation through the Energy Transition Effectiveness Index. This methodology incorporates four dimensions, namely energy security, economic considerations, climate impact, and social aspects, each characterized by 22 sub-indices. The research methodology employs a two-tiered approach based on the multi-criteria decision making methodology. The EDAS method is utilized to determine the indices' values, while the CRITIC, equal weights, and statistical variance methods and Laplace's criterion are employed to ascertain sub-indices values and dimension weights, particularly useful for decision making under uncertainty. Moreover, the relationship between these indices, the Energy Transition Effectiveness Index, and Poland's Gross Domestic Product is explored. By evaluating Poland's energy transition effectiveness from 2004 to 2021 and comparing the results with other European Union countries, it becomes evident that the effectiveness varies over time. Despite encountering economic and social challenges during the energy sector's transformation, Poland exhibits positive progress in its energy transition efforts, outperforming certain European Union counterparts. However, there is a pressing need to intensify efforts to curtail emissions and enhance renewable energy utilization. The European Union's support and coordination are deemed crucial in facilitating these endeavors, alongside fostering the wider adoption of best practices among member states. The developed methodology stands as a valuable tool for ongoing evaluation of transformation processes across European Union nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The material developed focuses on the analysis of energy efficiency trends in Poland, utilising ODEX indicators for the sectors of industry, transport, households and in general, from 2011 to 2021. The objective of the study is to assess the progress made in energy efficiency and to forecast future trends in these sectors. The methods employed are based on statistical modelling of time series, taking into account sector-specific energy consumption dynamics. The following techniques were employed: linear regression, cluster analysis to identify patterns of change, statistical hypothesis testing for energy efficiency and simplified autoregressive models. The results demonstrated significant improvements in energy efficiency in the industrial sector, stability of the ODEX indicator in the transport sector and gradual improvements in households and overall. The prediction indicates an upward trend in the ODEX indicator in the short term, suggesting an increase in energy demand. However, it also predicts a decline in the long term, which may indicate the effectiveness of future energy efficiency strategies and investments. Consequently, the necessity for continued efforts to increase energy efficiency and further research into the factors influencing energy efficiency in different economic sectors is emphasised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy transformation in Poland, including the need to accelerate the shift away from hard coal and lignite in the power system, has been taking place in the face of the energy crisis. Ambitious climate and economic goals force the development of renewable energy sources, but they require legislative changes for the benefit of socially vulnerable consumers. This is important from the point of view of counteracting energy poverty. Energy transformation is not only a change in the fuel used, but most of all, the path and basis of low-carbon development that changes many socio-economic systems. The aim of this study is to link the development and environmental challenges in the studied subject matter with social challenges. The analyses show that it is necessary to strengthen the use of local energy potential and resources, and to activate local communities. The construction of nuclear power plants is also crucial. The results of the presented theoretical and empirical studies can be the basis for a revision of the energy policy in Poland in the area of the social dimension of the energy sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of global challenges related to climate change and sustainable development, comparing attitudes and infrastructure in the field of electromobility and renewable energy sources in different countries becomes crucial. The question of differences and similarities between Poland and Germany in these areas sheds light on the unique challenges and opportunities that the two countries present to each other. The aim of the study is to understand these dynamics, which can contribute to the shaping of more effective policies and strategies for green energy and sustainable mobility. This study was conducted through a review of Polish and foreign literature, the use of the method of tabular comparisons, and the analysis of a questionnaire that was used. These complex methods combined both quantitative and qualitative analysis, which allowed for an in-depth understanding and comparison of attitudes and infrastructure related to electromobility and renewable energy sources in Poland and Germany. The study revealed significant differences and similarities between Poland and Germany in terms of electromobility and renewable energy sources. Germany shows a higher level of urbanization, a higher share of electric car ownership, and better charging infrastructure, while in Poland there is a strong belief in the key role of renewable energy sources. These findings may have implications for future green energy initiatives and policies in both countries. The study presents a complex picture of electromobility and renewable energy sources in Poland and Germany, showing clear differences in awareness, infrastructure, and attitudes. Germany seems to be more advanced in these areas, while Poland shows a strong commitment to renewable energy sources. These conclusions do not exaggerate the differences, but underline the need for a case-by-case approach to green energy strategies in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present the state of development of renewable energy sources (RES) in Poland in accordance with the obligations of European Union energy policy. The EU Member States are obliged to adopt different support mechanisms for the development of renewable energy sources, and in consequence to achieve their Directive's targets. Poland, being a Member State of the EU since 2004, has accepted a target of a 15% share of energy generated from renewable energy sources in final energy consumption, including 19.3% from renewable electricity until 2020. Due to the difficulties with target achievement, the authors found it reasonable to analyze the challenge of RES development in Poland. The article presents energy policy in the EU, as well as the review of measures implemented for renewable energy development. The current state of and perspectives on using renewable energy sources in Poland and in the EU are also depicted. In the article, the authors analyze the relation between reference prices at dedicated RES auctions in Poland and the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). The paper also provides a description of the renewable energy sources' development in three areas: electricity, heat and transport biofuels. Its main content, though, refers to the generation of electricity from renewable energy sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poland is the most coal-dependent economy and one of the biggest polluters in the EU. In order to alleviate this problem, meet CO2 emission requirements set by EU, and improve the country's energy security, Poland decided to introduce nuclear power to its energy mix. So far, several potential locations for nuclear power plants have been officially proposed, mainly based on technical parameters, but no comparisons of the economic impact of such locations have been considered. Consequently, the main goal of this paper is to compare