The use of coal as a primary energy source has significant environmental implications. In recent years, the share of coal and fossil fuels in the energy mix has declined significantly. Nevertheless, the carbon footprint of electricity generation from fossil fuels remains significant. Coal-fired power plants, where energy is generated, should be the next link in the process of calculating the carbon footprint of coal, after coal mines. This article provides an overview of the literature on the carbon footprint of power plants. It aims to analyse and assess the carbon footprint of Polish coal-fired power plants and to present the current state of knowledge on methodologies for calculating it and ways to reduce it. The article uses databases from the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Instrat Foundation, the National Emission Balancing Centre, the Ministry of Climate and Environment, and the National Power System (KSE) from Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne S.A. The analysis covered actively operating power plants in Poland (as of 2025), including the basic fuel structure, the share of emissions from fuel combustion in total energy emissions, annual emissions and the emissions intensity of fossil fuels and derivatives. The latest available data from 2020-2024 was taken into account. The carbon footprint driving climate change is a reason to take action to reduce it. The article discusses CCS (carbon capture and storage) and its extension, CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage). The article is the next stage of research on the carbon footprint of various non-renewable and renewable energy sources in Poland and the European Union.
The paper examines the development potential of Veľaty, historically recognized as a former spa site, in the context of tourism, with particular emphasis on the use of the Slaná studňa mineral spring. To ensure a systematic and objective evaluation, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed as a multicriteria decision-making tool. Based on expert assessment, we assigned weights to nine criteria covering the area's natural, infrastructural, and safety dimensions. The resulting weighted attractiveness score reached 2.83 out of 5.00, indicating a moderate level of development while simultaneously revealing considerable untapped potential. The analysis identified site safety, the therapeutic value of the mineral spring, and accessibility as the principal determinants of development. Conversely, significant deficiencies were observed in the limited quality of services, underdeveloped infrastructure, and inadequate utilization of the mineral spring’s potential. In response to these disparities, a set of targeted measures is proposed, focusing on environmental revitalization, certification of the mineral resource, and integrating the locality into the Zemplín Geopark's tourism product portfolio. Implementing these measures provides a strategic pathway to transform the site from an isolated attraction into a comprehensive regional tourism product with substantial added value.
Distributed energy systems, treated as complex and flexible structures, form the foundation of modern energy transition strategies that adapt the energy sector to changing economic, technological, and environmental requirements. Implementing these strategies requires a multifaceted approach that considers local conditions as well as global trends in technology and energy policy development. This research aimed to analyse definitions and key aspects of distributed energy as a decentralised electricity generation system encompassing various sources and technologies. The study focused particularly on considering the multifaceted criteria for defining the concept of distributed energy, including parameters such as the installed capacity of systems, the location of generation units, the technologies used, and their impact on the natural environment. To achieve this objective, the study employed literature analysis, a review of reports from research institutions, and an examination of legal regulations related to distributed energy, which allowed identification of key elements of the field. Both traditional text analysis methods and advanced textual data mining techniques using computational tools such as IRaMuTeQ software were applied in the analysis. The primary data source was the Web of Science Core Collection (WoS), one of the most reliable and prestigious sources of scientific information in the energy field. The comparative analysis of approaches to defining distributed energy at the global level considered criteria such as installation capacity, location, energy-production technologies, and the market and regulatory context. The results reveal significant difficulties stemming from the lack of a uniform definition of distributed energy in management sciences, driven by regional and technological differences. Key factors shaping this sector include the decentralised structure of the energy system, local energy production and consumption, technological flexibility, and potential environmental benefits, which form the foundation for further development of distributed energy.
This research explores the effectiveness and influence of environmental taxes across Slovakia, Germany, Finland, and France. The aim was to analyze how these countries incorporate environmental taxes into their economic policies and their effectiveness in achieving sustainability goals. Regression and correlation analyses examined the relationship between environmental tax revenue and Gross Domestic Product (GDP), using data from Eurostat and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for the five-year period before the crisis. The results show significant differences between countries: Finland and France align better with sustainability objectives, while Germany and Slovakia show lower efficiency and a weaker relationship between tax revenue and GDP growth. The results indicate that the successful application of environmental taxes relies on their alignment with comprehensive fiscal and environmental policies.
Digital technology adoption (DTA) strengthens firms’ capacity to optimize their operations, improve their products, services, and communication with stakeholders which increases financial performance (FP). However, due to limited financial resources and a fragile structure, some firms, smaller enterprises can encounter several financial obstacles in adoption new technologies for their operations. In this regard, the antecedents of DTA, which are dynamic capabilities based on the Resource-based View (RBV) might help them cope with these financial issues. Drawing on dynamic capabilities of the RBV, this paper identifies three major factors accelerating DTA, namely, digital transformation (DT), digital capabilities (DC), and digital innovation (DI) and evaluates the relationship between these antecedents and FP. This study employs an online survey to collect data from 600 firms operating in different industries across several European countries and applies a purposive sampling method that is based on respondents’ job status. Moreover, this paper uses Ordinal Logistic Regression tests to perform research analyses. Unlike other studies that confirm positive associations between the determinants of DTA and FP, the results of this paper verify negative relationships between the antecedents of DTA and FP. Firm-level factors, such as the differences in DT between high tech and non-high tech industries including iron and mining sectors, and country-level factors such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data adoption by enterprises might be the reasons for the negative associations among the research variables.
