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Directions and Mechanisms to Support the Development and Popularization of Renewable Energy Sources

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "C: Energy Economics and Policy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (13 August 2021) | Viewed by 23419

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Anna Szeląg-Sikora

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Production and Power Engineering, University of Agriculture in Krakow, ul. Balicka 116B , 30-149 Kraków, Poland
Interests: spatial and environmental framework for RES developmentl operation and reliability of RES systems; sustainable development; economic efficiency of innovative projects, management
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Prof. Dr. Jakub Sikora

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Guest Editor

Department of Bioprocess Engineering, Power Engineering and Automation, University of Agriculture in Kraków, 31-120 Kraków, Poland
Interests: optimization of the biogas production process from waste biomass mixed with agricultural biomass; the bidder’s development for fertilizer and energy purposes; biogas production from the organic fraction of municipal waste
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Dr. Zofia Gródek-Szostak

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Guest Editor

Department of Economics and Enterprise Organization, Cracow University of Economics, ul. Rakowicka 27, 31-510 Krakow, Poland
Interests: education, political and legal framework for the public funding of innovative RES projects; technological cooperation; innovation partnerships; technology transfer; sustainable development; economic efficiency of innovative projects
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the Guest Editor, I kindly invite you to submit your papers to be published in a Special Edition of Energies, "Directions and Mechanisms to Support the Development and Popularization of Renewable Energy Sources".

Renewable energy systems (RES) are a pro-environmental response to meet the growing current energy demands, both global and prosumer. Renewable energy is seen as a way to reduce the consumption of conventional, fossil-based energy resources, while ensuring environmental protection. Renewable energy sources are also seen as an investment in future social development from an economic point of view.

Therefore, this Special Edition of Energies aims to support the implementation of RES by increasing the scientific and interdisciplinary knowledge of innovative supporting mechanisms for the development of RES. Currently, determining the directions and trends of the development of RES seems to be the strategic direction of research, both from the technological and developmental point of view. It is also important to observe social attitudes towards RES, as the sustainable development of natural and social environment is important in the research on RES.

We would appreciate your papers on innovative technical and technological solutions for RES, case studies as well as research of related fields that are important for the development of RES and fit into the sustainable development of the energy sector. Topics that will be included in the publication can include, for example:

Political and legal framework for RES;
Support mechanisms and instruments for RES;
RES markets;
Economic aspects of implementing RES;
Spatial and environmental framework for RES development;
Operation and reliability of RES systems;
Innovative, next-generation RES technologies;
Technical aspects of RES production;
Environmental impact of RES investments;
Integration of RES with current and future energy systems.

Prof. Dr. Anna Szeląg-Sikora
Prof. Dr. hab. inż. Jakub Sikora
Dr. Zofia Gródek-Szostak
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Renewable energy systems
Political and legal framework for RES
Innovative, next-generation RES technologies
Support mechanisms and instruments for RES
Environmental impact of RES investments

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1308 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Forecast Climate Changes on Water Needs of Giant Miscanthus Cultivated in the Kuyavia Region in Poland

by Stanisław Rolbiecki, Małgorzata Biniak-Pieróg, Andrzej Żyromski, Wiesława Kasperska-Wołowicz, Barbara Jagosz, Piotr Stachowski, Daniel Liberacki, Ewa Kanecka-Geszke, Hicran A. Sadan, Roman Rolbiecki, Ferenc Pal-Fam and Wiesław Ptach

Energies 2021, 14(20), 6628; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14206628 - 14 Oct 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1880

Abstract

Giant miscanthus is a vigorously growing energy plant, popularly used for biofuels production. It is a grass with low soil and water requirements, although its productivity largely depends on complementary irrigation, especially in the first year of cultivation. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the forecast climate changes, mainly air temperature increase, on the water needs of giant miscanthus during the growing season in 2021–2050 in the Kuyavia region (central Poland). The years 1981–2010 as the reference period were applied. The meteorological data was based on the regional climate change model RM5.1 with boundary conditions from the global ARPEGE model for the SRES A1B emission scenario. Crop evapotranspiration, calculated using the Penman-Monteith method and crop coefficients, was assumed as a measure of water needs. The study results showed that in view of the expected temperature changes, in the forecast period 2021–2050, the giant miscanthus water needs will increase by 10%. The highest monthly increase may occur in August (16%) and in September (23%). In the near future, the increase in water needs of giant miscanthus will necessitate the use of supplementary irrigation. Hence the results of this study may contribute to increasing the efficiency of water use, and thus to the rational management of irrigation treatments and plant energy resources in the Kuyavia region. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Directions and Mechanisms to Support the Development and Popularization of Renewable Energy Sources)

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24 pages, 24908 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The RES in the Countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States: Potential and Production from 2015 to 2019

by Maciej Chowaniak, Zofia Gródek-Szostak, Karolina Kotulewicz-Wisińska, Małgorzata Luc, Marcin Suder and Anna Szeląg-Sikora

Energies 2021, 14(7), 1856; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14071856 - 26 Mar 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3277