the national and regional economic effects of investments in nuclear power plants—for both the construction and exploitation phases—in the four most probable locations, which are similarly beneficial from a technical point of view. In order to simulate these effects, the spatial recursive dynamic Computable General Equilibrium model was calibrated until 2050 including agglomeration effects and featuring the regional economies of all Polish regions. The results show that although the construction phase is beneficial for economic development in all four regions, the exploitation phase is good for only one. The economies of the other regions suffer, to a greater or lesser extent, from the Dutch disease. The paper argues that the regional economic effects of such an investment differ significantly, due to differences in the regions' economic structures; hence, they should always be taken into account in the final decisions on the power plants' locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess urban policies from the point of view of their impact on energy efficiency as a factor enhancing local competitiveness in Poland. To achieve this objective, we carried out an original study. The first step was to conduct a literature review. Next, an attempt was made to present the prevailing state of knowledge regarding the management of the competitiveness of cities and regions, as well as the functioning of energy efficiency in the economy. The development strategies of 18 selected cities serving as provincial capitals or playing other administrative roles at the regional level were also analysed. Importantly, the impact envisaged for municipal authorities to improve energy efficiency largely focuses on investments in the modernisation of public transport infrastructure and renewable energy sources. These investments certainly yield substantial cost savings, which are presented in the article. Nevertheless, it is essential to bear in mind that these are not the sole advantages of increased energy efficiency of local socio-economic systems. The investments also have the potential to enhance the perception of cities, increase the value of municipal real estate, and improve the health of urban residents by reducing emissions into the atmosphere. Still, a clearly discernible link between these arguments and a positive impact of cities' energy savings on their competitive standing and competitive edge is absent from the analysed city development strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the land use conflict. Coal exploitation precludes agricultural production and, as a result, mining-energy projects come across NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) opposition from the farming community. An investigation was carried out in two rural communes: Krobia and Miejska Górka in the Wielkopolska Region in Poland. The aim was to obtain an answer to the following questions: (1) if acting in the name of energy security, should we accept the state government interest and start exploitation of the lignite resource? (2) If acting in the name of landowners' rights, should we accept the local community interest and maintain the current farming production? and (3) is it possible to reconcile the interests of the conflict beneficiaries? The following qualitative methods were used: keyword and content analysis of word data, such as scientific papers, legal documents, and parliamentary questions (PQs), while the discourse analysis was focused on the policy and procedural conflicts. In the results section, possible solutions for heading off the conflict are presented. The results contribute to an integrated understanding of conflicts over mining and farming land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses opportunities and threats for the Polish power industry resulting from the EU climate and energy policy. The main assumptions of the policy and directives resulting from it with regard to climate protection and the use of renewable energy sources (RES) in the production of electricity and heat are presented. The negative effects (threats) for Poland in meeting the EU requirements are discussed. The paper also discusses the opportunities for Polish coal, proposing solutions to meet EU directives and to maintain energy security without having to give up Polish coal. Reference is made as well to the plans to liquidate the Polish mining industry, indicating solutions opposing such actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of the Green Deal in 2019 by the European Commission poses a significant challenge for EU member states whose power generation is based primarily on fossil fuels. In Poland, nearly 80% of the electricity is produced from fossil fuels. This paper presents an analysis of the risks related to the delays in the accomplishment of investment programs in the Polish power industry. Three scenarios were prepared for balancing the deficiency of about 3 GW of power and 20 TWh of electricity in the national power grid in the years 2031–2040, which may emerge as a result of the delayed accomplishment of investment programs, particularly in nuclear energy. The first scenario presents a variant entailing the rapid phasing out of coal and the replacement of the decommissioned power units with new gas-powered units, where the missing power volume would be partially balanced by import, and partially through gas-based production in the new power units. The second scenario assumes that the missing power would be balanced by retaining the existing, older coal-powered units, whereas the required electricity would be compensated by import. The third scenario involves the production of the missing volume of electricity using coal with CO2 capture in existing or new coal-powered units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to identify the determinants of the decarbonisation processes in Poland within the scope of energy transformation. The purpose of the study is to identify how the public perceives decarbonisation determinants in order to develop a sustainable energy strategy for Poland. The transition of the energy market to low-carbon technology is a policy challenge. Governments must implement policies that are environmentally friendly, cost-effective, but, most of all, socially acceptable. Social acceptance risk plays a significant role in Poland, influencing the decarbonisation process. In Poland's case, the coal share is decreasing, but it is still the most important fuel for electricity production. This process of decarbonisation is a fundamental influence on the transformation of the energy sector in Poland. The social perception of solutions that can be applied was examined. The Polish natural environment is poisoned. Poles suffer from diseases related to the burning of coal for energy production. Societal awareness, how people perceive the government's actions, and what they expect in this regard is crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research is to create a theoretical framework for a local energy innovation system based on renewable energy sources. For this purpose, four types of clusters were outlined based on energy-generation capacity and socio-economic factors such as "local wealth", "relational capital", "scientific and research capital" and "energy demand". This classification revealed areas of Poland that have diverse features in terms of energy-generation capacity and innovation abilities. For each type of area, energy potentials combined with innovation abilities were established. To understand how areas with insufficient energy and innovation capacities could be supported in their development of local energy sovereignty, the concept of the regional innovation system has been adjusted. The results of the research can serve as an aid in the development of national and regional energy policies focused on the specificity and capacity of energy generation and innovation of each area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition