IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v17y2024i23p6185-d1539094.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Investments in Renewable Energy in Rural Communes: An Analysis of Regional Disparities in Poland

Author

Listed:
  • Agnieszka Kozera

    (Department of Finance and Accounting, Faculty of Economics, Poznań University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznan, Poland)

  • Aldona Standar

    (Department of Economics and Economic Policy in Agribusiness, Faculty of Economics, Poznań University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznan, Poland)

  • Joanna Stanisławska

    (Department of Finance and Accounting, Faculty of Economics, Poznań University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznan, Poland)

  • Anna Rosa

    (Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development, Polish Academy of Sciences, 00-901 Warsaw, Poland)

Abstract

Although energy transformation is a widely discussed topic, there is a dearth of research on the role of rural communes in implementing that concept in Poland, a country where rural areas account for more than 90% of the total landmass. Most research projects are focused on larger local government units, such as cities, whereas rural communes’ role in the development of local energy policies and impact on the development of renewable energy sources (RESs) is often disregarded. Therefore, this study extends the existing literature resources with a view to bridging that gap by assessing rural communes’ investment activity in the context of the Polish energy transformation, with particular emphasis on regional differences in RES investments financed with Union funds. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to assess the contribution of rural communes to the Polish energy transformation process, with a particular focus on regional differences in renewable energy investments financed with European Union funds in the successive seven-year financial perspectives 2007–2013 and 2014–2020. The study aimed to answer the following key research questions: how does the level of rural communes’ investment activities related to renewable energy development compare to that of other commune types? What are the regional differences in rural communes’ investment activities related to renewable energy? What are the main factors affecting rural communes’ investment activity in regions most involved in the development of renewable energies? The study relies on data from the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy and from the Local Data Bank of the Central Statistical Office. The dataset was processed with the use of descriptive statistics methods and Ward’s method with a view to identifying regional patterns and conditions for the development of renewable energy investments. This study focuses on the investment activities of rural communes in Poland related to RESs financed with European Union funds. The empirical research results highlight rural municipalities’ crucial role in developing RES, emphasizing their high investment activity and significant regional differences. Municipalities from the eastern Polish provinces of Lublin and Podlasie have successfully secured EU funds for RES development. They have implemented numerous projects, primarily related to solar energy.

