Renewable Energy Sources as the Future of the Energy Sector and Climate in Poland—Truth or Myth in the Opinion of the Society

Abstract

The electricity sector in the 21st century should be associated with renewable energy sources (RES), which the majority of society currently equates with solar photovoltaics, wind power, and hydroelectricity, with this energy being used mainly in households. Households consume only 20% of energy, with the remainder used in various sectors of the national economy. In these sectors, the possibilities of using renewable energy sources should be sought. Many experts express the opinion that myths about renewable energy sources exist only “in our minds and opinions, that we formed years ago”, mainly under pressure from the decreasing number of supporters of conventional energy sources. Currently, we observe much greater possibilities of using renewable energy sources globally, and all forecasts suggest that—by 2050—the economy, transport, and industry may become almost emission-free and rely on RES. Of course, we cannot present renewable energy sources only in terms of superlatives, because they also involve many unknowns and myths which we will present in the article. Considering the complexity of factors influencing the involvement of young people in shaping the socio-economic reality, a group of people aged between 18 and 40 was selected for the study. The aim of this study was to identify the attitudes of young inhabitants of south-eastern Poland regarding the issues of climate change and renewable energy, and to identify the level of acceptance for changes in Poland’s energy mix. The conducted research shows that the studied group of people appreciated the importance of climate change and considered the anthropogenic impact on this phenomenon to be of key importance. The perception of renewable energy was positive, and respondents saw the solution to the problems of the energy deficit in increasing the use of renewable energy sources. Respondents also showed significant support for nuclear energy and expected government support programs for activities related to energy conservation. The survey shall be repeated on a random sample at the time when the energy price changes caused by the transformation of the energy mix occur—i.e., around 2025.

Economic Analysis of Large-Scale Renewable Energy (RE) Source Investment Incorporating Power System Transmission Costs

“…To calculate the cost of expanding the transmission grid owing to the integration of renewable energy, a power flow analysis should be performed to calculate the required capacity of the additional transmission lines using transmission constraints. The real power flow equation is given by Equation (6).…”

“…In recent years, there has been a global trend towards increasing the integration of renewable energy into power systems as a means to mitigate carbon emissions [1][2][3][4]. In line with this trend, numerous efforts are in progress across various countries to promote renewable energy sources [5,6]. This transition to sustainable energy is also a significant development in South Korea [7].…”

Promoting the Sustainable Development of Power Construction Projects through Stakeholder Participant Mechanisms: An Evolutionary Game Analysis

“…Driven by benefits and responsibility awareness, stakeholders' behavioral strategy choices will change, thus impacting the process of sustainability transformation of PCPs [11,13]. This study explores the conditions under which PCPs achieve optimal solutions in different stages, as well as the sensitivity analysis of the relevant parameters, from the perspective of the project life cycle.…”

“…In addition, with the development of networking and informatization in society, convenient channels have been provided for the public to understand information related to PCPs. The public's willingness to participate in the supervision of PCPs has become stronger and has focused public opinion on PCPs [13,14]. To avoid "market failure", there is an urgent need for government interventions and oversight to ensure collaborative efforts [15].…”

Integration of Public Perception in the Assessment of Licensed Solar Farms: A Case Study in Greece

“…These considerations influence societal aspects, as they support the production of locally produced renewable energy while delivering other functions, such as agricultural production [38], protection of flora and fauna [39], or preservation of cultural heritage [40]. Furthermore, recent studies have considered public perception and social acceptance of solar systems (e.g., [41][42][43][44]). Bevk and Golobič [7] evaluated the landscape features of solar farms based on field visits and focus groups with citizens.…”