of the energy system in Poland has a long time horizon and demands a substantial investment effort supported by proper economic evaluation. It requires a precise Social Discount Rate (SDR) estimation as discounting makes the present value of long-term effects extremely sensitive to the discount rate level. However, Polish policymakers have little information on SDR: the predominant practice applies a priori fixed 5% discount rate, while studies devoted only to Poland are quite rare. To eliminate this research gap, our paper aims at estimating SDR for Poland, applicable in energy transition policies. We derive SDR for three datasets varying in length, twofold: using market rates via Consumption Rate of Interest (CRI) and Social Opportunity Cost (SOC) of capital, and prescriptive Ramsey and Gollier approaches based on Social Welfare Function (SWF). The results indicate that the rates based on CRI and SOC deviate substantially with changing data timeframes and market conditions, while prescriptive methods show much higher time stability. Due to long-term planning horizons for energy policies, we argue for adopting, as SDR in Poland, the longest dataset's Ramsey-based rate of 4.72% which can be reduced to 4.39% by Gollier's precautionary term (reflecting the uncertainty over future consumption growth), which are our main findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the energy consumption of production in selected branches of the food industry in Poland and to identify its changes after Poland's accession to the EU. This issue is particularly important in the period of energy transformation and soaring energy prices. The novelty of this article is the determination of changes in the energy efficiency of various branches of the food industry. The main source of data was mass statistics data and unpublished data from the Central Statistical Office for 2004–2020. Descriptive statistics, comparative analysis, and strategic group mapping were used in the data analysis. The research shows that the production of foodstuffs is one of the most energy-intensive processing sectors. This results, among others, from many active enterprises in this sector and a large variety of industries. Individual food-processing industries are characterized by large differences in the energy consumption of production, which determines the different levels of electricity costs and affects the competitiveness of enterprises. In 2004–2019, the average electricity consumption in the food industry in Poland decreased by 31.5%. A greater increase in the value of sold production compensated for the higher energy consumption. This indicates an improvement in production efficiency and contributes to greater environmental protection. In the food sector, simple comparative advantages disappear in the form of lower production costs. This situation encourages processing companies to look for energy savings. The research results can be useful not only in Poland but also in other countries in shaping economic policy. The energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine may require different actions to be taken against various sectors of the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to answer the question of whether it is economically justified to use natural gas as an interim fuel on the way to creating a low-emission energy sector from the perspective of Poland in comparison to other countries in the European Community. Despite the existence of numerous scientific studies concerning natural gas as a 'bridge' fuel, there is a lack of precise references to the situation of Poland in this respect, especially considering its specific situation in the historical development of energy, as well as the ongoing energy crisis caused by the Russia–Ukraine war. The study suggests that from Poland's point of view, given the changes in natural gas prices resulting from a series of events of an international nature, gas investments are not economically justified in the economic climate (NPV of −891 million EUR) at present and will not be justified in the event of their anticipated changes (NPV of −691 million EUR), having its justification only in the presence of unlikely global changes (NPV of 2.37 billion EUR). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition to a climate-neutral economy presents a particular challenge for the areas where the economy is based on rich lignite resources. One of them is the Bełchatów Basin Area in Poland. The complexity of the phenomena occurring in the area of transformation requires an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to development planning and managing. It is important to create stable conditions, allowing for the introduction of necessary changes, including the involvement of various stakeholders. The research is aimed at identifying the challenges faced by the region with a lignite-based economy, the inhibitors of the transformation process, and recommendations for public policy. During the research, secondary and primary data were analysed with the use of triangulation, which allowed to combine various techniques and sources, as well as an in-depth description and multi-faceted understanding of the case under study. The study poses a key question as to whether the public authority is capable of implementing the energy transition that would protect the global public interest. The conducted research showed deficiencies negatively affecting its implementation. There are barriers affecting cooperation in the public sphere and with other stakeholders. An analysis of the limitations in cooperation showed the dysfunction of energy policy implementation at the regional level. Vertical and horizontal actions between different stakeholders of the transformation are necessary to identify seed industries representing a transformational opportunity in the Bełchatów Basin. Renewable energy sources may play a key role in this process. Their share in electricity production should be increased. A clear and precise vision of the development of this territory, as well as a stable and diversified system of financing are important elements of change. The article draws attention to the lack of a transformation leader. Identifying an actor responsible for the protection of the global public interest is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The achievement of carbon neutrality requires a deep transformation of the Polish power sector. This paper analyses the impact of increased electricity generation from wind and solar technologies envisaged in the newest version of the Energy Policy of Poland until 2040 on the operation of dispatchable generators in 2030. The analysis was carried out using the Model of Economic Dispatch and Unit commitment for System Analysis (MEDUSA) model, which solves a mixed integer problem related to unit commitment and economic dispatch in electrical power production. At first, the model was validated based on the real operation data from 2018. Next, five scenarios were built to analyse the operation of the system in 2030. The overall result of the study is that the safest solution from the point of view of power system stability is to extend the decommissioning of coal units of 200 and 300 MW classes, to invest in renewable energy sources (RES) according to the energy policy, to build new gas power plants with the total capacity of ca. 4 GW, and to enforce Demand Side Management (DSM) programs for shifting the electrical load. The proposed framework for the optimization of power system planning helps to avoid wrong investment decisions that would have a negative impact on energy prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the planning of wind energy development in the West Pomeranian Region after the introduction of the Act "On investments in wind farms" as of 20 May 2016. The purpose of the article is to provide the forecast of the region's wind energy development in 2019–2030 