The issue of energy security was the subject of research in the 1970s when the oil crisis of 1973 significantly affected the economic stability of hundreds of companies and ordinary citizens in the United States and Western Europe. One of the first researchers of energy security was Mason Willrich who, considering the impact of energy on international politics, national security, the world economy, and the environment in the world, drew attention to the issues of “security of supply” and “security of demand” as fundamental to ensure energy security. The concept of “energy security” involves the comprehensive implementation of political, economic, environmental, technological, and social measures to strengthen the internal subjectivity of the state and limit opportunities for external influence. Subsequently, numerous researchers have expanded the understanding of energy security to environmental sustainability and energy efficiency). The presented scientific work is focused on the analysis of state management decisions for ensuring the energy security of Ukraine. The authors also trace vulnerabilities in various energy systems, including energy infrastructure, energy services, and renewable energy sources. The decline in energy demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine has created a dilemma: state support for renewable energy production (RES), which generates rising producer prices, or reduced energy intensity of GDP and stimulated production of cheap nuclear energy. A comprehensive scientific analysis of the solution to this dilemma is the purpose of the presented work.

The article presents selected issues from the Polish Energy Policy draft until 2040. From many issues, the authors chose the ones they considered the most revolutionary. Firstly, the National Power System should be restructured to meet the challenges of a changing environment, be adapted to the growing demand for electricity, and at the same time have the least impact on the natural environment. These goals can be achieved through reforms to reduce the importance of coal in the energy mix and the development of renewable energy sources, especially offshore wind energy. The next tasks are the development of electromobility, enabling the reduction of pollution caused by transport, and, in the longer term, after 2030, the development of nuclear energy in place of the withdrawn coal power.

In view of the need to transform the Polish energy sector from a coal-based to a low-emissions industry, can wind and solar power alone provide enough of an alternative?

Is climate neutrality an attainable goal for Poland? What does the term mean, and what challenges does it pose to human civilization? These and other questions are addressed by Prof. Bolesław Zaporowski of the Institute of Electric Power Engineering, Poznań University of Technology.