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The concept of sustainable development integrates activities in the economic, environmental and social areas. Energy policy, which is very closely linked to climate protection, is of key importance for achieving the goals of the concept in question. All these elements are connected by the European Green Deal strategy and Agenda 2030. Their implementation requires the evaluation of previous actions undertaken within the framework of sustainable development and the diagnosis of the current state. Therefore, this article presents the results of such research in relation to the key industry connected with this process, which is the energy sector. The research methodology was based on the analysis of 14 indicators that characterize four basic areas (dimensions) related to energy and climate sustainability. These indicators concern energy and climate as well as social and economic issues. This approach makes it possible to comprehensively assess the actions taken so far in the implementation of sustainable economic development in the energy and climate area in the European Union (EU) countries. The entropy-complex-proportional-assessment (COPRAS) methodologies, which belong to the group of multiple criteria decision-making methods, were used for this study. The conducted research allowed for the assessment of the changes in the EU countries in terms of energy and climate sustainability between 2009–2018. In addition, the effects of the introduced changes in individual years and in relation to the studied areas (dimensions) were also evaluated. Based on the results, considering the adopted criteria, the EU countries were divided into groups similar to the level of energy and climate sustainability. The results constitute a valuable set of data, which allows for a wide and in-depth multicriteria analysis. This allows for a very objective and broad assessment of the effects of sustainable development policies in the EU countries and the current state in the context of the European Green Deal strategy and Agenda 2030.

The global economic development is, to a great extent, dependent on access to large amounts of cheap energy sources. The growing social awareness of ecology and the enormous damage to the Earth’s ecosystem due to the production of energy from conventional sources have forced fundamental changes in the energy sector. Renewable energy is considered to be an opportunity for such changes. The current state of the art allows such changes to be made without restricting economic development. Therefore, activities related to the energy transition are being taken all over the world. The European Union has definitely managed to achieve the most tangible effects in this regard. This article presents the findings of the research aimed at presenting the current state of renewable energy in the European Union and analyzing the changes reported in this sector in the last decade. The research was carried out using a selected set of 11 indicators characterizing renewable energy in individual countries. These indicators were selected on the basis of literature review and own studies of the state of renewable energy and its development prospects. Based on these indicators, changes in the energy structure of individual European Union countries between 2008–2018 were determined. The study is divided into two main stages. The principal components analysis (PCA) was used for the first analysis. In turn, the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was adopted to assess the level of renewable energy development in the European Union countries. Both these methods and the extended statistical analysis were applied to determine the state of renewable energy development in the European Union countries in the studied period and to divide the Member States into classes with different levels of development. The results of the study showed that the EU countries are characterized by significant differences in the development of RES during the period in question. The unquestionable leaders in this respect are Sweden, Austria, Finland, and Latvia. Based on the findings, it is possible to evaluate the effects of activities related to renewable energy development and to prepare assumptions for future activities. Additionally, both the research and its findings broaden the knowledge of the directions of renewable energy development in individual European Union countries. This is particularly important in the context of changes related to the need to reduce harmful substance emissions and the implementation of the European Green Deal idea.

The concept of sustainable economic development takes into account economic, social and environmental aspects and strives to achieve balance between them. One of the basic areas where it is required to revalue the current views on sustainable development is energy. The growing public awareness of environmental protection forces changes in this industry. Despite the global nature of this problem, its solution is perceived differently in various regions of the world. The unquestionable leader in introducing the idea of sustainable development economy is the European Union, where the energy sector is of key importance for the effectiveness of this process. In order to assess the sustainable energy development of the European Union countries, studies were conducted based on 13 selected indicators characterizing this sector in terms of energy, economy and environment. In order to assess the specificity of the European Union countries, these indicators were additionally compared to the gross domestic product value and the number of inhabitants of individual countries. For these cases, multi-criteria analyses were carried out using the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. It allowed the authors to rank the European Union countries in terms of their adaptation to a sustainable energy economy. Based on the determined values of indicators versus the gross domestic product and the number of inhabitants of the countries in question, these countries were also divided into similar groups with the use of the Kohonen artificial neural networks. These groups can pursue a common energy policy in the field of sustainable development. The aim of the research was to present a new approach to the assessment of sustainable energy development of the European Union countries. The extensive ratio analysis (13 indicators of the sustainable energy development), including the economic and demographic potential of individual countries, and the use of modern tools made it possible to acquire new knowledge in the field of sustainable energy development in the European Union countries. The results should be utilized for more effective sustainable energy development of the European Union countries.