by taking into account current legal regulations in Poland. The article proposes an original, optimizing multi-criteria wind energy development model for the studied region, exploring various types of technologies that may appear in the system, taking into account recent legal and political changes in the field of renewable energy regulation in Poland. The results of the optimization model show that the currently passed Act "On investments in wind farms" in Poland actually stopped the development of wind energy in the region. On the other hand, in accordance with the objectives of the adopted draft of the Polish energy policy until 2040, it is expected that the share of renewable energy in electricity production will increase in 2030 in the studied region. Therefore, the paper argues that policy changes are necessary to meet the renewable energy goals of Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electricity production in Poland is stable and ranges from 160–170 TWH a year. The share of renewable energy sources (RES) is increasing. Poland increased its share from 6.9% in 2010 to 12.7% in 2019 and 16.1% in 2020. The share of hard and brown coal decreased in Poland from 87.8% in 2010 to 73.5% in 2019. Wind energy (9.2%) and natural gas (9.2%) are the most important sources of RES in electricity production. The purpose of this research is to discover the changes in renewable energy production, and the impact on electricity production in Poland. Our research showed the extent of development of RES in Poland and other countries of the European Union. The share of renewable energy sources in electricity production increased as the effect of energy policy of the European Union. We also evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the renewable energy market and electricity production in Poland, and other countries of the European Union. Because of the shortage of data, we presented changes at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in 2019–2020. First, we described the sustainable development and energy policy of the European Union. Then, we described and used methods, including regression analysis, as the most important method. We also found that the power capacity in Poland increased, with the increases coming from solar radiation (11,984%), wind energy (437.8%) and biomass installations (324.7%) in 2010–2020. The biggest electricity producers in the EU are France and Germany. These countries also use nuclear energy, which helps to meet the increasing demand. To check the impact of power installed from renewable energy carriers we conducted a regression analysis. This method provided a correlation between electricity production from renewable energy sources and investments in renewable energy carriers. We wanted to discover the impact of RES installations, and their impact on electricity production in Poland. The statistical analysis was based on data from 2010–2020. Our research points out that the most important factors shaping electricity production were installations using energy from solar radiation and hydropower installations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current EU energy policy aims to diversify energy sources to ensure energy security while decarbonising the economy and promoting low carbon and clean energy technologies. These tasks are carried out under the European Green Deal Program. Therefore, the overriding goal at present is to search for new sources of energy, including energy recovery from waste. In EU countries, the legal system for waste management is adapted to the circular economy. In Poland, due to the legal possibility of temporary storage and disposal of waste, a substantial volume of industrial waste is temporarily stored and landfilled (above 40%), compared to the importance of waste subjected to treatment. Moreover, energy recovery from waste accounts for a negligible share (below 5%). It may be due to the high costs of these processes, stringent emissions and environmental quality standards. Therefore, as in certain EU countries, the problem of landfill site arson attacks has been exacerbated in Poland (177 fires in 2019). The aim of this article is to determine the relationship between the application of the existing regulations concerning closed-loop waste management and the effectiveness of methods, ways and economic instruments preventing the illegal burning of landfill waste in Poland under the current EU energy policy. Therefore, it can be assumed that this system is not complete. Based on factor force analysis at a scale 1–5, it was found that technological (3.4), legal (3.16) and economic (3.0) factors have the greatest impact on this system. The waste management system should be oriented towards increased waste recovery and a more significant reduction in the volume of temporarily stored waste and landfill waste. It should be considered whether the current move away from the incineration of waste, according to the new EU energy policy, is a better solution in environmental and economic terms than incurring very high costs due to eliminating the effects of the incineration of landfill waste that causes environmental damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to present factors shaping biodiesel production in Poland influenced by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union (EU). The performance of Polish biodiesel producers was analyzed. A regression model was built to identify the factors that impacted biodiesel production in Poland. The Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) was the main source of information about Polish biodiesel farmers. The FADN is the most comprehensive and detailed source of economic and agricultural data in Poland. Changes in the number of biodiesel producers in the Polish market were analyzed with the use of indicators. In the last stage of the study, the impact of selected variables on the performance of rapeseed farms was determined in a regression analysis. The second source of information was Eurostat data, which provided information about pure biodiesel production in the European Union (EU) countries from 2004 to 2019. The biggest producers of pure biodiesel in the European Union are Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. Poland is also an important producer of biodiesel in the European Union (EU). Both descriptive statistics and statistical analyses are presented. First, we used descriptive statistics to present changes in pure biodiesel production in the European Union. Second, we used statistical analyses to present factors shaping the economic performance of biodiesel producers in Poland. The study demonstrated that the number of rapeseed producers in Poland has increased and that farm performance has improved during the period analyzed. Rapeseed farms have increased their land area and the value of fixed and current assets. The land area under rapeseed cultivation has increased after Poland joined the EU, which suggests a positive response to a growing demand for biofuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the strategic goals of developed countries is to significantly increase the share of renewable energy sources in electricity generation. However, the process may be hindered by, e.g., the storage and transport of energy from renewable sources. The European Union countries see the development of the hydrogen economy as an opportunity to overcome this barrier. Therefore, since 2020, the European Union has been implementing a hydrogen strategy that will increase the share of hydrogen in the European energy mix from the current 2 percent to up to 13–14 percent by 2050. In 2021, following the example of other European countries, the Polish government adopted the Polish Hydrogen Strategy until 2030 with an outlook until 2040 (PHS). However, the implementation of the strategy requires significant capital expenditure and infrastructure modernisation, which gives rise to question as to whether Poland is likely to achieve the goals set out in the Polish Hydrogen Strategy and European Green Deal. The subject of the research is an analysis of the sources of financing for the PHS against the background of solutions implemented by the EU countries and a SWOT/TOWS analysis on the hydrogen economy in Poland. The overall result of the SWOT/TOWS analysis shows the advantage of strengths and related opportunities. This allows for a positive assessment of the prospects for the hydrogen economy in Poland. Poland should continue its efforts to take advantage of the external factors (O/S), such as EU support, an increased price competitiveness of hydrogen, and the emergence of a competitive cross-border hydrogen market in Europe. At the same time, the Polish authorities should not forget about the weaknesses and threats that may inhibit the development of the domestic hydrogen market. It is necessary to modernise the infrastructure; increase the share of renewable energy sources in hydrogen production; increase R&D expenditure, and, in particular, to complete the negotiations related to the adoption of the Fit for 55 package. