IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v18y2025i7p1695-d1622629.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Exploring the Green Horizon: Recent Research on Renewable Energy in Poland—A Review

Author

Listed:
  • Barış Aydın

    (Department of Industrial Engineering, Manisa Celal Bayar University, Manisa 45140, Türkiye)

  • Kinga Stecuła

    (Faculty of Organization and Management, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland)

  • Piotr Olczak

    (Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 7A Wybickiego, 31-261 Cracow, Poland)

  • Jarosław Kulpa

    (Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 7A Wybickiego, 31-261 Cracow, Poland)

  • Beniamin Stecuła

    (Faculty of Applied Mathematics, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland)

Abstract

This paper identifies and examines the latest research on renewable energy in Poland, reviewing articles published between 2021 and 2023 indexed in the Scopus database. It analyzes 124 papers, categorizing them into 11 thematic areas which include (1) energy production, (2) energy consumption, (3) energy policy, (4) sustainable development activities, (5) technology and engineering, (6) energy storage, (7) powering vehicles, (8) awareness and attitude regarding energy, (9) finances and investments, (10) emission, and (11) other. The main objective was to analyze the state of the current research on renewables in Poland. The results highlight significant progress in renewable energy capacity, particularly in wind and solar power, driven by national policies, EU funding, and growing public support. The analysis also reveals persistent challenges related to technology, infrastructure, and policy. The authors critically evaluate the research’s relevance to Poland’s energy sector and globally. They also refer to issue of non-renewable energy sources, which, despite the development of the RES sector, still play a dominant role in the Polish energy economy. Due to this, the article not only describes the state of knowledge, but also formulates conclusions on the real needs and opportunities for the further development of energy in Poland.

