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In the 21st century, society has been undergoing a technology-driven transformation which heralds a new revolution that has potential to strengthen the position of an individual and community but may also lead to the marginalization of certain groups. The Internet of Things takes advantage of the technology’s potential to improve digital competencies and the quality of life in society. The purpose of this paper is to obtain information about the digital competencies and needs of contemporary seniors and pre-senior age people, as well as socially sensitive groups from Poland’s rural areas. To strength the level of internet infrastructure in rural areas, power line communication (PLC) systems that utilize high-voltage line(s) between transformer substations are presented as a cost-effective communication tool. PowerLink IP has made PLC systems today more attractive and efficient than ever before. Based on nation-wide representative surveys conducted in deliberately selected groups, we collected information on digital competencies and formulated recommendations pertaining to the structure and contents of an innovative internet portal as regards offering, sharing, and the availability of commercial and social services targeted at seniors and other dependent groups. The recommended portal combines the needs of target groups with interests of entrepreneurs, self-government authorities, and NGOs.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the antecedence of business models for the renewable energy sector, characterise their concepts and structure, and assess the importance of innovation in the creation of value for the customer and for the business in the examined business models. According to the concept of K. Prahalad and M. S. Krishnan, an operational business model consists of three basic components. The first two are social architecture and technical architecture that represent specific resources. The third component comprises business processes. The operating business model according to the principles of the New Era of Innovation was used. The business models were presented as case studies of the following: a photovoltaic farm, a passive building and a local (communal) biogas plant. A desk research method was employed as well as triangulation of the research methods of non-participant observation, unstructured interview and business documentation review, in order to develop the case studies. The identification of antecedents for business models in renewable energy generation allows the argument that the business model can be treated as a system for the configuration of resources and interdependent activities, emphasising the role of the configuration of tangible and intangible elements. As the presented business models have been active for a relatively limited time, changes in competence and human capital attitudes, as well as social acceptance for those models, are not examined here. The absence of the upper and lower performance limit of the optimisation algorithm, or system variables, may be an interesting area for further research.