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject matter discussed in the article concerns the problem of the energy transformation of the European Union (EU) countries. In the case of the EU, the energy transformation has specific characteristics due to formal legal and institutional provisions. This means that the member states are obliged to implement the adopted Community Energy Strategy, which was defined under the European Green Deal. According to the EU policy, all member states are to have climate-neutral and zero-gas-emission economies by 2050. The energy transformation is to be largely based on the diversification of the energy sources used, with a dominance of renewable energy sources (RES). The article presents a research problem, where the question was asked whether achieving climate-neutral energy independence based solely on RES is possible at the regional level. It seems that the positive answer is an important argument in the discussion about the possibility of all member states achieving the goals set under the European Green Deal. Additionally, stating the possibility of energy independence from RES for a selected region is an important argument to promote just and bottom-up initiatives in order to carry out the energy transformation more effectively. The assessment of the energy potential from renewable sources at the regional level was carried out on the example of a selected NUTS 2 region, the Greater Poland Voivodeship in Poland. The main objective of the study is to analyze the possibility of obtaining independence from RES by the selected Greater Poland Voivodeship. The implementation of the objective consists of determining the energy potential from RES in the Voivodeship under study on the basis of the methods of a geographic information system (GIS). GIS methods were selected due to the fact that they allow for the spatial positioning of point, line, and surface structures in relation to the potential of RES, thus ensuring high accuracy of the obtained estimates. The analysis carried out in the study shows that the technical potential of RES in the Greater Poland Voivodeship is higher than the current electricity and heat usage. This means that by focusing solely on RES in the region, the Greater Poland Voivodeship can fully meet the energy demand thanks to its green resources. It should be emphasized that the Greater Poland Voivodeship is one of the coal-dependent regions in Poland that has already prepared a structured plan of just transformation. A locally and bottom-up prepared strategy assumes the conversion of the region from a "Coal Energy Region" into a "Green Energy Valley" in which economic development will be strictly connected to RES energy independence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of environmental regulations introduced by the European Union is of key importance for electricity generation systems. The Polish fuel structure of electricity production is based on solid fuels. Moreover, the generating base is outdated and must gradually be withdrawn from the power system. In this context, Poland's energy policy is undergoing a transformation as climate and environmental regulations are becoming increasingly stringent for the energy sector based on solid fuels (hard coal and lignite). However, the transformation process must be adapted to market demands, because the overriding goal is to ensure energy security by maintaining the continuity of energy supplies and an acceptable electricity price. This directly contributes to the development of the entire economy and the standard of living of the society, in accordance with the European Agreement establishing an association between the Republic of Poland and the European Communities and their Member States, signed on 16 December 1991, and the European Energy Charter, signed on 17 December 1991. Ensuring energy security is the most important goal of the energy policy. Therefore, energy companies must forecast the demand. The main goal of this article is to develop a mathematical model of electricity consumption by 2040 by all sectors of the economy: industry, transport, residential, commercial and public services, agriculture, forestry, and fishing. In order to achieve the intended goal, a model was developed by using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) artificial neural networks, which belong to deep learning techniques and reflect long-term relationships in time series for a small set of statistical data. The results show that the proposed model can significantly improve the accuracy of forecasts (1–3% of mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) for the analyzed sectors of the economy). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the importance of activities for the protection of the environment is growing. This approach has a major impact on the current energy and mining policy in Poland. On the one hand, the energy policy has imposed several restrictions to which the Polish economy will have to adapt; on the other, however, it raises great social opposition from professional groups that will be at risk of changing or losing their jobs and income, which implies extensive restructuring processes. These processes involve the decarbonisation of the economy and include, among others: sustainable production and consumption, sustainable municipal management and high quality of life in the city, waste management, sustainable transport, and energy management. The aim of the article is to indicate the importance of investment outlays and costs incurred when purchasing alternative fuels that would replace hard coal in Poland. It is part of the process of adjusting to the requirements of the new energy policy adopted by Poland as an EU member. In order to ensure energy security by abandoning coal mining, disproportionately high investment outlays for such a transformation would have to be incurred, as well as significant resources that would have to be allocated in the future to the purchase of alternative fuels. The result of the scenario methods used is the proposition of the proprietary RCAES index, which is to facilitate the transition from fossil fuels to alternative fuels, which the authors will fill in the gap existing in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aimed to present the balance of outlays and the effects of restructuring Polish hard coal mining companies in the face of directions of the Energy Policy of Poland PEP 2040. The research problem is defined by the following question: have the goals of restructuring coal mining companies been achieved (and to what extent), and has the restructuring-related expenditure been economically rational? An answer to this question is based on the verification of five research hypotheses, in particular, have the incurred costs of restructuring contributed