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The travel restriction leads to the enormous economic loss to the tourism industry. In this paper, the economic loss and the environmental gains (e.g., water and energy resources) from COVID-19 impact on China's tourism industry are estimated based on environmentally extended multiple regional input-output model. Results indicate that the China's tourism consumption loss triggered 921 billion US$ output loss via supply chain in 2020, which account for 7 % of GDP in 2019. Additionally, the economic loss further ripples tourism water footprint conservation of 10 billion m3 (equal to the annual water consumption of Poland) and tourism energy footprint conservation of 116 million tce (equal to the annual energy consumption of Australia). Findings reveal that regions with large tourism economic losses are not completely consistent with the regions with significant relief of water and energy pressures. Water pressure in Xinjiang (Northwest) and energy pressure in Hainan (South) have been alleviated due to reduced tourism consumption along the Southeast coast. These knock-on effects highlight a deeper internal link between the economy and the environment. The development of tourism in the post-COVID-19 era needs to reduce the direct water and energy footprint of local area by applying advanced water-saving and energy-saving technologies. • China's tourism output loss caused by COVID-19 accounts for 7 % of GDP in 2019. • 10 billion m3 of water saving equals to the annual water consumption of Poland. • 116 million tce of energy saving equals to the annual energy consumption of Australia. • Tourism activities decreasing in East relieve great water use stress in Northwest China. • Decreasing tourism demand in Southeast mitigates energy use stress in South China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind as a renewable energy source is characterized by rapid growth of installed power in many countries, including Poland, where its share in the electricity production has grown over 25 times in the last decade, now reaching about 10%. Since renewable energy has priority in access to the grid, it forces the dispatchable coal-fired power plants to adjust their load. This causes additional consumption of primary energy due to more frequent shut-downs/start-ups and due to efficiency penalty when operating below nominal parameters. In this paper, actual data on the operation of Polish power plants in several years are analysed. The analysis, together with simulations of performance of the power system without the presence of wind energy, focuses on the influence of wind power plants on the utility ones. The results of simulations are additionally processed using the concept of thermo-ecological cost to compare the "operational" impact of wind farms on the power system with their "investment" environmental burden. A conclusion is that current share of wind energy at the level of 10% is enough to have an adverse effect on the coal power plants, but depending on the structure of the power system it may actually increase its overall efficiency. • Introduction of wind power to the grid disrupts the operation of other power plants. • Average efficiency of individual utility power plants decreases. • The number of start-up/shut-down procedures greatly increases. • Depending on the structure of the system, overall efficiency may actually increase. • Thermo-ecological cost of compensation for wind energy is non-negligible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the article " Assessing temporal complementarity between three variable energy sources through correlation and compromise programming." The discussed paper proposes a novel method of assessing complementarity between three energy sources using correlation, compromise programming, and normalization. The method is then used to calculate a complementarity index which is applied to a case study in Poland. However, upon inspection, the normalization of the index overestimates the complementarity potential. This issue is discussed in detail in this paper, and an alternative way of calculating the index is proposed, eliminating the issue of overestimating complementarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of the paper is the economic analysis and the assessment of the payback time of the heat pump cooperating with a photovoltaic installation in one of the single-family houses in Poland. The inhabitants consumed 11633 kWh of energy during the year. The heat pump consumed 64.23% of total energy used by inhabitants. The photovoltaic panels generated the electricity of 7728.9 kWh. Profitability of the investment was demonstrated based on analysis of its expenditure and operating costs. The payback time of a heat pump including various financing sources, such as: 100% of one's own contribution, loan for the installation of device using renewable energy sources, the subsidy "My Electricity" and the thermo-modernization allowance was analyzed. The analysis showed that the shortest payback time for this investment using "One's own contribution + subsidy My Electricity + thermo modernization relief" is 11 years and 6 months. • The inhabitants consumed 11633 kWh of energy during the year. • The photovoltaic panels generated the electricity of 7728.9 kWh. • The heat pump consumed 64.2% of total energy using by inhabitants. • The shortest playback time for the considered investment is 11 years and 6 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents test methods and results of assessment data necessary for determination of building energy consumption, based on measurements in an occupied typical single-family house in Poland. Comprehensive on-site measurements included the building envelope, heating system, domestic hot water system, ventilation system with heat recovery and indoor environment quality. A new wireless measurement system was used. The results obtained from the thermal diagnostics were used to analyze the energy consumption of the house in four different successive building modernization stages. The steps undertaken included improvement of wall and window insulation, installation of mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, improvement of house airtightness and replacement of the boiler and the hot water storage vessel with more efficient ones. Such steps are typical activities undertaken without a prior energy analysis by owners of single-family houses. Before thermal renovation