The increasing degree of urbanization of the world community is creating several multidimensional challenges for modern cities in terms of the need to provide adequate living and working conditions for their residents. An opportunity to ensure optimal conditions and quality of life are smart sustainable cities, which integrate various resources for their sustainable development using modern and smart technological solutions. This paper addresses these issues by presenting the results of a study of the level and quality of living conditions in the 29 largest cities in Poland, an EU member state. This study used 35 indicators characterizing the six main areas of activity of the cities to assess the living conditions and quality of life in these cities. To achieve this purpose, an original research methodology was developed, in which the EDAS and WASPAS methods and the Laplace criterion were applied. The application of a multi-criteria approach to the issue under study made it possible to determine the levels of quality of life and living conditions in the studied cities for each dimension, as well as the final index of this assessment (Smart Sustainable Cities Assessment Scores). On this basis, a ranking of these cities was made. In addition, relationships between living conditions and quality of life and the levels of wealth and population of the cities were also assessed. The results showed a wide variation in the levels of living conditions and quality of life in the cities studied, as well as their independence from geographic location. Cities with higher GDP levels that were investing in innovation and knowledge-based development fared much better.

The article presents a simulation model of a conventional and pipe conveyors created in the Tecno-matix Plant Simulation environment. The main objective was to analyse the normal forces, through-put, and energy consumption of both types of conveyors. The model allows for variable input param-eters and experimental comparisons. Four experiments were conducted as part of the research, chang-ing the belt filling coefficient and the design characteristics of the idlers. The results showed that a conventional conveyor transports more material than a pipe conveyor with the same belt width. How-ever, the higher productivity of the conventional conveyor is also associated with higher electricity consumption. Conversely, for the same amount of transported material, the conventional conveyor has slightly lower energy consumption compared to the pipe conveyor. The analysis also confirmed the stability of both systems during long-term simulation. The most significant impact on performance was the filling coefficient, which directly affected the amount of transported material. The results provide practical insights for optimising the design and operation of belt conveyors.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to apply and verify Fourier series analysis in combination with non-linear regression as a tool of forecasting and planning of inputs in the logistics process of a retail chain store. Design/methodology/approach For many popular products, a significant effect of seasonality of sales is expected; therefore, the method of Fourier series was chosen as one of the main forecast calculation techniques. However, the use of this method directly for forecasting sales has a limitation in the form of a complete reconstruction of the shape of the curve from of the given monitored time. Thus, the forecast is based only on the significant harmonic components from the Fourier series analysis that will participate in forecast forming. In addition, to respect the trend of series, the results of Fourier series analysis are combined with the non-linear regression. Findings The results showed that the number of significant harmonic components from the Fourier series analysis is suitable to reflect the future behaviour of the sale in standard market conditions. Forecasting of the sale and accurate purchase planning of goods has a positive effect on reducing the waste of unsold products after their shelf and on increasing of a customer satisfaction. Research limitations/implications This study has an application in a certain period of time (relatively calm behaviour of the food market) and only for a certain region. Therefore, it is not possible to generalize these results as the behaviour of consumers, e.g. within the state. It will also be interesting to monitor and forecast sales of other food items. Practical implications This provides a practical and relatively simple tool for implementing or improving the process of forecasting seasonally dependent products in the food industry. Originality/value This study shows the possibility of forecast that is based on adding the significant harmonic components from the Fourier series analysis to form forecast with the non-linear regression.