Suggested Citation

  • Agnieszka Kozera & Aldona Standar & Joanna Stanisławska & Anna Rosa, 2024. "Investments in Renewable Energy in Rural Communes: An Analysis of Regional Disparities in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-32, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:23:p:6185-:d:1539094
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/23/6185/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/23/6185/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wang, Junlei & Geng, Linfeng & Ding, Lin & Zhu, Hongjun & Yurchenko, Daniil, 2020. "The state-of-the-art review on energy harvesting from flow-induced vibrations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 267(C).
    2. Agnieszka Kozera & Aldona Standar & Natalia Genstwa, 2023. "Are Most Polluted Regions Most Active in Energy Transition Processes? A Case Study of Polish Regions Acquiring EU Funds for Local Investments in Renewable Energy Sources," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-27, November.
    3. Klepacka, Anna M., 2019. "Significance of Renewable Energy Sources in Sustainable Development," Roczniki (Annals), Polish Association of Agricultural Economists and Agribusiness - Stowarzyszenie Ekonomistow Rolnictwa e Agrobiznesu (SERiA), vol. 2019(1).
    4. Eberts, Randall W. & Gronberg, Timothy J., 1981. "Jurisdictional homogeneity and the Tiebout hypothesis," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 10(2), pages 227-239, September.
    5. Bart Voorn & Marieke L. Van Genugten & Sandra Van Thiel, 2021. "Re-interpreting re-municipalization: finding equilibrium," Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(3), pages 305-318, July.
    6. Stanisław Jaworski & Mariola Chrzanowska & Monika Zielińska-Sitkiewicz & Robert Pietrzykowski & Aleksandra Jezierska-Thöle & Piotr Zielonka, 2023. "Evaluating the Progress of Renewable Energy Sources in Poland: A Multidimensional Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-21, September.
    7. Clausen, Laura Tolnov & Rudolph, David, 2020. "Renewable energy for sustainable rural development: Synergies and mismatches," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    8. Wajahat Ullah Khan Tareen & Zuha Anjum & Nabila Yasin & Leenah Siddiqui & Ifzana Farhat & Suheel Abdullah Malik & Saad Mekhilef & Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian & Ben Horan & Mohamed Darwish & Muhammad Aamir &, 2018. "The Prospective Non-Conventional Alternate and Renewable Energy Sources in Pakistan—A Focus on Biomass Energy for Power Generation, Transportation, and Industrial Fuel," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-49, September.
    9. Taghikhah, Firouzeh Rosa & Taghikhah, Masoud & Marshall, Jonathan Paul & Voinov, Alexey, 2024. "Navigating the community renewable energy landscape: An analytics-driven policy formulation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 362(C).
    10. Bódis, Katalin & Kougias, Ioannis & Jäger-Waldau, Arnulf & Taylor, Nigel & Szabó, Sándor, 2019. "A high-resolution geospatial assessment of the rooftop solar photovoltaic potential in the European Union," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 1-1.
    11. Gradziuk, Barbara & Gradziuk, Piotr, 2020. "Heat Pumps Versus Biomass Boilers: A Comparative Analysis of Heating Costs for Public Buildings," Roczniki (Annals), Polish Association of Agricultural Economists and Agribusiness - Stowarzyszenie Ekonomistow Rolnictwa e Agrobiznesu (SERiA), vol. 2020(3).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Anna Dębicka & Karolina Olejniczak & Bartosz Radomski & Dariusz Kurz & Dawid Poddubiecki, 2024. "Renewable Energy Investments in Poland: Goals, Socio-Economic Benefits, and Development Directions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-20, May.
    2. Bogdan Klepacki & Barbara Kusto & Piotr Bórawski & Aneta Bełdycka-Bórawska & Konrad Michalski & Aleksandra Perkowska & Tomasz Rokicki, 2021. "Investments in Renewable Energy Sources in Basic Units of Local Government in Rural Areas," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-17, May.
    3. Małgorzata Rataj & Justyna Berniak-Woźny & Marlena Plebańska, 2021. "Poland as the EU Leader in Terms of Photovoltaic Market Growth Dynamics—Behind the Scenes," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-19, October.
    4. Aldona Standar & Agnieszka Kozera & Łukasz Satoła, 2021. "The Importance of Local Investments Co-Financed by the European Union in the Field of Renewable Energy Sources in Rural Areas of Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-23, January.
    5. Mirosława Witkowska-Dąbrowska & Natalia Świdyńska & Agnieszka Napiórkowska-Baryła, 2023. "Reviewing the Situation and Prospects for Developing Small Renewable Energy Systems in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-27, October.
    6. Piotr Gradziuk & Aleksandra Siudek & Anna M. Klepacka & Wojciech J. Florkowski & Anna Trocewicz & Iryna Skorokhod, 2022. "Heat Pump Installation in Public Buildings: Savings and Environmental Benefits in Underserved Rural Areas," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-16, October.
    7. Sahoo, Somadutta & Zuidema, Christian & van Stralen, Joost N.P. & Sijm, Jos & Faaij, André, 2022. "Detailed spatial analysis of renewables’ potential and heat: A study of Groningen Province in the northern Netherlands," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 318(C).
    8. Sun, Hongjun & Yang, Zhen & Li, Jinxia & Ding, Hongbing & Lv, Pengfei, 2024. "Performance evaluation and optimal design for passive turbulence control-based hydrokinetic energy harvester using EWM-based TOPSIS," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).
    9. Petr Hlavacek & Vladim r Skaln k, 2021. "The Implementation of Smart Energy into Transformation of the Rural Area: The Use of Public Policies for Smart Villages Development," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(4), pages 1-6.
    10. Christian Buerger, 2020. "The Influence of Finance Policies on Charter School Supply Decisions in Five States," Public Budgeting & Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(2), pages 44-74, June.
    11. Lars-Erik Borge & Jan K. Brueckner & Jorn Rattso, 2012. "Partial Fiscal Decentralization and Public-Sector Heterogeneity: Theory and Evidence from Norway," CESifo Working Paper Series 3954, CESifo.
    12. Latif, Usman & Dowell, Earl H. & Uddin, E. & Younis, M.Y. & Frisch, H.M., 2024. "Comparative analysis of flag based energy harvester undergoing extraneous induced excitation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 295(C).
    13. Mahmood Al-Riyami & Issam Bahadur & Hassen Ouakad, 2022. "There Is Plenty of Room inside a Bluff Body: A Hybrid Piezoelectric and Electromagnetic Wind Energy Harvester," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-21, August.
    14. Zhang, Chao & Fan, Yupeng & Fang, Chuanglin, 2024. "Orderly and synergistic development of urban-rural integration based on evolutionary game model: A case study in the Jiangxi Province, China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    15. Zhang, Jingyu & Li, Xuefeng & Li, Renfu & Dai, Lu & Wang, Wei & Yang, Kai, 2021. "Internal resonance of a two-degree-of-freedom tuned bistable electromagnetic actuator," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    16. Gu, Shanghao & Xu, Weihan & Xi, Kunling & Luo, Anxin & Fan, Kangqi & Wang, Fei, 2024. "High-performance piezoelectric energy harvesting system with anti-interference capability for smart grid monitoring," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 221(C).
    17. Vladimir Z. Gjorgievski & Nikolas G. Chatzigeorgiou & Venizelos Venizelou & Georgios C. Christoforidis & George E. Georghiou & Grigoris K. Papagiannis, 2020. "Evaluation of Load Matching Indicators in Residential PV Systems-the Case of Cyprus," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-18, April.
    18. Wang, Zhemin & Du, Yu & Li, Tianrun & Yan, Zhimiao & Tan, Ting, 2021. "A flute-inspired broadband piezoelectric vibration energy harvesting device with mechanical intelligent design," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 303(C).
    19. Magdalena Grębosz-Krawczyk & Agnieszka Zakrzewska-Bielawska & Beata Glinka & Aldona Glińska-Neweś, 2021. "Why Do Consumers Choose Photovoltaic Panels? Identification of the Factors Influencing Consumers’ Choice Behavior regarding Photovoltaic Panel Installations," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-20, May.
    20. Willockx, Brecht & Reher, Thomas & Lavaert, Cas & Herteleer, Bert & Van de Poel, Bram & Cappelle, Jan, 2024. "Design and evaluation of an agrivoltaic system for a pear orchard," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 353(PB).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:23:p:6185-:d:1539094. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.