Suggested Citation

  • Barış Aydın & Kinga Stecuła & Piotr Olczak & Jarosław Kulpa & Beniamin Stecuła, 2025. "Exploring the Green Horizon: Recent Research on Renewable Energy in Poland—A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-35, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:7:p:1695-:d:1622629
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/7/1695/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/7/1695/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Marek Furmankiewicz & Richard J. Hewitt & Andrzej Kapusta & Iga Solecka, 2021. "Climate Change Challenges and Community-Led Development Strategies: Do They Fit Together in Fisheries Regions?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-21, October.
    2. Wendeker, Mirosław & Gęca, Michał Jan & Grabowski, Łukasz & Pietrykowski, Konrad & Kasianantham, Nanthagopal, 2022. "Measurements and analysis of a solar-assisted city bus with a diesel engine," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 309(C).
    3. Anna Bohdan & Sabina Klosa & Urszula Romaniuk, 2023. "Fluctuations of Natural Gas Prices for Households in the 2017–2022 Period—Polish Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-19, February.
    4. Bartłomiej Igliński & Michał Bernard Pietrzak & Urszula Kiełkowska & Mateusz Skrzatek & Artur Gajdos & Anas Zyadin & Karthikeyan Natarajan, 2022. "How to Meet the Green Deal Objectives—Is It Possible to Obtain 100% RES at the Regional Level in the EU?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-24, March.
    5. Agnieszka Dembicka-Niemiec & Edyta Szafranek-Stefaniuk & Antonina Kalinichenko, 2023. "Structural and Investment Funds of the European Union as an Instrument for Creating a Low-Carbon Economy by Selected Companies of the Energy Sector in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-21, February.
    6. Lisiak-Zielińska, Marta & Jałoszyńska, Sylwia & Borowiak, Klaudia & Budka, Anna & Dach, Jacek, 2023. "Perception of biogas plants: A public awareness and preference - A case study for the agricultural landscape," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    7. Furmankiewicz, Marek & Hewitt, Richard J. & Kazak, Jan K., 2021. "Can rural stakeholders drive the low-carbon transition? Analysis of climate-related activities planned in local development strategies in Poland," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    8. Izabella Lecka & Janusz Gudowski & Tomasz Wołowiec, 2022. "CSR in Poland and the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in the Energy Sector during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-25, September.
    9. Rusin, Andrzej & Wojaczek, Adam, 2023. "Changes in the structure of the Polish energy mix in the transition period to ensure the safety and reliability of energy supplies," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    10. Shoeib Faraji Abdolmaleki & Danial Esfandiary Abdolmaleki & Pastora M. Bello Bugallo, 2023. "Finding Sustainable Countries in Renewable Energy Sector: A Case Study for an EU Energy System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-22, June.
    11. Yang, Yuting, 2022. "Electricity interconnection with intermittent renewables," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    12. Kotowicz, J. & Brzęczek, M., 2021. "Methods to increase the efficiency of production and purification installations of renewable methanol," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 568-583.
    13. Bożena Gajdzik & Magdalena Jaciow & Radosław Wolniak & Robert Wolny & Wieslaw Wes Grebski, 2023. "Energy Behaviors of Prosumers in Example of Polish Households," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-26, March.
    14. Piotr Olczak & Małgorzata Olek & Dominika Matuszewska & Artur Dyczko & Tomasz Mania, 2021. "Monofacial and Bifacial Micro PV Installation as Element of Energy Transition—The Case of Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-22, January.
    15. Stanisław Bielski & Anna Zielińska-Chmielewska & Renata Marks-Bielska, 2021. "Use of Environmental Management Systems and Renewable Energy Sources in Selected Food Processing Enterprises in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-16, May.
    16. Mukhtarov, Shahriyar & Mikayilov, Jeyhun I., 2023. "Could financial development eliminate energy poverty through renewable energy in Poland?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    17. Fedorczak-Cisak, Małgorzata & Radziszewska-Zielina, Elżbieta & Nowak-Ocłoń, Marzena & Biskupski, Jacek & Jastrzębski, Paweł & Kotowicz, Anna & Varbanov, Petar Sabev & Klemeš, Jiří Jaromír, 2023. "A concept to maximise energy self-sufficiency of the housing stock in central Europe based on renewable resources and efficiency improvement," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    18. Marcin Cholewa & Farid Mammadov & Agnieszka Nowaczek, 2022. "The obstacles and challenges of transition towards a renewable and sustainable energy system in Azerbaijan and Poland," Mineral Economics, Springer;Raw Materials Group (RMG);Luleå University of Technology, vol. 35(1), pages 155-169, March.
    19. Adam Kałążny & Wojciech Morawski, 2021. "Taxation of Assets Used to Generate Energy—In the Context of the Transformation of the Polish Energy Sector from Coal Energy to Low-Emission Energy," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-18, July.