Abstract

Amidst the changes and adjustments of the international energy situation, the leading trend is to shift from fossil fuels to low-carbon fuels, and ultimately, to enter the era of sustainable energy, based mainly on renewable energy. The ongoing changes in global security of energy supply and the high volatility of fossil energy prices also stimulate investment in alternative energy sources, making renewable energy sources (RES) one of the rapidly growing elements in the global energy system. This article fills the research gap by analyzing the potential of using renewable energy in the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in the years 2015–2018. The authors address the energy potential in the years 2015–2019, and energy consumption in the years 2015–2018 as the potential of RES in the CIS countries was not researched after 2014. Please note that the study covers the CIS countries, along with Georgia and Ukraine, which are no longer formal members of the Community, but have been included for cognitive and comparative purposes. Upon comparing the increase in energy production in the CIS countries to the average increase for the European Union (EU) countries, the value of this increase is observably higher than the average for the EU countries only in Ukraine. However, the average for the entire CIS is much lower than the EU average, therefore in CIS countries, the changes in the volume of RES energy production are varied. In some countries, there is a significant increase in the production of this type of energy (e.g., Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Georgia). However, there are also countries in which the changes are negligible, or which noted significant drops in RES energy production (Uzbekistan, Moldova, Russia, Armenia). The findings contribute to the RES market debate and the international relations theory by comparing political factors with territorial and economic factors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Directions and Mechanisms to Support the Development and Popularization of Renewable Energy Sources)

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19 pages, 2794 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effectiveness of Instruments Supporting Inter-Organizational Cooperation in the RES Market in Europe. Case Study of Enterprise Europe Network

by Zofia Gródek-Szostak, Marcin Suder, Rafał Kusa, Jakub Sikora and Marcin Niemiec

Energies 2020, 13(23), 6443; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13236443 - 5 Dec 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2390

Abstract

In the renewable energy source (RES) market, which is highly atomized, business events play an important role in supporting inter-organizational cooperation. The aim of this paper was to examine the impact of three characteristics of the events, namely, the location of the event, type of event (brokerage event versus company mission), and type of leading partner (public versus private), on the effectiveness of the business events (expressed by the number of meetings during an event and the number of partnerships initiated as a result of these meetings). We analyzed 304 promotional events organized in the European RES market. We employed basic statistical tests to verify our hypotheses. Our findings suggest that (1) the numbers of meetings and partnerships differ depending on the event’s location (country and region of Europe), (2) the type of the event (brokerage event versus company mission) affects the numbers of meetings and partnerships (in particular, during brokerage events (BEs), significantly more meetings take place than during company meetings (CMs)), and (3) the type of an event’s leading partner (public versus private) has no impact on the numbers of meetings and partnerships. With its findings, this paper contributes to RES market development and the theory of inter-organizational relations. It presents meaningful implications and recommendations for enterprises, business networks, and event managers operating in RES markets. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Directions and Mechanisms to Support the Development and Popularization of Renewable Energy Sources)

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17 pages, 1128 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Liberalization of the Internal Energy Market in the European Union: Evidence of Its Influence on Reducing Environmental Pollution

by Pablo Ponce, Cristiana Oliveira, Viviana Álvarez and María de la Cruz del Río-Rama

Energies 2020, 13(22), 6116; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13226116 - 22 Nov 2020

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3255

Abstract

From an empirical point of view, the liberalization of the internal energy market reduces carbon dioxide emissions, promoting a wider range of renewable energy sources. The aim of this paper is to examine the effect of the liberalization of the internal energy market on CO₂ emissions, which was implemented in the European Union in 2011. The research data cover 27 countries of the European Union during the period 2004–2017 and was processed by estimating a two-way effects econometric model. The results suggest that the liberalization of the internal energy market is negatively related to CO₂ emissions; the policy was effective in reducing CO₂ emissions and, therefore, slowing down climate change. This result is significant at the level of the European Union, and in high-income countries since the year the policy was implemented, being different in the upper-middle-income countries, which begins to be effective after two years, which is due to the economic characteristics of the countries. The public policies to be implemented to reduce carbon dioxide emissions should focus on reducing the barriers imposed on foreign trade, which prevent efficient use of resources and providing financial and operating facilities to renewable energy providers in order to stimulate their production and consumption. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Directions and Mechanisms to Support the Development and Popularization of Renewable Energy Sources)

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13 pages, 4839 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Renewable Energy Promotion Instruments Used by Innovation Brokers in a Technology Transfer Network. Case Study of the Enterprise Europe Network

by Zofia Gródek-Szostak, Marcin Suder, Rafał Kusa, Anna Szeląg-Sikora, Joanna Duda and Marcin Niemiec

Energies 2020, 13(21), 5752; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13215752 - 3 Nov 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2362

