Sustainable development of the global economy can be achieved with the help of renewable energy (RE). The paper investigates the determinants of RE development in order to boost its adoption. The determinants of RE deployment were analyzed using random-effects GLS regression for the panel data from 27 EU member states in 2011–2020.The results confirm that economic development and high employment in advanced technology manufacturing are drivers of the RE sector, whereas unemployment growth affects RE deployment negatively. Our results show that active political participation and economic freedom promote RE; however, the level of corruption and democracy does not have a statistically significant impact on it. Favorable geographical location was proved to be a determinant of RE development. The hypothesis that plenty of natural resources discourage countries to develop RE was disproved. The major policy implications for RE promotion include the importance of economy deregulation, open market development and educational transformations. Following the results, prospects for further research were outlined.

Salicylaldiminato-derived [O-NS]TiCl 3 is used in the copolymerization of ethylene and propylene in toluene solution with methylaluminoxane as the co-catalyst. The effects of temperature, Al/Ti molar ratio and feed ratio of ethylene and propylene on the solution copolymerization and its resulting copolymer structure are investigated. It is revealed that the ethylene content in the resultant copolymers and the copolymerization activity decrease with the increase of propylene addition. The 13 C-NMR analysis demonstrates that the copolymers are essentially composed of long ethylene sequences with some isolated propylene units and smaller amount of PP diad. Moreover, the triad distribution data are elaborated in a statistical strategy to determine the reactivity ratios, which are also compared with the first-order direct fit method and the first-order/second-order Markovian methods. The product of monomer reactivity ratio reaches a minimum value of 0.37 at 60 C, indicating the best temperature for ethylene-propylene copolymerization in this system. The results also indicate that there are hardly penultimate unit effects. Scheme 1 The structure of salicylaldiminato-derived [O-NS]TiCl 3 catalyst. 10176 | RSC Adv., 2017, 7, 10175-10182 This journal is

The paper deals with the problems of balancing the United Energy System of Ukraine caused by high renewable energy penetration and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the energy sector. The paper analyses the trends in renewable energy development, the dynamics and structure of electricity consumption and export in pre-epidemic and epidemic periods and identifies the main challenges to operational security of the United Energy System of Ukraine. The methodical approach to improve the methodology for estimation of country’s energy security level by considering the index of developing capacities for balancing the United Energy System of Ukraine is suggested. In addition, proposals have been made to reduce threats to the stable work of the United Energy System of Ukraine by putting into operation of energy storage capacities, promoting the development of мaneuvering renewable energy capacities, and implementation of other appropriate measures in this field.

The transition to sustainability is a complex process that requires a clear understanding of its drivers and barriers. The paper explores the impact of different social and economic factors on sustainable development as a holistic process. The research involved data from 27 EU member states during 2012–2020. Hausman specification and Breusch and Pagan Lagrangian multiplier test were used to select the proper econometric model, which led to the use of generalized least squares regression with random effects to estimate the sustainable development drivers in the EU. The results suggested that corruption has no statistically significant impact on sustainability, whereas economic freedom increases Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index. Our empirical results demonstrated that GDP per capita inhibits sustainability transition, which could be a case of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis. Unemployment has a negative impact on sustainable development; however, employment in science and research is its driver. It was unfolded that median income per capita and life expectancy have a statistically significant positive impact on the SDG Index. Following these findings, a wide range of policy recommendations was suggested. They include but are not limited to: ensuring economic freedom, human capital development, digitalization of public services, and lifelong education promotion.

When evaluating the competitive environment in the context of the pandemic, the pandemic’s global scale must be considered, since all products related to COVID-19 management have no regional competition but rather immediately switch to global competition and compete with similar products or substitutes. It should be noted that no products intended for managing the pandemic were available before its outburst. Even with the onset of the pandemic, not many specialized products, except for some general protection measures, were developed. However, in the two years after the pandemic began, competitive products intended for managing COVID-19 emerged into the market. The global scale of the pandemic automatically created worldwide demand for such products , which leads to a global shift in competitiveness. As a result, the competitive environment for products intended to manage COVID-19 is changing. Research purpose: To evaluate the competitive products—modern and robotized indoor disinfection equipment—available in the market and those under development. Research objectives: To develop a methodology for evaluating the competitive products and to select evaluation criteria and methods; to evaluate the competitive products in terms of their functionality and technical characteristics; and to research the channels and methods employed to launch competitive products into the market and provide analysis of best practice.