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Fossil fuels, which are widely used in Poland, have negative environmental and health consequences. Photovoltaics, used especially by households, contribute to a reduction in CO2 emissions and indirectly reduce the problem of smog. However, the high cost of photovoltaic installations forces the use of economic incentives, such as direct subsidies to the installation, under the “My Electricity” program (hereinafter referred to as the program). The development of photovoltaics is hindered by the ineffective functioning of transmission grids. In the current edition of the “My Electricity” program, the main emphasis was placed on the use of electricity at the place of generation through the use of energy storage facilities and the transition to a new billing system, so-called net billing. The program indirectly contributes to the growing popularity of heat pumps as an installation that uses electricity generated on-site. Significant changes in the program inspired the authors of the study to plan and conduct nationwide research; they assessed investment plans for energy storage and heat pumps by potential individual investors, i.e., owners of single-family houses. Based on the results obtained, the authors of the article concluded that the new version of the “My Electricity” program will almost exclusively affect the energy storage market. This impact will stimulate the development and application of this technology. In the case of the heat pump market, the current demand will remain at the same level. The program will contribute to achieving the assumed goals, especially energy consumption at the place of production and reducing so-called low emissions. The program will not affect the demand for heat pumps.

Climate change and human activity are the main threats to rural areas and surrounding cities. The effects of climate change are mainly an increasing temperature, but also the intensity and frequency of extreme events. Climate change and its consequences are a growing problem. One of the ways to mitigate climate change, improve the quality of the natural environment and meet international obligations is sustainable energy management and the use of renewable energy sources (the RES). The aim of the study was to evaluate the energy economy, in particular the use of the RES in the Żywiec district in 2015–2020. In the rural areas of the Żywiec district, the preferred RES are solar energy (for all communities), energy from biomass and biogas from agricultural biogas plants. It has been assumed that the increase in the use of renewable energy (in this case PV installations) in the areas in question was mainly caused by the economic incentives. After the initial period (2015–2018) of lack of interest, there was a significant increase in the number of RES installations installed. PV installations prevailed. After the analysis, it seems that the increase in interest and installation of PV installations was mainly due to attractive, local subsidy programs, which significantly improved operational efficiency and shortened the payback time on investments in photovoltaic micro-installations. The adopted hypothesis was confirmed.

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The impact of climate change on the economy and environment humans live in has increased, leading to a relatively quick intensification of the effort to reduce the environmental footprint of the civilisation. The push to establish a sustainable energy economy has become one of the primary challenges today. A sustainable energy economy should ensure energy security, reduce energy poverty, and contribute to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Poland is facing considerable challenges relevant to the objectives of EU policy, particularly the Fit for 55 package, which cannot be achieved without renewable energy sources. The most popular renewable energy source in Poland is solar energy. Apart from its obvious advantages, the use of distributed photovoltaic generation (including microgeneration) entails the need for transmission grid upgrades. The paper’s objective was to assess the RES potential of Poland through an analysis of the steps the state took and the progress of its targets. The empirical part focuses on the assessment of the use of the solar energy potential (in photovoltaic microgeneration) in cities with district rights in Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, from 2014 to 2020. The study employs selected cartographic representation, comparative analysis, in-depth case study, and spatial analysis methods. The calculations involved data from Tauron Dystrybucja SA on the number of microgeneration systems in the cities, Database of Topographic Objects, Local Data Bank of the Central Statistical Office of Poland and Eurostat.