• Energy Research
• PL close
• US close
• English close
• Energies close

Poland remains the most coal-dependent economy in the EU. To minimize that problem, which is particularly clear and dangerous in the period of a shortage of fossil fuels, the Polish authorities have decided to establish various institutions, organizational and regulatory solutions. Their role is to support the development of renewable energy sources and local energy communities. The latter are to focus on optimizing the production and consumption of energy in pursuit of energy self-sufficiency on a local scale. One such institution, set up in Poland over the last several years, is the energy cooperative, which is intended to increase the efficient use of the potential of renewable energy sources in rural and urban–rural areas. The authors of this article verify the assumptions, for instance, the number, composition or production and members’ consumption profiles, under which such a relatively new institution has the chance to develop. A novelty in this research paper is that the interests of the entities composing a given energy cooperative may additionally be secured by the use of surplus generation for crypto-coin mining, and thus the storage of energy in virtual currency. A dedicated mathematical model in mixed-integer programming technology was used, enriched with respect to previous research, making it possible for members of the cooperative to achieve energy independence while maximizing self-consumption and using their excess energy for processing cryptocurrency. This is in line with the global trend of “greening”; the processes of acquiring electronic money.

The economic activity of businesses and the living standards of the population are largely dependent on inflation. Here, energy prices are of particular importance. Energy is what offers a competitive edge to economies. Therefore, many energy sectors still remain under state control. However, the fuel market is free although highly concentrated. The primary objective of this study was to determine the impact of fuel price changes on inflation in Poland. The research was based on causality models and regression models including asymmetry correction. The flow path was analyzed of price impulses from the basic raw material (i.e., crude oil) through wholesale diesel prices to inflation. The study demonstrates that with each successive stage of raw material processing, price volatility proves to be weaker. However, the final effect is still significant: inflation is largely shaped by energy carriers and, here, specifically by fuel prices. Such results have serious implications for the state’s economic policy. On one hand, they point to the limitations of this policy and, on the other hand, they raise questions about the legitimacy of the reforms that free up energy markets.

Nearly two-thirds of the emissions that cause smog come from road transport. In April 2019, the European Parliament adopted new regulations on public procurement to encourage investment in clean buses-electric, hydrogen, or gas. Directive 2009/33/EC is to apply from the second half of 2021. The aim of this article is to make an attempt to simulate the number of zero-emission buses (ZEB) in European Union (EU) member countries in two time horizons: 2025 and 2030, and to forecast the number of clean vehicles in the precise time horizons, including before and after 2050. Research questions are as follows: (1) what will be the number of ZEBs in individual EU countries over the next few years; (2) which of the EU countries will reach by 2030 the level of 95% share of ZEBs in all buses, which are a fleet of public transport buses; and (3) in which year will which EU countries reach the level of 95% share of zero-emission buses. The method used is a Bass model. The conducted analyses demonstrate that, by 2050, only four of the EU members will be able to reach 95% level of share of clean buses in the city bus transport fleets. It is likely that other countries may not achieve this even by 2050.

This article presents research conducted in one of the largest mining companies in the EU—Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa S.A. It relates to how the implementation of sustainable strategic management has affected methane projects. In the study, a literature analysis was first conducted, establishing the existence and significance of the research gap. Then, a group of experts from JSW S.A., during moderated workshops, prepared a multidimensional model describing the structure of the implementation of sustainable strategic management. The model was constructed and verified using the AHP method. As a result of the study, it was found that the implementation of sustainable strategic management resulted in a change of the company’s strategic priorities. Significant professionalization of management in the course of these projects was also observed. The most important and beneficial element of the implementation was the adoption of strategic goals related to the production of their very own energy based on methane emitted by mines. Other noteworthy elements of the change concern the introduction of continuous business case assurance during projects and the standardization of the project phase model.

The Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio, parameters reflecting the elastic response of a rock to stress, are the key parameters used in many engineering activities, such as hard coal mining and natural gas extraction. The objective of this paper was to present the results of complex laboratory measurements of the static and dynamic Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio for Upper Carboniferous hard coals from the Upper Silesian Coal Basin. The coals differed in geologic age (Mudstone Series—younger coals; Upper Silesian Sandstone Series—older coals) and petrographic structure (vitrain, clarain, and durain lithotype). Elastic parameters of the coals were determined following compression tests under a complex state of stress, as well as using the ultrasonic method in reservoir conditions. On this basis, linear functional dependences between parameters such as UCS, differential stress, confining pressure, strain rate, P- and S-wave velocities, and the static and dynamic Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio were determined. These dependences turned out to be linear, with strong and very strong correlation, as indicated by the high coefficients of determination, R2. These new results significantly broaden the knowledge of elastic properties of Carboniferous hard coals, especially in the field of geoengineering, underground coal gasification, and reservoir stimulation for coal bed methane extraction.