    20. Sobotka, Anna & Rowicki, Marcin & Badyda, Krzysztof & Sobotka, Piotr, 2021. "Regulatory aspects and electricity production analysis of an offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 315-326.
    21. Bożena Gajdzik & Magdalena Jaciow & Radosław Wolniak & Robert Wolny & Wieslaw Wes Grebski, 2023. "Assessment of Energy and Heat Consumption Trends and Forecasting in the Small Consumer Sector in Poland Based on Historical Data," Resources, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-33, September.
    22. Arkadiusz Piwowar & Maria Dzikuć, 2022. "Bioethanol Production in Poland in the Context of Sustainable Development-Current Status and Future Prospects," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-13, April.
    23. Grzegorz Ślusarz & Barbara Gołębiewska & Marek Cierpiał-Wolan & Jarosław Gołębiewski & Dariusz Twaróg & Sebastian Wójcik, 2021. "Regional Diversification of Potential, Production and Efficiency of Use of Biogas and Biomass in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-20, January.
    24. 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.
    25. 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.
    26. Aldona Standar & Agnieszka Kozera & Dawid Jabkowski, 2022. "The Role of Large Cities in the Development of Low-Carbon Economy—The Example of Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-17, January.
    27. Jankowski, Krzysztof Józef & Kołodziej, Barbara & Dubis, Bogdan & Sugier, Danuta & Antonkiewicz, Jacek & Szatkowski, Artur, 2023. "The effect of sewage sludge on the energy balance of cup plant biomass production. A six-year field experiment in Poland," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).
    28. Guetlein, Marie-Charlotte & Schleich, Joachim, 2023. "Understanding citizen investment in renewable energy communities," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 211(C).
    29. Igliński, Bartłomiej & Kiełkowska, Urszula & Pietrzak, Michał Bernard & Skrzatek, Mateusz & Kumar, Gopalakrishnan & Piechota, Grzegorz, 2023. "The regional energy transformation in the context of renewable energy sources potential," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 218(C).
    30. Tomasz Jałowiec & Henryk Wojtaszek & Ireneusz Miciuła, 2021. "Green Energy Management through the Implementation of RES in the EU. Analysis of the Opinions of Poland and Germany," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-33, December.
    31. Jurasz, Jakub & Piasecki, Adam & Hunt, Julian & Zheng, Wandong & Ma, Tao & Kies, Alexander, 2022. "Building integrated pumped-storage potential on a city scale: An analysis based on geographic information systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 242(C).
    32. Piotr Olczak, 2022. "Energy Productivity of Microinverter Photovoltaic Microinstallation: Comparison of Simulation and Measured Results—Poland Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-14, October.
    33. Bogusław Ślusarczyk & Patrycja Żegleń & Aldona Kluczek & Anna Nizioł & Małgorzata Górka, 2022. "The Impact of Renewable Energy Sources on the Economic Growth of Poland and Sweden Considering COVID-19 Times," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-19, January.
    34. Jarosław Kulpa & Paweł Kamiński & Kinga Stecuła & Dariusz Prostański & Piotr Matusiak & Daniel Kowol & Michał Kopacz & Piotr Olczak, 2021. "Technical and Economic Aspects of Electric Energy Storage in a Mine Shaft—Budryk Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-14, November.
    35. Kijo-Kleczkowska, Agnieszka & Bruś, Paweł & Więciorkowski, Grzegorz, 2023. "Economic analysis of heat pump exploitation – A case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    36. Anna Barwińska Małajowicz & Miroslava Knapková & Krzysztof Szczotka & Miriam Martinkovičová & Radosław Pyrek, 2022. "Energy Efficiency Policies in Poland and Slovakia in the Context of Individual Well-Being," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-29, December.
    37. Corakci, Aysegul & Omay, Tolga, 2023. "Is there convergence in renewable energy deployment? Evidence from a new panel unit root test with smooth and sharp structural breaks," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 648-662.
    38. Agnieszka Konopelko & Luiza Kostecka-Tomaszewska & Katarzyna Czerewacz-Filipowicz, 2023. "Rethinking EU Countries’ Energy Security Policy Resulting from the Ongoing Energy Crisis: Polish and German Standpoints," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-22, July.
    39. Mirosława Szewczyk & Anna Szeliga-Duchnowska, 2022. "Make Hay While the Sun Shines: Beneficiaries of Renewable Energy Promotion," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-15, May.
    40. Schmitz, N. & Sankowski, L. & Kaiser, F. & Schwotzer, C. & Echterhof, T. & Pfeifer, H., 2021. "Towards CO2-neutral process heat generation for continuous reheating furnaces in steel hot rolling mills – A case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    41. Riccardo Fraboni & Gianluca Grazieschi & Simon Pezzutto & Benjamin Mitterrutzner & Eric Wilczynski, 2023. "Environmental Assessment of Residential Space Heating and Cooling Technologies in Europe: A Review of 11 European Member States," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-22, February.
