In this article, we aim to identify the determinants that profoundly impact renewable energy sources development in Poland. To this end, the authors have conducted qualitative and quantitative analyses of Poland’s renewable energy sector. In this paper, we demonstrate an original approach considering the different development levels of the given sector across provinces (voivodeships). It uses panel data from the Local Data Bank of the Statistics Poland on electricity production from renewable energy sources in individual voivodeships in Poland from 2005 through 2019. The study confronts the results of previous studies and sheds light on the situation in Poland—specifically, upon the changes that have happened over the ten years (2010−2019). The qualitative analysis shows a negative correlation between energy consumption and the share of renewable energy sources in total energy production. Evidence shows that favorable changes are underway in the energy production structure: RES share i... [more]

Photovoltaic (PV) systems have become one of the most promising alternative energy sources, as they transform the sun’s energy into electricity. This can frequently be achieved without causing any potential harm to the environment. Although their usage in residential places and building sectors has notably increased, PV systems are regarded as unpredictable, changeable, and irregular power sources. This is because, in line with the system’s geographic region, the power output depends to a certain extent on the atmospheric environment, which can vary drastically. Therefore, artificial intelligence (AI)-based approaches are extensively employed to examine the effects of climate change on solar power. Then, the most optimal AI algorithm is used to predict the generated power. In this study, we used machine learning (ML)-based algorithms to predict the generated power of a PV system for residential buildings. Using a PV system, Pyranometers, and weather station data amassed from a station... [more]

The research results presented in the paper show that it is important that not only state institutions and foundations but also energy companies engage in solving environmental problems by introducing specific social innovations. This need results primarily from the fact that in the environment of energy enterprises, problems of a social nature as well as those related to ecology are observed. The occurrence of social and environmental problems is related to the fact that the solutions developed so far to eliminate them are not fully effective, and the currently functioning political and economic systems as well as financial mechanisms do not sufficiently support the interests of society members and the biological systems of the planet. Hence, people constituting a layer of the social environment of energy companies also expect support from them, in the elimination of specific problems. It appears that the active participation of energy enterprises in counteracting or eliminating socia... [more]

In recent years, several researchers have studied the potential use of ammonia (NH3) as an energy vector, focused on the techno-economic advantages and challenges for full global deployment. The use of ammonia as fuel is seen as a strategy to support decarbonization; however, to confirm the sustainability of the shift to ammonia as fuel in thermal engines, a study of the environmental profile is needed. This paper aims to assess the environmental life cycle impacts of ammonia-based electricity generated in a combined heat and power cycle for different ammonia production pathways. A cradle-to-gate assessment was developed for both ammonia production and ammonia-based electricity generation. The results show that electrolysis-based ammonia from renewable and nuclear energy have a better profile in terms of global warming potential (0.09−0.70 t CO2-eq/t NH3), fossil depletion potential (3.62−213.56 kg oil-eq/t NH3), and ozone depletion potential (0.001−0.082 g CFC-11-eq/t NH3). In additio... [more]

Acid gas removal from gaseous streams such as flue gas, natural gas and biogas is mainly performed by chemical absorption with amines, but the process is highly energy intensive and can generate emissions of harmful compounds to the atmosphere. Considering the emerging interest in carbon capture, mainly associated with increasing environmental concerns, there is much current effort to develop innovative solvents able to lower the energy and environmental impact of the acid gas removal processes. To be competitive, the new blends must show a CO2 uptake capacity comparable to the one of the traditional MEA benchmark solution. In this work, a review of the state of the art of attractive solvents alternative to the traditional MEA amine blend for acid gas removal is presented. These novel solvents are classified into three main classes: biphasic blends—involving the formation of two liquid phases, water-lean solvents and green solvents. For each solvent, the peculiar features, the level of... [more]

Today, the problem of energy shortage and climate change has urgently motivated the development of research engaged in improving the fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines (ICEs). Although many constructive alternatives—including battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and low-carbon fuels such as biofuels or hydrogen—are being put forward, they are starting from a very low base, and still face significant barriers. Nevertheless, 85−90% of transport energy is still expected to come from combustion engines powered by conventional liquid fuels even by 2040. Therefore, intensive passion for the improvement of engine thermal efficiency and decreasing energy loss has driven the development of reliable approaches and modelling to fully understand the underlying mechanisms. In this paper, literature surveys are presented that investigate the relative advantages of technologies mainly focused on minimizing energy loss in engine assemblies, including pistons and rings, bearings and valves, wat... [more]

An electricity substitution strategy that replaces fossil fuels such as coal and oil with electricity in end-use energy consumption, can effectively contribute to an energy transition and the early achievement of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality targets. As the benefits of electricity substitution are not synchronized across China’s regions, this paper uses a three-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to measure the efficiency of electric energy substitution in 30 provinces of China in 2017. The results show that both environmental factors and random errors have significant effects on energy efficiency. After eliminating these influences, the efficiency of electrical energy substitution among regions presented the following pattern: “high in the east and low in the west”. According to the evaluation results, this paper proposes corresponding suggestions for the development of electrical energy substitution.