This article evaluates changes in the organization of transport on urban roads through the transport model in the OmniTRANS program. The selected location for the case study in this article is the internal traffic circuit of Kosice, which borders the historic core of the city. Currently, the proposal is being prepared to change the organization of transport in the town’s monument reserve and its protection zone. The transition to a one-way road around the historic center is being considered. Before introducing the new proposed change in traffic, it is necessary to test this proposed change and determine how it will affect the traffic situation. The aim of this article is to compare the current transport organization with the proposed change in transport organization in terms of traffic intensity. The use of transport models in the world is not a new concept, but it is often not used in the conditions of the Slovak Republic. However, traffic and simulation models can save money and time and avoid possible unexpected problems before putting the proposed changes into practice. Solving the given problem is an excellent benefit for transport planning and traffic engineering for Kosice and other places with a similar arrangement of the historical center and a similar number of inhabitants. The proposed changes can be tested by modelling traffic and then to adjust them when the cons are identified. Thanks to the traffic simulation model, it is possible to compare the capacity load of the inner traffic circuit of the city before and after the introduction of the one-way circuit.

Peer-to-peer car-sharing systems are an evolving branch of urban mobility, aligning with global trends focused on sustainable development and reducing congestion in cities. A research gap has been identified concerning the specific vehicle attributes that would encourage the public to potentially use these services. Addressing this gap, and in the context of launching a new peer-to-peer car-sharing service in Katowice, Poland, this article investigates the technical features influencing the choice of vehicles in peer-to-peer car-sharing systems, particularly from the perspective of individuals who currently do not use such platforms. The study employs Social Network Analysis (SNA) to examine the interrelationships between vehicle attributes. The analysis reveals that key factors influencing users’ decisions include fuel/energy consumption, safety features, and technological advancement, with a particular emphasis on driver assistance systems, including autonomous driving capabilities. The network structure, characterized by a relatively low density (0.2536) and a short average path length (1.872), suggests that a few central vehicle features dominate user decisions, and improvements in these key areas can quickly propagate through the decision-making process, enhancing overall user satisfaction. To validate the findings, a Gradient Boosting Regression (GBR) analysis was conducted, confirming the significance of the key factors identified by the SNA, such as fuel efficiency, battery capacity, and safety systems, thus strengthening the reliability of the results. This study underscores the growing importance of sustainability and technological innovation in the automotive industry, particularly in the context of the sharing economy. It suggests that car-sharing platforms and vehicle manufacturers should prioritize these features to meet user expectations and preferences. These findings provide valuable insights for the strategic and operational management of peer-to-peer car-sharing services, emphasizing the importance of targeted vehicle selection and user-centered innovations to improve platform performance and scalability.

Today, it is important to consider the problems of preserving the environment from macroeconomic positions, which enable to determine the main systemic causes of environmental degradation; identify those economic directions that affect the environment. This approach is especially relevant for countries and regions that have a specialization in raw materials. Purely environmental measures aimed at preserving nature will not have an effect without an environmentally balanced macroeconomic policy, since without taking into account and correcting the development of the entire economy and its sectors (fuel, energy, metallurgy, agrarian, etc.), the effect of direct environmental investments will be minimal. It is obvious that without the access of the nation to the trajectory of sustainable development it is problematic to ensure a high quality of economic growth. However, we have to determine that resourceproducing countries and regions are following another way – first the economic growth, and then purification and restoration of the environment. Here the methodological basis can be the approaches developed by international organizations and initiative groups in the field of environmental protection.

Intersections in cities are important transport hubs, where traffic flows from all roads meet, connect, disconnect or intersect. This research is dedicated to the creation of simulation models of intersections and is based on real observations of two crossroads in a city. The principle is based on observing traffic flows using real traffic counting at peak times. The aim is to reduce traffic congestion by adjusting signal plans on the monitored section using computer simulation and modelling in ExtendSim8 software, which is a universal tool allowing the user to simulate any system or process by creating a logical representation in an easy-to-use format. According to our preliminary literature research, the ExtendSim software has never before been used before to create an intersection simulation to optimize the signal plan. There are several specialized software products for simulating traffic and intersections, but not everyone has access to these, or else they require lengthy user training. Therefore, it is very advantageous to use a universal simulation tool that is not used for traffic simulation at intersections in the city. The article points out that a universal simulation program such as ExtendSim can also be used in the design or assessment of signal plans at intersections.