The Political Economy of Sustainable Energy

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last two decades, the world has been shifting towards sustainable development that takes into account the relationship between nature, the economy and society. This concept emerged at the end of the 20^th century, during an ongoing ecological crisis, acute environmental problems, an energy trap, and various social problems. Today, sustainable development is an intrinsic element not only of environmental policy, but also socioeconomic policy and various socioeconomic development strategies, on the global, national, regional, and local scales.

Sustainable development is supported primarily by the awareness of future problems related to nature and its resources, the economy, and society. Its implementation raises many questions: for example, the emergence of the concept of sustainable energy. A broad explanation of this concept is hard to identify. Sustainable energy is usually identified by the use of renewable energy sources (RES), but this approach should be considered an oversimplification.

As far as energy sources are concerned, the problem of building sustainability comes down to the use of energy sources:

• that are not significantly depleted by continued use;
• the use of which does not result in emissions of pollutants or other substances hazardous to the environment on a significant scale;
• the use of which does not perpetuate significant health risks or social injustice.

According to Sustainable Development Goal 7, overcoming challenges and securing opportunities in today's world is based on access to energy. It is needed for jobs, security, climate change, food production, or efforts to increase GDP.

New economic opportunities and jobs can ensure universal access to energy, as well as improved energy efficiency and the popularization of renewable energy. They will also help create more sustainable and inclusive communities and increase resilience to the effects of climate change.

Currently, approximately 3 billion people lack access to clean cooking fuel and are exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution. In addition, nearly 1 billion people lack access to electricity, as many as 50% of which are residents of sub-Saharan Africa. In the last decade, progress has been observed in the use of RES—water, solar, and wind—and the ratio of energy consumed per unit of GDP is also decreasing.

However, this problem is far from being solved. The access to clean fuels and technologies must be increased and the use of RES in buildings, transport, and industry must be improved. Public and private investment in energy needs to be increased, and greater emphasis must be placed on regulatory frameworks and innovative business models to transform the world's energy systems.

For this Special Issue, we are looking for papers on sustainable energy policies, including energy, environmental, and economic dimensions. We are interested in potential scenarios of extensive use of RES and energy-storage systems, taking into account resource availability, material flow analysis, recycling, assessment of macroenergy scenarios, technological innovation, energy return on energy investment (EROI), and technological–economic–social implications. Theoretical and empirical studies and recent surveys are welcome. Prospective authors are invited to submit manuscripts for review for publication in this Special Issue.

Selected topics for the publication include, but are not limited to:

• Prosumer policy;
• Technological innovation in the energy sector, including RES;
• Corporate social responsibility;
• Education on RES;
• Local and regional conditions of sustainable energy development;
• Energy transformation;
• Future scenarios;
• Energy hubs;
• Cumulative energy demand;
• Return on energy investments;
• Environmental impact;
• Availability and characteristics of renewable resources;
• Resource recovery;
• Material flow analysis;
• Renewable energy;
• Energy efficiency.

Prof. Dr. Anna Szeląg-Sikora
Prof. Dr. Jakub Sikora
Dr. Zofia Gródek-Szostak
Dr. Marcin Suder
Guest Editors

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