Low carbon city development and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission mitigation in urban communities are urgent. There is great potential to improve the GHG inventory at the community level. Meanwhile, building zero-waste cities and improving waste treatment efficiency have been significant environmental issues due to the rapid increase of waste generation. This research aims to develop a community-scale GHG emission inventory of the waste sector and improve its accuracy and consistency through applying the bottom-up approach. This study covers both direct and indirect emissions categories of the waste sector with the goal of building a zero-waste community. Honjo Waseda community, located in Japan, was used as a case study community. Energy consumption waste treatment sectors were evaluated and calculated through first-hand field data. GHG emission estimation of the waste sector included waste incineration, residential wastewater, and waste transport. The highest emissions originated from Be... [more]

Failure of systems applied in machines comprising rolling and slewing bearings usually causes downtime of the entire heavy machine. The problem of failures can be aggravated by extremely difficult operating conditions, such as significant loads or a harsh environment. The entire issue inspired us to develop a method of monitoring the condition of such units. A study was carried out for six different large-scale excavators which examined strain distributions in the tested subassemblies. In order to estimate the technical condition of wheeled bogies, we used the phenomenon of strain propagation caused by the concentrated force acting in the ring girder web. Flamant theory was utilized to describe this phenomenon. Measurements were performed using strain gauges and the obtained results were compared with the FEM model. To determine whether bearing joints were in a good or bad condition, a coefficient of variation and an impulse factor were introduced as diagnostic indicators. It turned ou... [more]

Organic-rich rocks of the Marcellus subgroup in the study area consist of a diverse suite of mudstone lithofacies that were deposited in distinct facies belts. Lithofacies in the succession range in composition from argillaceous to siliceous, calcareous, and carbonaceous mudstone. Heterogeneities in the succession occurs in the form of varying mineralogical composition, slightly bioturbated to highly bioturbated chaotic matrix, organic-rich and organic-lean laminae, scattered fossil shells in the matrix, and fossils acting as lamination planes. Lithofacies were deposited in three facies belts from the proximal to the distal zone of the depositional system. Bedded siliceous mudstone (BSM) facies occur in the proximal facies belt and consists of a high quartz content in addition to clay minerals and pyrite. In the medial part of the facies belt lies the laminated argillaceous mudstone (LAM), bedded calcareous mudstone (BCaM), and bedded carbonaceous mudstone (BCM). The size of detrital m... [more]

Energy storage technologies can reduce grid fluctuations through peak shaving and valley filling and effectively solve the problems of renewable energy storage and consumption. The application of energy storage technologies is aimed at storing energy and supplying energy when needed according to the storage requirements. The existing research focuses on ranking technologies and selecting the best technologies, while ignoring storage requirements. Here, we propose a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework for selecting a suitable technology based on certain storage requirements. Specifically, we consider nine criteria in four aspects: technological, economic, environmental, and social. The interval number, crisp number, and linguist terms can be transformed into a probabilistic dual hesitant fuzzy set (PDHFS) through the transformation and fusion method we proposed, and a suitable technology can be selected through distance measurements. Subsequently, the proposed method is appl... [more]

Fleet electrification is one of the measures proposed for achieving climate neutrality in the coming years. The replacement of internal combustion engine vehicles with electric vehicles has a positive impact on carbon emission reduction in some countries. However, in countries highly dependent on fossil fuels, such a possibility requires examination with respect to the means of electricity generation and fuel mix used in their power systems. One such country is Poland, selected as an example of an economy strongly dependent on fossil fuels. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of fleet electrification of an individual company located in Poland on the reduction of carbon emissions. The concept and calculations are based on historical data on the single-year mileage and fuel consumption of 619 cars used by this company. Even though the Polish power system is based on fossil fuels, fleet electrification could contribute to a reduction in carbon emissions of 24%. T... [more]

The association between carbon emissions and international trade has been examined thoroughly; however, consumption-based carbon emissions, which is adjusted for international trade, have not been studied extensively. Therefore, the present study assesses the asymmetric impact of trade (import and export) and economic growth in consumption-based carbon emissions (CCO2) using the MINT nations (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey) as a case study. We applied the Nonlinear ARDL to assess this connection using dataset between 1990 and 2018. The outcomes from the BDS test affirmed the use of nonlinear techniques. Furthermore, the NARDL bounds test confirmed long-run association between CCO2 and exports, imports and economic growth. The outcomes from the NARDL long and short-run estimates disclosed that positive (negative) shocks in imports increase (decrease) CCO2 emissions in all the MINT nations. Moreover, positive (negative) shocks in exports decrease (increase) CCO2 emissions in all t... [more]