    42. Sylwester Robak & Robert Raczkowski & Michał Piekarz, 2023. "Development of the Wind Generation Sector and Its Effect on the Grid Operation—The Case of Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-16, September.
    43. Xiao, Lin & Guan, Yuru & Guo, Yaqin & Xue, Rui & Li, Jiashuo & Shan, Yuli, 2022. "Emission accounting and drivers in 2004 EU accession countries," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 314(C).
    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. Beata Hysa & Anna Mularczyk, 2024. "PESTEL Analysis of the Photovoltaic Market in Poland—A Systematic Review of Opportunities and Threats," Resources, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-29, September.
    2. Rafał Nagaj & Bożena Gajdzik & Radosław Wolniak & Wieslaw Wes Grebski, 2024. "The Impact of Deep Decarbonization Policy on the Level of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the European Union," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-23, March.
    3. Bartłomiej Igliński & Michał Bernard Pietrzak & Urszula Kiełkowska & Mateusz Skrzatek & Artur Gajdos & Anas Zyadin & Karthikeyan Natarajan, 2022. "How to Meet the Green Deal Objectives—Is It Possible to Obtain 100% RES at the Regional Level in the EU?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-24, March.
    4. Bożena Gajdzik & Radosław Wolniak & Rafał Nagaj & Brigita Žuromskaitė-Nagaj & Wieslaw Wes Grebski, 2024. "The Influence of the Global Energy Crisis on Energy Efficiency: A Comprehensive Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-51, February.
    5. Bożena Gajdzik & Magdalena Jaciow & Radosław Wolniak & Robert Wolny & Wieslaw Wes Grebski, 2024. "Diagnosis of the Development of Energy Cooperatives in Poland—A Case Study of a Renewable Energy Cooperative in the Upper Silesian Region," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-27, January.
    6. Zbysław Dobrowolski & Peter Adamišin & Arkadiusz Babczuk & Sławomir Kotylak, 2025. "Towards a Green Transformation: Legal Barriers to Onshore Wind Farm Construction," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-17, March.
    7. Krystyna Kurowska & Hubert Kryszk & Stanisław Bielski, 2022. "Location and Technical Requirements for Photovoltaic Power Stations in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-16, April.
    8. Małgorzata Stec & Mariola Grzebyk, 2022. "Statistical Analysis of the Level of Development of Renewable Energy Sources in the Countries of the European Union," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-18, November.
    9. Andrew Ikingura & Anna M. Grabiec & Bartosz Radomski, 2025. "Examining Key Barriers and Relevant Promotion Strategies of Green Buildings Adoption in Tanzania," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-23, February.
    10. Bożena Gajdzik & Magdalena Jaciow & Radosław Wolniak & Robert Wolny & Wieslaw Wes Grebski, 2023. "Energy Behaviors of Prosumers in Example of Polish Households," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-26, March.
    11. 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.
    12. Bartłomiej Igliński & Michał Bernard Pietrzak, 2025. "Renewable and Sustainable Energy—Current State and Prospects," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-8, February.
    13. Ostadzad, Ali Hossein, 2022. "Innovation and carbon emissions: Fixed-effects panel threshold model estimation for renewable energy," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 602-617.
    14. Bożena Gajdzik & Magdalena Jaciow & Radosław Wolniak & Robert Wolny & Wieslaw Wes Grebski, 2023. "Assessment of Energy and Heat Consumption Trends and Forecasting in the Small Consumer Sector in Poland Based on Historical Data," Resources, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-33, September.
    15. Hunt, Julian David & Nascimento, Andreas & Zakeri, Behnam & Barbosa, Paulo Sérgio Franco, 2022. "Hydrogen Deep Ocean Link: a global sustainable interconnected energy grid," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 249(C).
    16. Alina Kulczyk-Dynowska & Agnieszka Stacherzak, 2022. "The Impact of a City on Its Environment: The Prism of Demography and Selected Environmental and Technical Aspects Based on the Case of Major Lower Silesian Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-18, May.
    17. Ma, Hongchao & Zhang, Haonan, 2024. "Can green energy expansion develop the mineral resource market in East Asia?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    18. Katarzyna Chudy-Laskowska & Tomasz Pisula, 2022. "An Analysis of the Use of Energy from Conventional Fossil Fuels and Green Renewable Energy in the Context of the European Union’s Planned Energy Transformation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-23, October.
    19. Paweł Kut & Katarzyna Pietrucha-Urbanik, 2023. "Bibliometric Analysis of Renewable Energy Research on the Example of the Two European Countries: Insights, Challenges, and Future Prospects," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-23, December.
    20. Antweiler, Werner & Muesgens, Felix, 2024. "The new merit order: The viability of energy-only electricity markets with only intermittent renewable energy sources and grid-scale storage," Ruhr Economic Papers 1064, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.

    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:18:y:2025:i:7:p:1695-:d:1622629. 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.