Abstract

Stable and sustainable economic development—including that of renewable energy resources (RES)—requires institutional support of an environment that would enable market operations, and support them in case they are ineffective. Innovation brokers, including structured technology transfer networks, play a key role in promoting, disseminating, and liaising between the parties in the RES sector. The aim of the paper is to present the structure of events used to promote RES in Europe by the Enterprise Europe Network in the years 2017–2018; to verify whether the type of promotion instrument used is significantly related to the location of the events organized; to research whether the selection of the supporting partner is determined by the organized event’s geographical location. The analysis is carried out by means of an empirical study of the network of innovation brokers, i.e., the Enterprise Europe Network. Additionally, the available data are analyzed in terms of the type of the partner supporting individual events. It has been shown that there is a significant variation in the structure of the types of events for individual regions of Europe. This could mean that the organizers’ decisions as to the type of events organized in particular regions of Europe are deliberate and in some way adjusted to the region in which they take place. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Directions and Mechanisms to Support the Development and Popularization of Renewable Energy Sources)

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19 pages, 322 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Estimating Persistent and Transient Energy Efficiency in Belt and Road Countries: A Stochastic Frontier Analysis

by Huaping Sun, Bless Kofi Edziah, Xiaoqian Song, Anthony Kwaku Kporsu and Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary

Energies 2020, 13(15), 3837; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13153837 - 27 Jul 2020

Cited by 38 | Viewed by 3005

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the energy efficiency performance of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries using a newly developed panel data stochastic frontier model that allows for estimation of both persistent and transient efficiency while controlling for random country effects and noise. By this, we contribute to the energy economic literature by providing a complete picture of the level of persistent, transient, and total energy efficiency estimates from a cross country perspective for a panel of 48 BRI countries during the period 1990–2015. Adding that there is little evidence to support energy efficiency convergence in the energy economic literature, we went further to check whether energy efficiency converges in the BRI countries. The results show that (1) persistent efficiencies are much lower than transient efficiencies, suggesting that the energy problem in the BRI countries is more of a structural issue; (2) while energy efficiency varies widely across the countries, high-income countries perform better than the lower-income countries; (3) there is evidence of efficiency convergence and it accelerates when trade increases, but decreases when the industrial sector increases. Based on these findings, we propose some policy implications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Directions and Mechanisms to Support the Development and Popularization of Renewable Energy Sources)

13 pages, 1718 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Promotion of RES in a Technology Transfer Network. Case Study of the Enterprise Europe Network

by Zofia Gródek-Szostak, Małgorzata Luc, Anna Szeląg-Sikora, Jakub Sikora, Marcin Niemiec, Luis Ochoa Siguencia and Emil Velinov

Energies 2020, 13(13), 3445; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13133445 - 3 Jul 2020

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2873

Abstract

The promotion of renewable energy is a key concept in the European Union for both environmental and economic reasons. It contributes to securing the objectives set out in the Kyoto Protocol. In addition, it brings various social and economic benefits, e.g., diversification of the energy offer, new jobs, improvement of regional and local development opportunities and building a solid national industry. The main purpose of the article is to contribute to the debate on the instruments promoting renewable energy sources (RES) by emphasizing its importance within the technology transfer network. The subject is an empirical study of an actual technology transfer network. Its international activity promotes RES among entrepreneurs. Data related to meetings as part of brokerage events (BE) and company missions (CM) were subject to statistical and visual analysis, based on the data obtained from the Enterprise Europe Network from the years 2017–2018. The presented results are the foundation for future theoretical and practical studies. One of the important aspects to be examined is the intensity of cooperation launched during CM and BE. It is related to the results of partnership agreements and the importance of increasing the knowledge flow and creating opportunities for partners to acquire foreign technologies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Directions and Mechanisms to Support the Development and Popularization of Renewable Energy Sources)

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19 pages, 4172 KiB

Open AccessArticle

“Leaky Bucket” of Kazakhstan’s Power Grid: Losses and Inefficient Distribution of Electric Power

by Emil Velinov, Yelena Petrenko, Elena Vechkinzova, Igor Denisov, Luis Ochoa Siguencia and Zofia Gródek-Szostak

Energies 2020, 13(11), 2947; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13112947 - 8 Jun 2020

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3121

Abstract

This paper aims to determine and explain the main factors for power losses (the so-called “leaky bucket” effect) in Kazakhstan and the reasons for inefficient energy distribution within the country. Energy efficiency in Kazakhstan is much lower compared to more economically developed countries. The differences between energy efficiency in various regions of Kazakhstan are also significant. This article explores the impact of administrative monopoly tariffs on the regional energy efficiency, based on a national study conducted in Kazakhstan in 2017. The purpose of the study was to identify the administrative barriers and their impact on the sustainability of enterprise development. What hinders the distribution of energy resources among different regions is artificial barriers in the energy market and the administrative tariff monopoly for electric power. This leads to the inefficient distribution of resources throughout the country. In addition, it is difficult to leverage low distribution efficiency in the absence of a market. The authors attempt to prove that the magnitude of administrative barriers directly affects the efficiency and competitiveness of business, as well as the final prices of goods and services for the end consumer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Directions and Mechanisms to Support the Development and Popularization of Renewable Energy Sources)

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