ESOF2024 | 12–15 June 2024 | Katowice, Poland
Energy Transition
keywords: energy transition, renewable energy sources, energy transition technologies (sun, wind, water, geothermal energy, hydrogen), coal regions, just transition
Session themes
Challenges of the energy transition
Energy transition technologies – new value chains
Models of energy transition – distributed energy vs. concentrated energy
Energy security in the energy transformation
Social effects of energy transition
Spatial effects of energy transformation
Environmental effects of the energy transition
Legal conditions for an effective energy transition
Political determinants of the energy transition – the specificity of the energy sector in Poland
Cities and regions in energy transition – territorial dimension of energy transition – coal regions
Description
In a broad sense, the energy transition is one of the key elements building a green economy, the industries of which – apart from threads strictly related to renewable energy sources – also include passive construction, circular economy, low-emission transport, space management (including post-industrial space management), blue and green infrastructure and water management. The energy transition is the result of political decisions and programme documents making commitments to reduce CO2 emissions, such as: UN 2030 Agenda, Paris Agreements, European Green Deal.
Energy transition, in a narrower sense, is of a technological nature related to the use of renewable energy sources (solar energy, wind, water, geothermal energy, hydrogen) in sectoral and territorial terms to build a zero-emission economy, reduce the use of fossil fuels and their negative impact on climate change.
This transition involves the introduction of often ground-breaking changes to all sectors and socio-economic activities. It particularly affects sectors traditionally associated with mining, conventional energy and transmission networks. Nevertheless, the changes caused by the implementation of energy transition technologies also apply to other sectors, such as the machine industry, automotive industry, construction, transport, etc. It also has a significant social dimension in the form of job losses in traditional sectors of the economy, as well as a reduction in the number of jobs in sectors hitherto considered high or medium tech, such as the automotive sector.
Therefore, the energy transition is a complex process that requires both technological, legal, economic and spatial solutions, as well as bold social projects for the fair conduct of this process in order to avoid the phenomenon of the geography of dissatisfaction. Thus, the energy transition creates the need for open discussion and constant dialogue between various stakeholders to develop achievable solutions in given sectoral and territorial conditions.