A sustainability assessment regarding the manufacturing process and the use of a new proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), specially designed for portable hydrogen applications, is presented. The initial fuel cell prototype has been configured by taking into account exclusively technical issues. However, a life cycle analysis considering environmental and socioeconomic impacts is crucial to improve the model to develop a more sustainable product. From the environmental perspective, the durability of the system and its efficiency are key elements required to decrease the potential overall impacts. High electricity consumption for manufacturing requires a commitment to the use of renewable energies, due to the high current value of the projected impact of climate change (42.5 tonnes of CO2 eq). From the socioeconomic point of view, the dependence of imported components required for the synthesis of some materials displaces the effects of value added and employment in Spain, potenti... [more]

Since existing residential buildings are a significant global contributor to energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, any serious effort to reduce the actual energy and carbon emissions of the building sector should explicitly address the carbon mitigation challenges and opportunities in the building stock. This research investigates environmentally and economically sustainable retrofit methods to reduce the carbon footprint of existing residential buildings in the City of Greater Dandenong as a case study in Metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. By categorizing energy use into various building age brackets and dwelling types that align with changes in energy regulations, we identified various retrofit prototypes to achieve a targeted 6.5-star and 8-star energy efficiency rating (out of a maximum 10-star rating system). The corresponding operational energy savings through different retrofit options are examined while also considering the quantity of materials required for ea... [more]

One of the most important issues during UCG process is wastewater production and treatment. Condensed gasification wastewater is contaminated by many hazardous compounds. The composition of the generated UCG-derived wastewater may vary depending on the type of gasified coal and conditions of the gasification process. The main purpose of this study was a qualitative and quantitative characterization of the UCG wastewater produced during four different UCG experiments. Experiments were conducted using semi-anthracite and bituminous coal samples at two distinct pressures, i.e., 20 and 40 bar. The conducted studies revealed significant relationships between the physicochemical composition of the wastewater and the coal properties as well as the gasification pressure. The strongest impact is noticeable in the case of organic pollutants, especially phenols, BTEX and PAH’s. The most abundant group of pollutants were phenols. Conducted studies showed significantly higher concentration levels f... [more]

This academic paper revolves around the results of research on the change in emission parameters of the used heating boiler following the introduction of the overheated water stream, which had an impact on different emission parameters. The research results provide an insight into the hard coal combustion process, which had a significant impact on the change in the chemical composition of exhaust gases: it contributed to the lower mass concentration of the emitted dust and black carbon (PM) as well as nitric oxides (NOx) while, at the same time, playing a significant role in increasing the mass concentration of the emitted carbon oxide (CO). Two types of devices were used for the purposes of conducting the research at hand: a boiler with an automatic fuel feeding system with one combustion chamber and a boiler with a combustion chamber and an afterburning chamber fitted over it. Apart from the measurements of mass concentration of the emitted harmful substances, the research also focus... [more]

This paper investigates a nurse led, energy conservation behavioral intervention, in hospital wards of an NHS (National Health Service) community hospital (Trust). The information based intervention was adapted from “Operation TLC”, developed by environmental behavioral change charity Global Action Plan, and St Bartholomew’s Health NHS Trust, London. For this study, three identical older persons’ acute-care wards in terms of patient type, nursing levels, layout, electrical fittings (lighting & small power), elevation and orientation (one control ward and two intervention wards) were evaluated over a nine-month period. The paper demonstrates a co-dependent relationship between the quantitative data from the electricity and light monitors on the wards with the qualitative data gathered from staff comfort surveys and focus groups, and Trust policies. Our results show a 13% reduction in electricity consumption, primarily from preventing nursing staff in the intervention group from using pr... [more]

The aim of the research is to identify and quantify the direct sustainable effects resulting from the improved road infrastructure in the local urban-port transport system. This case study considers the city port of Szczecin (Poland). The effects are identified for the local road transport system by comparing freight road transport performance in two options: with the investment and without the investment. The sustainable effects are quantified in terms of money and physical units. Sustainable economic, social, and environmental effects concern generalized freight road transport cost, i.e., truck operating costs and costs of truck drivers’ working time, as well as freight transit time, energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and environmental savings. To capture effects, the forecast of truck traffic demand, as well as unit vehicle operating costs, values of time, and air pollution and climate change, values are elaborated and revealed in freight road transport. The investigation... [more]

