The Polish economy is facing a huge challenge regarding the future of energy in Poland. The current energy system is very inefficient, it consumes huge resources that, like countries with high energy efficiency, could be allocated to the development of low-carbon and renewable energy networks. At the moment, the Polish energy sector, related to the coal monoculture, lacks electricity and the entire transmission system is obsolete. The solution may be distributed energy, which can ultimately satisfy energy supplies in less urbanized areas and in rural areas, while guaranteeing the sustainable development of these areas. In order to take up the challenge of better understanding and explaining such a complex reality, it was decided that the research framework of this article will be distributed energy in the region. The aim of the article is to ensure energy security in the conditions of innovative, ecological and open to competition regional energy using local energy resources. Currently, it is believed that distributed energy can be an effective solution to the problem of conventional energy operation.
The paper presents results of questionnaire research conducted to determine social preferences regarding leisure in Warsaw municipal forests (WMF) (Poland). The preferences pertained to frequency of visits and willingness to pay for recreational infrastructure in a forest depending on its appearance, level of development, and the respondent’s income. The data were processed using statistical analysis (ANOVA Friedman test, U Mann–Whitney test, logistic regression). The results show that the higher the development level of a forest, the more often young people choose it for leisure. Willingness to pay for a forest depends on its development level, with respondents more willing to fund forests with a higher development level. No such correlation with the respondents’ income was found. Preferences regarding the selection of a specific type of forest for leisure were dependent on per capita income of the respondents only in the case of forests at a lower level of development. A forest’s preference level affected the willingness to pay for it and varied depending on the development level.
The type of acquired food products is a derivative of various factors which depend both on economic aspects and consumer awareness. The purpose of this article is to present possible scenarios of changes in Polish agricultural products consumption structure in 2030 which may be due to increased consumer awareness and a transition to a more sustainable consumption. Suggested scenarios took into account both the supply side of Polish agricultural consumer products and the demand for such products. This study is based on data retrieved from FAOSTAT and Poland’s Central Statistical Office. We demonstrated that domestic agricultural production is capable of supplying Poland’s population with a sufficient amount of high-energy food products and proteins. Moreover, suggested scenarios anticipating reduced consumption of selected types of meat and cereals should not cause energy or protein deficiency. Total available energy (kcal/cap/day) in a scenario with reduced intake of selected animal and plant products (+/−75% scenario) could be 4141 while maintaining a balanced proportion of energy derived from protein (14.5%), animal proteins (48%) and an increase in the share of energy from plant production.
The paper presents the results of analytical and experimental studies of the hydrodynamics of the translational−rotational motion of incompressible gas flow within a working space of a variable-geometry vortex heat generator. The terminal velocity and pressure have been identified analytically. The effect of vortex generation on the ratio of the parameters has been analyzed. A mathematical model has been developed with a simplified design scheme that simulates the movement inside a vortex channel with fixed elements. On the basis of mathematical modelling, the influence of the apparatus-constructive (AC) design of the working space of a vortex heat generator on the generation of vortices inside the apparatus has been analyzed. The influence of the main geometric and hydrodynamic parameters of the device on the indicators of its energy efficiency has been investigated. The obtained models show the critical regions where the most intense cavitation zones are possible. An analysis of the hydrodynamics of the incompressible gas motion within the working space of the newly designed vortex heat generator with variable geometry has helped define both the terminal velocity and pressure. In addition, the effect of the facility geometry on the generation of vortices favoring cavitation was determined. The model studies have been carried out in terms of liquid loading changes in the 0.001–0.01 m3/s range. The changes in a velocity field within a working channel have been analyzed for the channel geometry, where a cone angle γ is 0° to 25°, with 130, 70, and 40 mm widths for the working channel. It has been identified that a sufficient axial symmetry of the heat carrier along a vortex accelerator enables the heat carrier inlet through a turbulizing nozzle. The dependence of the nozzle area, the effect on the efficiency of the vortex heat generator angle of attack of the vortex accelerator, and the ratio of the length and diameter of the vortex zone of the heat generator to its energy efficiency in general have been defined experimentally. These studies could be instrumental in the design of vortex heat generators whose geometry corresponds to the current requirements concerning energy efficiency. It has been found that the geometry of the vortex accelerator improves the operation of the heat generator by 35% in comparison with similar available designs.
The increased migration of people from rural areas to cities has prompted researchers to take an interest in the problem of the quality of life (QOL) of the urban population in different contexts. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the level of satisfaction of Warsaw residents with urban infrastructure (SUI) and their QOL, the impact of the SUI on the perception of a neighborhood as an ideal place to live and the relationship between the amount of green areas and and the SUI of Warsaw residents and their QOL. The quantitative survey was conducted using the CAWI method on a sample of 381 adults. The WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire was used to measure QOL, the scale used in earlier surveys was used to assess SUI, areas of of Warsaw with different amounts of green space were distinguished using cluster analysis. The study showed a relationship between the SUI declared by residents and their QOL, mainly in the environmental domain. The discriminant analysis showed that satisfaction with greenery is one of the most important determinants of the subjective perception of a neighborhood as an ideal place to live. There was no direct effect of the amount of green areas in objective terms on the QOL of Warsawians, but a relationship was noted between the amount of green areas and SUI, with the highest level of satisfaction noted for the Green-balanced Cluster, characterized by the most favorable combination of quality and utility of urban area.
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