to changes to the energy mix (its desired time and degree), reducing related expenditure? The scope of research comprises all companies engaged in the extraction of solid mineral energy resources (the entire industry). An assessment of the restructuring process was conducted from two perspectives related to its time and scope. The first perspective was the restructuring programme as a sub-process of the economic transformation (1990–2020), and economic forecasts until the planned coal phase-out (2021–2049). The second perspective was an analysis of the mechanism that determines companies' performance after carrying out typical and direct restructuring activities (2007–2021). Two multivariate measures were developed for methodological purposes, and the analysis also made use of a logit prediction model and several financial analysis ratios. The analysis led to the general conclusion that the restructuring of hard coal mining companies was not effective—it did not ensure their independent and effective functioning. In particular, the analysis led to the following conclusions: (1) the restructuring process had different levels of intensity, which allowed for its periodization; (2) the main and increasingly important factor of changes was human labour productivity (as opposed to objectified labour—machines and equipment); (3) the identified mechanism of creating results pointed to the areas of inappropriate management; (4) the previous restructuring costs did not contribute to changing the energy mix, and they are likely to rise until coal phase-out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A harmful impact of climate change and global warming has concerned various sectors of the international community. Numerous energy policies aiming at climate change mitigation have been implemented on a national and global scale. Renewable energy technologies (RETs) play a critical role in enhancing sustainable solutions that significantly limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Such innovative technologies can facilitate energy transition through providing, e.g., energy security, sustainable development, and effective usage of indigenous resources. However, the commercialization of RETs is extremely challenging. The barriers can be of a different nature, although this study focused on socioeconomic and regulatory issues. There is ample evidence that energy policies play a central role in supporting adoption of renewables. It is also claimed that RETs require the whole ecosystem to support their successful diffusion. In this study, we explored multifarious barriers for widespread RET diffusion in two European Union countries, Finland and Poland, indicating the most common barriers existing in the literature as well as analyzing major bottlenecks from the viewpoint of renewable energy companies' executives. We also present statistics of the most commonly used RETs in these countries in order to express the diffusion issues more appropriately. The research shows that inflexible, ineffective, and excessive regulatory frameworks; limited financing options; as well as an insufficient level of societal awareness have been seen as the main bottlenecks for RET diffusion in both countries. The outcomes of this study provide useful insights for the researchers in the energy transition field as well as practical managerial and regulatory implications aimed at overcoming these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to energy, including electricity, determines countries' socio-economic development. The growing demand for electricity translates into environmental problems. Energy is therefore a crucial element of the European Union's sustainable development strategy. This article aims to present the changes taking place in the electricity market in Poland considering the goals of the energy policy until 2040. This is the basis for the determination of the scale of processes taking place in the Polish energy sector from two perspectives, i.e., the production of electricity considering its level and energy carriers used, and the consumption of electricity in households depending on their location (rural vs. urban areas). The research was conducted at the regional level (NUTS 2 until 2017) in Poland. Secondary data from the Central Statistical Office (GUS) contained in the Local Data Bank were used, along with information from the European Commission and Eurostat websites. Results of the study made it possible to identify areas in which a greater environmental load is observed due to increasing electricity consumption. The coefficient of localization and concentration (by Florence) and the rate of change were applied. These results indicate that, in Poland, it is now the rural areas that have a greater negative environmental impact than urban areas, resulting from differences in unit energy consumption. Compared to the other provinces, rural areas of Podlaskie province had the highest rate of growth in energy consumption in the years 2004–2019, with an annual average of almost 20%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing climate changes necessitate an effective climate policy. The energy transition is now an important topic and problem, especially in Poland. (1) The undertaken analysis of the problem of energy transition is important for political, social and technological reasons. Political, because it shows the weakness of the implementation of Polish energy policy in regards to climate change. Social, because energy transition will bring about significant social changes in the largest industrial region of Poland. Technological, as the departure from fossil fuels requires the introduction of other sources of energy on a massive scale, for which Poland is not prepared. The aim of the study was to critically analyse the activities to date in the field of energy transition in Poland. The second goal of the analysis was an attempt to answer the question of whether the process of energy transition and achieving the goals set in the EU's European Green Deal are possible at all until 2050. (2) To achieve the goals, the system method and the decision-making method were primarily used. These methods allowed for an examination of the main determinants of the Polish energy transformation. (3) The main results include the confirmation, contrary to the announcements of the Polish government, that despite the adoption in Poland of the strategy "Poland's energy policy until 2040", the effective implementation of the energy transition before 2050 is not only very difficult, but may even be impossible to implement in the assumed time. This is due to political, economic, social and technological conditions. Coal energy is outdated, expensive and ineffective. Due to natural conditions, wind energy is not able to meet the energy demand of the industry. The development of nuclear energy is only in the planning phase. (4) To sum up, in the next thirty years, Poland will not be able to achieve the assumed effects of the energy transition, which is in contradiction with the official declaration of the government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability and decarbonisation are buzzwords in today's economy. The fossil fuel sector has had a great impact on development of many countries and it is interesting how this sector is going to survive in the era of climate neutrality imposed by the European and national decarbonisation policies. PKN Orlen is one of the largest industrial corporations in Poland and Central Europe representing the energy and fossil fuel sector. The article sets out to identify the main areas of PKN Orlen's strategic plans resulting from the energy transition process in Poland. For this reason, the research question posed in this study is: to what extent and in what direction has Poland's energy policy influenced the new strategy of PKN Orlen? Poland's most recent energy policy was adopted in 2021, therefore an attempt to assess the impact