the indicator of non-renewable primary energy was 243 kWh/(m 2 y) and after renovation this decreased to 147 kWh/(m 2 y). Proper selection of thermo-modernization measures would allow to reach the lower value of this indicator. However, it still would be higher than the required for newly built single-family houses in Poland. The execution of thermal diagnostics both before and after thermal renovation of the house enable the correct performance of that process and the achievement of greater energy savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the consumption of energy needed to heat a detached house located in the north-east of Poland, as well as the cost of heat generation by combustion of wood briquettes compared to other biomass fuels and fossil fuels. The annual average consumption of briquettes during three heating seasons was 6.93–7.42 t/year and the annual consumption of fuel energy was 121–130 GJ/year. Expressed as energy per unit area of the house, the consumption of heat ranged from 0.40 to 0.42 GJ/m 2 /year. The average annual consumption of heat per person was 20.22–21.65 GJ. The annual cost of production of heat from briquettes for a house ranged from €772 to €986 during the three seasons under study. The cost of energy production from this fuel was much lower compared to fuel oil, natural gas, coal and pellets, but was higher compared to willow chips. Briquettes, which are produced in Poland in piston briquetting presses and which can be used as fuel in automatic boilers, is a prospective and promising feedstock for generating heat for family houses. The high price of new automatic biomass boilers is the main barrier in the modernisation of boiler houses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the results of various scenarios for optimizing Poland's future energy system up to 2050. The objective of the study was to demonstrate through the use of models how the level of binding targets for the share of renewable energy (RES) in final energy consumption would impact the evolution of the Polish energy sector. The differences in the compared scenarios consist of the level of RES (renewable energy sources) targets while assuming the same ETS (emissions trading system) CO 2 reduction pathways. These scenarios of differing RES targets are compared with other ones where the level of RES obligatory for 2020 has not been increased in the 2020–2050 period. The lack of increasing RES targets applies no preference for any particular technology, and the resulting energy mix is cost-optimal. Potential variations in the energy mix are shown, addressing the fuel and technological structure of electricity production. The analysis presents the costs of electricity generation in the examined scenarios and the level of capital expenditures for the development of new capacities. It examines how RES technologies may develop in Poland with and without the national RES targets after 2020, and the consequences for coal as well as the development of clean coal technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of research on operational energy consumption of a vehicle in conditions of urban transit in Poland. An important role in Intelligent Transportation Systems in the road transport is played by transit in urban agglomerations. The analysis was based on the use of telemetry systems and statistical analysis of the waveform of digital speed recording. The resulting empirical cumulative distribution functions of phases of acceleration and deceleration speeds allowed to determine the kinetic losses of the vehicle (fuel consumption). The statistical significance of differences between cumulative distribution functions was tested using the Smirnov–Kolmogorov test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents an evaluation of energy-related and economic aspects of production of thermal energy to heat a family house with wood briquette. The object of the study was a detached house with an area of 247m2, situated in Olsztyn, in the north-east of Poland. The study lasted three years, from October 2006 to September 2009. The highest monthly consumption of wood briquette for thermal energy production: heating water for the central heating system and hot utility water production were recorded in January (1052–1333kg/month). The average annual briquette consumption ranged from 6.36 to 6.72t/year. With the mean lower heating value of briquette of 17.99GJ/t, the mean consumption of energy in the fuel ranged from 114 to 121GJ/year. The annual cost of heat production for a family house with briquette as fuel ranged from €572 to €651, during the 2006/2007 and 2008/2009 seasons, respectively. It would have been cheaper by €187–228year−1 to heat the house with seasoned willow chips, whereas using alternative fuels, such as hard coal (fraction 0.5–2.5cm) oak pellets, natural gas and heating oil would have increased the cost of heat production. If the last of those fuels had been used, it would have increased the cost 3.5-fold as compared with wood briquette. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses energy use in the case of four countries, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, and Romania, which changed the economic system from command economy to open-market. The analysis provided uses the multi-scale integrated analysis of societal metabolism (MSIASM) approach and contrasts it with the use of the traditional indicators approach (GDP growth rates and energy intensity). These traditional indicators have been widely criticized for being inadequate reflections of how energy policies work. Furthermore, the one-size-fits-all policies that result from analyzing these indicators are inaccurate, particularly for transitional economies. The alternative indicators, economic labor productivity, saturation index of human activity, and exosomatic metabolic rates are used to investigate the four case studies considering the complexity of the transition process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper determines the effect of compaction process parameters such as compressive stress, process temperature and biomass moisture content on the density of the resulting briquette, its compressive strength, Young's modulus, relaxation, process energy consumption, and the work needed for densification. The research material was pine sawdust from the forests of Puszcza Zielonka located in the west-central region of Poland which was dried to the moisture content of 20% and 10%. It