Effective implementation of renewable energy sources (RES) is one of the main challenges in regard to the organization of local energy microgrids with buildings. One of the solutions is the use of dynamic building façades with photovoltaic (PV) panels, in particular the innovative perovskite solar cells (PSCs). This paper describes a case study performed on a pilot installation of perovskite PV panels located in Poland, Central-Eastern Europe. Results of preliminary measurements on this installation are provided in terms of verifying its energy efficiency and the possibility of selecting settings for the façade dynamics control system. Our experiments have considered the sun-tracking mechanism and its energy consumption as well as the impact of weather conditions at different times of the year. The energy efficiency results for the PV system, with average levels below 10%, are rather low. Therefore, even small energy savings in the operation of the PV system itself are significant. Changes in control scenarios for sun-tracking have been proposed and have obtained a reduction from 5% to 1% of energy consumption in autumn and from almost 3.2% to 0.6% in spring, in relation to overall energy produced by the PV system. The need for further experimental research from the perspective of the development and extension of the analyzed installation is pointed out as well.

Azerbaijan has a well-developed hydrocarbon industry backed with abundant domestic resources. Oil and gas have played a crucial role in the economic revival of the country since independence was regained back in 1991. The legal foundation of the transition to carbon-zero energy generation was laid in the 1990s with a number of acts mentioning the importance of the shift. The government has an ambitious plan to improve the situation, though an action plan with targeted renewables share in production and consumption is still to be prepared. This study, based on systematic review methodology for qualitative research, analyzes the potential of renewables in Azerbaijan with a focus on solar and wind power, discusses the deficiencies hindering the development of the renewables industry, and develops recommendations on applicable actions to improve the situation in this regard. It also includes legislative acts of the Republic concerning renewable energy. The main objective of the study is to explore renewable energy potentials and assess the readiness of the country to make a shift towards green energy. The findings of the article demonstrate enough potential to increase the share of renewables. The potential, however, is obscured with a relatively less solid legal framework and a lack of expertise in the industry.

The imbalance between energy resource availability, demand, and production capacity, coupled with inherent economic and environmental uncertainties make strategic energy resources planning, management, and decision-making a challenging process. In this paper, a descriptive approach has been taken to synthesize the world’s energy portfolio and the global energy balance outlook in order to provide insights into the role of Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in maintaining “stability” and “balance” of the world’s energy market. This synthesis illustrates that in the absence of stringent policies, <em>i.e</em>., if historical trends of the global energy production and consumption hold into the future, it is unlikely that non-conventional liquid fuels and renewable energy sources will play a dominant role in meeting global energy demand by 2030. This should be a source of major global concern as the world may be unprepared for an ultimate shift to other energy sources when the imminent peak oil production is reached. OPEC’s potential to impact the supply and price of oil could enable this organization to act as a facilitator or a barrier for energy transition policies, and to play a key role in the global energy security through cooperative or non-cooperative strategies. It is argued that, as the global energy portfolio becomes more balanced in the long run, OPEC may change its typical high oil price strategies to drive the market prices to lower equilibria, making alternative energy sources less competitive. Alternatively, OPEC can contribute to a cooperative portfolio management approach to help mitigate the gradually emerging energy crisis and global warming, facilitating a less turbulent energy transition path while there is time.

AGV systems are considered a necessary element of the recently created cyber-physical systems whose task is to support material flows in intelligent factories. The implementation of AGV systems in cyber-physical systems generates new types of threats, and the level of risk of adverse events related to the operation of these systems is changing. This article aims to present the results of an open-access literature review, the purpose of which was to identify issues addressed in studies of the analysis and risk management of AGV systems, to group publications according to the proposed topical framework, and to identify gaps in the current research. We used the PRISMA concept to review the literature. After completing all stages of the procedure, 153 publications on risk in AGV systems were selected for analysis. To ensure the high quality of the analysis, access to the full texts of the selected documents was necessary. For this reason, we have limited the collection to open-access publications. The results of the analysis allowed us to distinguish 12 primary categories and 26 additional subcategories within the literature. These categories are characterized by different numbers of publications and cover different AGV systems operation areas. The simultaneous assignment of documents to several subcategories indicates the need for a holistic view of issues related to the risk of AGV operation in operating environments with varying degrees of automation. An essential scientific contribution of our analysis is the identification of a research gap. The analyzed publications lacked studies on methods of risk identification and assessment that take into account the specificity of AGV operation, especially in the cyber-physical systems of Logistics 4.0.

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 &quot;Poland&apos;s energy policy until 2040&quot;, 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.