of this policy on the strategy of a large player in the fossil fuel sector in such a short time horizon proves the originality of the study. The applied methodological approach, including case study, comparative analysis, and in-depth interview, was determined by the specific nature of the research problem and the fact that the analyzed sector and entity are strategic from the point of view of the country's economy, which imposes the confidentiality of some data related to the study and determines the possibility of making them public. As shown by the research, PEP2040 had an indirect impact on shaping the strategy of PKN Orlen, while the main source of knowledge about the current and future trends is the analysis, evaluation and synthesis of various sources of information, including those from consulting companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy sector in Poland is currently calling for dynamic redevelopment and cleaner energy. This country is world famous for its high level of coal production, from which it does not want to retreat in the next two decades. For this reason, it is safer to gradually reduce the use of coal while increasing the consumption of gas and simultaneously developing green energy. However, the Polish gas sector is still dependent on Russian gas supplied through the Yamal gas pipeline. Taking into consideration Polish geopolitics, this state of affairs poses a huge challenge and a threat to Poland's energy security. That is why the concept of the North-South Gas Corridor was introduced. It is intended to be a network of gas pipelines that connect the countries of Central and South Europe to two gas terminals (in Poland and Croatia), which will supply gas from a chosen source. This article presents the current condition of the gas sector in Poland. It focuses on the North-South Gas Corridor project and its impact on the energy security of Poland. An analysis of documents and field research shows that the North-South Gas Corridor provides Poland with an opportunity to diversify the sources and directions of gas supply over the next few years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing climate crisis forces the adoption of radical steps to neutralize our impact on the environment, despite the constantly growing demand for energy. Poland, which according to forecasts will not reach the EU target of 15% share of renewable energy sources by 2030, is nevertheless a leader in the EU in terms of the growth dynamics of the photovoltaic market. The aim of this article is to answer the question as to what caused such a huge interest in solar energy. In this article, the authors focus solely on residential installations. The dataset for the analysis was constructed on readily available national data on photovoltaics showing the key characteristics of the country and prosumers. According to this research, the prosumer's profile shows that home photovoltaics are most interesting for the poorest households in rural municipalities, in regions with the highest unemployment rate, and among citizens of pre-retirement age. The decision to invest in photovoltaics is also influenced by the availability of subsidies and the price level of energy bills. On the other hand, no impact was found on insolation and environmental pollution. The results of the study will allow for a more conscious shaping of energy policy at the EU, national and regional levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, Poland has been facing a process of intensive changes in the energy sector, motivated by the strengthening of the goals of the climate and energy policy at the European level. A key challenge for energy transition in Poland is to build an energy system that corresponds with social needs not only in terms of energy demand, but also environmental protection, with a strong role of local initiatives. The aim of this study is to present the expectations of the Poles regarding the optimal energy mix, especially representatives of local governments, and their awareness of the needs and expectations of their local communities. According to the authors, local governments are extremely important links, responsible for the development of the energy economy and energy security at the local level. The authors set themselves the task of verifying whether local authorities are prepared to create a substantive energy policy at the local level in accordance with the directions of the Polish energy policy and on the basis of local conditions, including the opinions of the inhabitants of a given region. The objective of this work was achieved by reviewing the available sources and the adopted survey method. A review of the literature, in particular in terms of the conducted research on the social acceptance in terms of energy policy, showed that there are no comprehensive surveys of the opinions of local government representatives. The results of study conducted by the authors showed that although the vast majority of respondents know the assumptions of the Polish energy policy until 2030, almost a quarter did not realize that the energy policy will be changed in the near future. At the same time, the vast majority of respondents believe that the Polish government should prepare a social campaign related to the energy policy. According to the authors, this proves the need to improve the awareness of this research group, which may bring benefits in the process of shaping the energy economy of the regions. The survey also showed preferences of the representatives of local governments for the optimal energy mix in Poland and their subjective assessment of the knowledge of public opinion in the region on the expected shape of the energy policy. From the findings, it can be concluded that more in-depth research is needed on the preparation of local governments to shape energy policy at the local level, including more detailed research on how opinions of the inhabitants of a given region and the specificity of a given region are taken into account while shaping local energy policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology is one of the advanced solutions that uses electric vehicles (EV) to balance electricity demand in the power system. It can be particularly useful in analyzing and then mitigating the risk of not delivering electricity to the end user. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the possibility of operation of this technology in the legal framework. The article presents the analysis of the legal status in Poland, referring to the documents of the European Union and domestic legislation. Potential changes in Polish energy law that could facilitate the implementation of V2G technology are also proposed. In addition, the authors suggested the principles for the use of this technology, formulating a mechanism called the V2G Program. Within this Program, the V2G Service was defined and a business model of its implementation by a participant of the V2G Program (uEV) was presented. In addition, an uEV selection algorithm is provided so that the mathematical model of the V2G Service can be validated. Based on the performed simulations, it can be concluded that the implementation of the V2G Program requires significant changes in the Polish energy law, but it is feasible from the technical point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an analysis of the future role of nuclear energy in Poland's path to a low-carbon energy transition. The arguments in favor of implementing nuclear power are to be found on three levels: energy security, economic competitiveness and energy efficiency, and lastly, limited environmental impact. In the process of creating this study, the methodology in the field of security sciences was used, including its interdisciplinary approach. Theoretical methods were used, e.g., critical analysis of scientific sources and comparison of statistical data and empirical methods, e.g., document analysis, comparative