The composite crossarm insulator differs greatly from the suspension insulator in structure and arrangement. This study aims to determine the pollution flashover characteristics of composite crossarm insulators under different voltage grades. Four types of AC composite crossarm insulators with diameters ranging from 100 mm to 450 mm are subjected to artificial pollution test, and then the effects of the surface hydrophobicity state of silicone rubber, core diameter, umbrella structure, arrangement, and insulation distance on the pollution flashover voltage of the composite crossarm insulators are analyzed. Under the pollution grade 0.2/1.0 mg/cm2 and voltage grade from 66 kV to 1000 kV, if the silicone rubber surface changes from HC5 to HC6, the pollution flashover voltage of the composite crossarm insulator will increase by 13.5% to 21.0% compared with the hydrophilic surface. If the core diameter changes from 100 mm to 300 mm, the pollution flashover voltage gradient decreases with t... [more]

The increase in the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated, among other places, in households is a result of the growing population, economic development, as well as the urbanisation of areas with accompanying insufficiently effective measures to minimise waste generation. There are many methods for treating municipal waste, with the common goal of minimising environmental degradation and maximising resource recovery. Biodegradable waste, including selectively collected biowaste (BW), also plays an essential role in the concept of the circular economy (CE), which maximises the proportion of waste that can be returned to the system through organic recycling and energy recovery. Methane fermentation is a waste treatment process that is an excellent fit for the CE, both technically, economically, and environmentally. This study aims to analyse and evaluate the problem of odour nuisance in municipal waste biogas plants (MWBPs) and the impact of the feedstock (organic fraction of M... [more]

Mercury mining and its use in gold mine operations left a legacy of contamination in northern California. Contaminated sediments and water continue to affect local and downstream ecosystems. To assess the efficacy of biochar-amended soils on decreasing Hg transport, biochar was used to amend rock and sediment columns and mesocosms to decrease suspended sediment and associated mercury (Hg) in storm water runoff from Sierra Nevada hydraulic mines. Mercury-contaminated storm water runoff and hydraulic mine debris were collected from two hydraulic mine sites in the Yuba River, California watershed. Mercury concentrations and turbidity were analyzed from storm water samples and hydraulic mine debris in three simulated storm runoff experiments using decomposed granite columns, sediment columns, and sediment mesocosms amended at 0%, 2%, or 5% biochar by weight. Columns containing hydraulic mine debris and mixed with 5% biochar had a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in filter-passed mercury... [more]

The impact of the use of cargo bicycles for delivery processes on the environment is undeniably positive: it leads to the reduction of pollutants, noise, and vibrations caused by traditional vehicles; decreases traffic jams; causes more effective use of public space; and others. But how should such an effect be measured? What tools should be used to justify the necessity for change to more sustainable means of transport? How can we improve the state of the environment considering the interests of logistics service providers? There is a large amount of scientific literature dedicated to this problem: by using different modeling approaches, authors attempt to address the issue of sustainable transport. This paper conducts a literature review in the field of green cargo deliveries, investigates the benefits and drawbacks of integrating cargo bikes in urban logistics schemes, and examines methodologies and techniques for evaluating the impact of using cargo bicycles on the environment. By... [more]

The sustainable development of micro-hydropower (MHP) plants is a challenge for rural electrification in developing countries, especially in Indonesia, which has diverse ethnic groups, cultures, and traditions in several isolated locations due to its complex terrain. The uniqueness of a social situation in a location can affect the sustainable electrification development. This study aimed to assess the sustainable development of MHP plants in the Kasepuhan Ciptagelar, which has unique traditions and cultural characteristics. The assessment was conducted using the sustainable development indicator (SDI) method, the Ilskog method, which can include social, economic, environmental, technical, and institutional dimensions. Data were collected through field investigations and qualitative dialogs to understand the culture and ways of thinking. The results of the Ilskog method analysis revealed that the environmental dimensions had the highest scores, whereas economic dimensions had the lowes... [more]

This paper proposes the computation and assessment of optimal tilt and azimuth angles for a receiving surface, using a mathematical model developed at the University of Tomsk, Russia. The model was validated and analyzed for the Nuevo León State, Northeast Mexico, utilizing a set of metrics, comparing against satellite data from NASA. A point of interest in the city of Monterrey was analyzed to identify orientation patterns throughout the year for an optimal solar energy gathering. The aim is providing the best orientation tilt angles for photovoltaic or solar thermal panels without tracking systems. In addition, this analysis is proposed as a tool to achieve optimal performance in sustainable urban development in the region. Based on the findings, a set of optimal tilt and azimuth surface angles are proposed for the analyzed coordinates. The aim is to identify the optimal performance to obtain the maximum solar irradiation possible over the year for solar projects in the region. The r... [more]