Marek Szafraniec

The increasing deployment of renewable energy sources and energy storage technologies has stimulated growing interest in their contribution to energy security and energy independence. This study examines the structure, conceptual organization, and evolution of the emerging research domain linking renewable energy, energy storage, energy security, and energy independence. This domain is referred to here as Renewables-Storage-Security at the Country Level (RSSC). A bibliometric analysis of 468 Scopus-indexed publications was conducted using performance analysis, keyword co-occurrence analysis, overlay visualization, thematic evolution analysis, and thematic mapping. The results indicate that the RSSC analytical domain has evolved from a predominantly techno-economic focus on renewable energy and energy storage integration toward broader system-oriented themes related to energy transition, energy security, resilience, long-duration storage, hydrogen technologies, Power-to-X, and energy planning. Within the analyzed Scopus-indexed corpus, concepts such as energy security, energy independence, resilience, and energy self-sufficiency exhibited differentiated network positions and thematic associations. Energy independence was weakly represented as a standalone keyword theme and was more often associated with broader themes of energy-system transformation. This study contributes to a better understanding of the evolving role of storage-supported renewable power systems in contemporary energy-security research.

Purpose: The main aim of the paper is to update and extend evidence on the diffusion of ISO-based management system certifications in Poland in 2018-2023, quantifying dynamics (levels, YoY changes) and the current sectoral profile across six widely adopted standards. The achievement of this main objective is preceded by a verification of the chronology of the diffusion of the specific subject matter of the standards over time. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative, longitudinal analysis based on secondary data from the 2018–2023 ISO Survey was employed. Certificates were operationalized, and a selection filter was applied to focus on six cross-sector standards (ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, 50001, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO 22301), while highly sector-specific or nascent standards were excluded. Time-series indicators (levels, YOY) and a 2023 sectoral cross-section were computed using the ISO sector taxonomy. Findings: The obtained results indicate that (1) The certification uptake is definitely sector concentrated rather than uniform across the economy. (2) The ISO 9001/14001 standards dominate volumes but show stabilization/soft declines after the 2019 pre-pandemic peak. (3) The newer OH&S (ISO 45001) and the energy (ISO 50001) systems grow steadily from a lower base. (4) The certification volume of most standards decreased in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. (5) There are sectors with high certification rates for all systems (e.g.: Basic metal & fabricated metal products, Wholesale & retail trade, Electrical and optical equipment), but there are also sectors characteristic of selected standards (e.g.: Transport, storage and communication / Gas supply). Research limitations/implications: The study is limited by its reliance on aggregated secondary data from the ISO Survey, where data reporting by national accreditation and certification bodies is voluntary. Practical implications: The results can inform policymakers and accreditation bodies in designing targeted support mechanisms to encourage certification in lagging sectors. For businesses, the findings provide benchmarks and strategic insight into sectoral trends. Originality/value: This paper offers an updated, Poland-focused, multi-standard, sector specific analysis of certification diffusion in Poland, filling a gap in the literature by integrating multi-year ISO Survey data with a theoretical perspective. It is particularly relevant to researchers, indicating the need for more detailed, in-depth research, as well as to consultants and decision-makers.

This study presents a comprehensive analysis aiming to identify the implementation level of intelligent and environmentally friendly solutions (IEFS) in cities in Poland, and barriers impeding their development. Based on a representative sample of 280 cities, it was evident that the implementation level of IEFS in Poland is relatively very low. The most common barriers to IEFS implementation as indicated by representatives of city authorities were high costs, lack of adequate funds, and lack of awareness of benefits resulting from applying IEFS. Nevertheless, regression analyses showed that the IEFS implementation level was mostly affected by cities’ population size and perception of individual IEFS as integral elements of the smart city concept. It was also revealed that the high costs of implementing IEFS, the lack of their inclusion in local development strategies, the lack of appropriate legal regulations, the lack of widespread good practices, and the resistance of inhabitants to change and to new technologies perceived as impediments had significant negative effects on the implementation level of specific IEFS. Furthermore, the analyses demonstrated that perceiving certain issues as barriers did not hinder the implementation of such solutions. Based on a discussion of the results, relevant recommendations and directions for future research are proposed.

In recent years increasing attention has been paid to theory building and empirical research that explore the links between the business model and open innovation (BM&OI). Nevertheless, studies presenting the results of bibliometric analyses merging these two terms are still scarce. Therefore, the main aim of this paper was to present the results of a comprehensive bibliometric analysis focused on the determination and mapping of the evolving cognitive and social structures in the BM&OI literature to set proposals for directions of future research. Our research was based on the dataset obtained from the Scopus database and made use of the Biblioshiny and the VOSviewer software. Descriptive and network analyses were conducted to demonstrate an overview of the scientific field under consideration. We identified the leading authors, sources, countries and institutions in the BM&OI literature. The most influential publications on the BM&OI and the most cited references by documents covering the BM&OI research were indicated. Based on the thematic evolution and thematic maps, the evolving structures of key sub-fields of the BM&OI research were determined and discussed. Moreover, the major clusters and the specificity of scientific collaboration in the analyzed research domain were identified and described. Our intention was to demonstrate to both scholars and practitioners the wide-ranging landscape of multifaceted research on the BM&OI.