analysis. The article is based on an analysis of the literature on the subject, applicable legal acts, and government strategies in the field of energy security. The article contains the results of research no. BS.21.6.13 carried out by a research team from the Pomeranian Academy in Słupsk that allowed to indicate the probable directions of transformation of the energy sector in Poland in the next decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to present the changes in biomass production, especially pellets in Poland, in the context of world's and European Union's (EU) climate and energy policy, compared to other renewable energy sources. We also analyzed the law concerning the biomass production in the EU. Finally, we have elaborated the prognosis of the pellet production on the world scale. We have used different methods to achieve the goals, among which the most important are the Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (GARCH model) and prognosis. We also compared the results of pellet production in different countries in the European Union. The results were presented in tabular and graphic form. We have received the data from Eurostat and the Main Statistical Office (MSO) in Poland. Our research proves the increase of biomass and pellet production on the global scale. Moreover, global wood pellet production increased by 972% in the years 2005–2018. We can conclude that this increase was the result of increasing demand for renewable energy sources. The first research hypothesis assumed that the changes in the European Union Policy have impacted the increase of biomass production in the world. Our prognosis confirmed the second hypothesis that the development of pellets will increase as the result of increasing global demand. The use of more renewable energy sources is necessary to decrease the degradation of the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy issues are sensitive for the four Visegrad countries as European Union (EU) member states; thus, this area's convergence might be problematic for these countries. There is a clear research gap concerning the processes of Europeanization of the energy policy in the Visegrad countries. This article aims to identify and evaluate the progress of four Visegrad countries (V4) in implementing the EU energy goals in the context of the Europeanization. The article uses three main methods: Hellwig's method, Kendall's rank concordance coefficient, and k-means clustering. These calculations will allow one to study the Europeanization processes, which means checking the gamma convergence. For calculations, we use the available statistical data from Eurostat for the years 2005–2018. Poland and other Central European countries, including Czechia, and Hungary, largely depend on coal for their energy needs. The empirical results have shown that there have been no significant changes in the classification of EU countries in terms of their fulfillment of the EU climate and energy targets in the analyzed period. This is the case in all EU member states, including the Visegrad Group countries, but except for Poland. This means that the level of Europeanization of the energy policy and its effectiveness is similar in all member states except for Poland, which is becoming a kind of the exception. Throughout the investigating period, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia were close to meeting the set targets and could be rated high compared to the EU countries. Poland, especially since 2015, has been noticeably and increasingly distanced from the other V4 countries. It can be perceived as a gradual drift away from Europeanization of the EU climate and energy policy in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of severe air pollution and implementation of energy and climate policy, it remains a challenge to develop effective strategies addressing the problem of solid fuels use in single-family houses (SFH) in rural areas in Poland. This study investigated the correlations between thermal modernization of SFH, the changes of heat sources from coal to clean energy, including heat pumps driven by prosumers' photovoltaic (PV) installation, and the disposable income of households in Polish rural areas. It also provided an analysis of the current support mechanisms promoting energy efficiency and PV development. The application of simulation modelling of energy consumption and costs in the research has proved that comprehensive thermal modernization of rural SFH constructed in the period of 1945–1970 and investments supporting PV/heat pump systems would enable the most cost-effective way of heating to be implemented. Considering that, today, spending on energy for heat puts a burden on the budget of rural households, especially those living in the SFH aged 50 years and more that dominate rural areas in Poland, the changes in energy supply–demand patterns would be an enhancement of their economic, energy and environmental security. The research argued that, in the wider process of energy transformation and solving air pollution problems, the role of rural households should not be neglected in public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing demand for energy on a global scale, as well as the social pressure related to counteracting the effects of climate change, has created favourable conditions for the transformation of energy sectors towards the possession of low-emission generation sources. This situation, however, requires investment actions in order to modernise the existing power and CHP (Combined Heat and Power) plants and construct new units. These issues, together with the climate and energy policy pursued by the European Union, are the main reasons for the emergence of various governmental mechanisms supporting the replacement of old coal power units with highly efficient cogeneration units based on gas turbines and other units. The support may take different forms. This article discusses two examples of mechanisms available on the Polish market, i.e., (i) the capacity market and (ii) promoting electricity from high-efficiency cogeneration in the form of individual cogeneration premium. The purpose and novelty of the analysis was to identify the pros and cons and the key parameters which determine the advantage of a given mechanism. Both these mechanisms have been characterised and then compared via the example of a planned cogeneration gas unit (an open cycle gas turbine—OCGT). This assessment was made using discount methods based on the FCFF (free cashflow to company) approach. The analysis did not bring forward an unequivocal answer as to the absolute advantage of any of the solutions, but it was able to point out significant problems related to their practical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decarbonisation goal stated in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) regarding the building sector will be achieved only if the whole building life-cycle is considered. To fulfil this requirement, a benchmark based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) must be integrated into the early planning phase of buildings by designers. The estimation of such indicators requires the development of a database of building assessments. In this study, an LCA of 11 office buildings in Poland was used to set average values that can be used as a benchmark. The LCA methodology based on the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) certification was used. The analysis did not concentrate on one type of office building. The main objective was to investigate a possible range of total Global Warming Potential (GWP) index values normalized to the usable unit floor area. The importance of the GWP of individual life-cycle phases was also considered. The study shows that the used methodology is adequate for LCA benchmark estimation to set preliminary average values for office buildings in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]