was subjected to the loading–unloading process and the triaxial compression process, and the resulting briquette was subjected to axial compression and shear. The values of the friction coefficient of sawdust against steel – the material of the compaction assembly elements – were determined. The experimental research made it possible to determine the best values for the compaction process parameters in order to obtain the optimal properties of briquettes, taking into account their transport and storage as well as application as an biofuel. The highest strength of the briquette was obtained for the compressive stress of 150 MPa, temperature of 150 °C and sawdust moisture content of 10%. The research enabled the creation of the numerical model for the compaction process using the Drucker-Prager-Cap model. The simulation model and its experimental verification made it possible to reflect the characteristics of changes in compaction force, energy consumption and density, which makes it useful in the context of simulating the compaction process without the need to perform experiments. It also enables the formulation of guidelines for newly developed designs of compaction machinery working units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing global human population requires providing a larger amount of food, including vegetables. This, in turn, leads to increased intensity of production, which impacts the environment. The paper contains a comparative analysis of the technologies of conventional and organic carrot production in the context of their impact on the natural environment. The environmental analysis was carried out using a standardized global Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method. The research was conducted for carrot plantations in the south of Poland, a part of the country which is one of the main producers of this vegetable in Europe; the region in question is characterised by a very large area where the carrot is grown. The 'cradle-to-gate' approach was adopted, given the fact that at this stage of production there are significant differences related to the technologies used for both systems of cultivation. The cultivation area (1 ha) was adopted as the main functional unit. For the purpose of a more extensive analysis, selected final results were additionally compared against the yield (1 t). In order to determine the environmental correlations of all the inputs and outputs included in the LCA research and to estimate their impact on the environment, the SimaPro ver. 8.1.0.60 application was used. The cultivation area (1 ha) was adopted as the main functional unit. For the purpose of a more extensive analysis, selected final results were additionally compared against the yield (1 t). • The cultivation of carrot has a significant impact on the environment. • One of the main factors affecting the environment is fuel consumption. • Reducing the transport distance can significantly reduce environmental losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing energy consumption is a way to make the energy sector less invasive for the natural environment. Energy policy is essential to motivate consumers to decrease electricity consumption and should take into account the specificity of each sector (industry, households, transport). The energy policy of the member states of the European Union should consider the factors of increased demand for electricity and support solutions such as smart metering and prosumer energy. This paper provides an overview of the pro-efficiency policy of households in Poland, affecting the residential sector, and assesses the regulations implemented so far. The evaluation of the policy uses an econometric approach (congruent modelling). The impact of energy policy was determined by giving weights to individual regulations taking into account their variability in time. The created models showed a significant impact of the introduced regulations on the reduction of energy consumption and confirmed their changeable influence over time. Their time-limited impact on reducing energy consumption forces taking further actions motivating consumers to electricity saving. The review of Polish energy regulations revealed a lack of sufficient provision in the field of developing smart technology limited use of energy policy tools such as informative billing and information campaigns. • Assessing policy impact needs an extensive review of different kind of sources. • In Poland, policy-making instruments need improvement in the context of households. • Lack of legislative solutions on smart metering in Poland may slow down smart cities development. • Models of energy use in Poland were created using econometric approach (congruent modelling) to test the policy impact. • New regulations are needed to maintain the reduction in energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, 57.4% of the European Union (EU-28) population live in houses which usually need separate boilers to generate thermal energy. The research presented in this paper pertained to a detached house in the north-east of Poland, in which thermal energy was generated over 12 consecutive years by burning wood briquettes. This study analysed the quality and quantity of wood briquettes, energy consumption and cost of thermal energy generation for the house with the use of an automatic biomass burning unit, compared with other types of fuels. The annual consumption of briquette energy was 124.5 GJ year−1. The average annual cost of thermal energy generation for a house was 739 € year−1. When the cost of the boiler purchase and its service and fuel purchase costs were taken into account, the 12-year operating cost for a briquette-fired boiler was found to be similar to the operation cost for a coal-fired boiler and higher by 21% compared to willow chips-fired boiler. The operation of a boiler fired with other fuels, like pellets, natural gas or heating oil during the same period was more expensive by 39%, 46% and 157%, respectively. • Wood briquette can be successfully used in automatic boilers for as long as 12 years. • The average consumption of briquettes for thermal energy generation was 7 Mg year−1. • Average heat energy consumption per 1 m2 of the house area was 0.45 GJ. • 12 year operating cost for a briquette boiler was similar to the cost for a coal. • The operation cost for a pellets, gas and oil boiler was expensive by 39, 46, 157%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]