Due to the growing academic interest in social innovation, there is a need for a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the structure and evolution of this research field. So far, there have been very few in-depth studies in this area. In addition, the number of publications in this domain grows dynamically year by year. For this reason, it was assumed that the existing research needs expansion and updating. Therefore, this study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis aiming to identify research patterns and trends in the scientific literature on social innovation. Descriptive and performance analyses as well as research field mapping based on network analyses were performed. The most productive authors, sources, academic organizations, and countries in the social innovation literature were indicated. Moreover, the most influential authors and publications in the analyzed research field were determined. Furthermore, the evolution of social innovation research and the scientific collaboration in this area were shown and characterized. The analysis results were intended to show academics and practitioners an up-to-date, comprehensive picture of the multidisciplinary and multifaceted phenomenon of the research on social innovation.

The European Union has adopted very ambitious climate and energy goals for the coming years. The key prerequisite to successfully achieve these goals seems to be extensive support and adequate commitment of the member states and their citizens to the implementation of the clean energy transition and climate neutrality measures. Therefore, this study presents a comprehensive analysis aiming to identify the factors determining the EU citizens’ attitudes towards the European Energy Union priorities. The analysis was based on representative data obtained from residents of twenty-seven EU countries using a Eurobarometer survey. The collected data were subjected to a comparative analysis and binary logistic regression. The research results demonstrated that the support for specific energy policy priorities varies significantly depending on different perceptions of the EU citizens and was affected by a number of demographic variables. It was indicated that perceiving the environment, climate and energy as the most important issues from the perspective of an individual, a country and the EU significantly affects attitudes towards energy policy priorities. However, this mostly concerned the awareness of the importance of these issues at the EU level. Individuals who supported a common energy policy among the EU member states were more likely to point to green energy priorities, whereas guaranteeing low energy prices for companies and consumers seemed less important for them. It was remarkable that the reduction of energy consumption was indicated as an energy policy priority by respondents expecting both more and less decision-making at the European level in the field of environmental protection. People with a right-wing orientation were the most likely to support the competitiveness of the EU’s industry, while individuals with a leftist ideology showed the strongest tendency to opt for environmental protection. Furthermore, gender, occupation and the place and country of residence emerged as very important determinants of attitudes towards the European Energy Union priorities, whereas age and the educational level were predictors in very few cases only.

The achievement of climate neutrality and eco-economic decoupling requires explicit measures to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions and to implement circular economy (CE) principles in practice. The energy sector is of particular importance in meeting these challenges because it exerts a substantial environmental impact. Therefore, it is extremely important to determine how essential GHG and CE issues are for companies operating in the energy sector. This can be reflected in corporate strategies, but it can also be disclosed to the public in sustainability reports. For this reason, this article presents a comprehensive analysis of sustainability reports based on the latest GRI Standards published by companies representing the energy sector in the European Union to determine the existence, quality, and specificity of reporting GHG and CE issues. The research results demonstrate that sustainability reports from the energy sector companies tend to focus more on GHG issues. They rarely point to actions related to CE, including actions enabling a reduction in GHG emissions, as those with high priority. In addition, declarations from the analyzed companies regarding intentions related to GHG and CE issues at the strategic level find a rather poor reflection in the description of specific actions in this area or in demonstrating appropriate indicators at the operational level. Considering the indicators included in the reports, the analyzed companies insufficiently describe the methods they use to gather, compile, and analyze information on the effectiveness of actions taken to address GHG and CE issues. As for the identification of potential determinants of the quality of reporting GHG and CE issues, the research results indicate that it is mostly influenced by external assurance and the report option. Sustainability reports submitted for external assurance and reports with the comprehensive option are significantly more developed than other types of reports. However, the clarity of reports with the core option is higher compared to the comprehensive group. In addition, it was indicated that the clarity of stand-alone reports is higher compared to other types of reports.

The smart sustainable city (SSC) is a concept created in response to problems and challenges arising from rapid urbanization. This is a relatively new term that is developing dynamically, which is confirmed by the growing number of publications over recent years. For this reason, this article presented an up-to-date comprehensive bibliometric analysis to describe and assess the scientific landscape of smart and sustainable cities literature. The analysis was based on two bibliographic sources—the Web of Science Core Collection and the Scopus database. It covers publications on the SSC, as well as documents describing the smart city (SC) and the sustainable city (SuC) concepts separately. VOSviewer and Biblioshiny were selected as software tools for the bibliometric analysis. Based on the descriptive bibliometric analysis, quantity and quality indicators were determined separately for the SC, SuC, and SSC concepts, while the network analysis mapped and covered the level of multi-faceted scientific cooperation in the field of the SSC research. The analysis results were intended to familiarize scholars and practitioners with the most prolific authors, sources, institutions, and countries in the analyzed scientific field, to identify the most influential research channels and impact from authors, sources, countries, and research topics, to determine major clusters of the SSC research and also to provide valuable information for further investigation.