The Energy Crisis—Looking at the Renewable Transition

The recently observed consequences of climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and the global energy crisis caused by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine have induced reflections on the so-called ‘green’ energy transformation. This is a very timely political, economic and social issue, especially in the context of the rising and unstable energy prices—energy that determines the direction in which the modern world is moving. The antidote, according to some politicians and economists, is to accelerate the transition to renewable energy sources. However, this is not always possible, at least in the short term. This editorial article, entitled “The Energy Crisis—looking at the renewable transition”, primarily discusses the challenges decision-makers face in the process of sustainable energy industry transformation to ensure its acceleration and the application of new development opportunities while simultaneously guaranteeing energy security. The article covers topics discussed in 10 articles focused on two main issues, i.e., (1) energy security in the sustainable energy transformation, and (2) the role of digitalisation and scientific and research progress in this process. A short summary of the contents of these articles is provided below.

Kharazishvili et al. [1] note the need to revise our views concerning energy security. According to the authors, previous estimates based on a comprehensive selection of factors affecting energy security and the trending changes in this respect have unfortunately not been conceived with respect to multiple countries. In the context of sustainable development, a new approach to developing strategic objectives concerning energy security is needed. It can be summed up by saying that “the past determines the road to the future”, replacing the former adage “the past determines the future”. The authors present new opportunities for developing the energy security process according to the needs of countries, industries, energy grids, or supply chains while ensuring its high level of effectiveness.

One of the more important problems that needs to be solved when developing energy security is concocting a balanced energy mix. This is a complex issue, and the authors approach it from various research angles. Buescher et al. [2] analyse the energy mix through the effectiveness of the electric energy market in pandemic times. Research carried out by the authors proves that a large share of renewable energy sources in the energy basket also works well in times of crisis. It is not surprising, therefore, that many scientific centres are carrying out research on methods to optimise the energy mix. One of the proposals is an optimisation model based on the Grey Wolf Optimizer metaheuristics, hatched to support an ideal energy mix while taking into account investment and operational costs. Hasterok et al. [3] argue that a model of their own creation can be a source of considerable financial savings, and also reduce CO₂ emissions.

In the new political and economic conditions, considerable support for sustainable energy transformation that also ensures energy security can be provided by the digitalisation of the sector, which is currently largely underused compared to the needs of the sector as well as the opportunities offered by digital tools. Such a conclusion is suggested by research carried out among start-ups in the renewable energy sector by Pakulska and Poniatowska-Jaksch [4]. Due to the fact that energy storage and supply, which are of significant importance for energy security, are not viewed as an attractive investment in digital terms, digital start-ups in the energy sector are lacking support, especially in regulation and political aspects.

Using digital tools could produce measurable outcomes in the relatively short term, mainly by increasing the effectiveness of energy management. This is especially important in the case of energy systems based on distributed energy resources (DERs) [5]. In the microgrid concept presented by Ali et al., an increase in effectiveness is, for the most part, attributed to ICT. To optimise costs in microgrid energy management system (EMS), artificial intelligence algorithms are used.

In the longer perspective, the energy crisis can be viewed as a factor spurring innovation in the sector. One indication of this is the rising interest in energy sources that had formerly not found wider applications and are an alternative to fossil fuels. This applies above all to hydrogen, which is a very promising source of energy. The ongoing work on improving hydrogen storage technologies may considerably boost its standing as an energy resource. These issues have been presented by Liu, Chabane and Elkedim in an article dealing with hydrogen storage technologies, including among them the mechanical alloying method [6].

There is also a rising interest in prospecting for and extracting natural gas hydrate. In this respect, technology allowing the mapping of the spatial distribution of natural gas hydrate in sediments is of extreme importance. The research conducted by Zhou et al. [7] suggests that digital tools, not previously used on such a large scale, can be very helpful in this respect. As the authors put it: “These results provide a feasible approach to characterising the resistivity and growth characteristics of fracture-filling hydrate reservoirs and provide support for the in situ visual detection of fracture-filling hydrate”.

Research is also underway using resources that have a negative impact on the environment for energy generation purposes. In this respect, technology using carbon dioxide as an input should be mentioned. One of these concepts has been presented in an article by Lach, Polański and Kapkowski [8]. The authors also point out that prospecting for catalytic materials may be aided by machine learning. Another attempt to consider technology that utilises waste negatively impacting the environment is an article by Oli et al. [9] According to the authors, employing photocatalytic technology for the double purpose of environmental remediation and producing clean energy is possible.

The presented examples of innovative solutions that can be used in sustainable energy transformation have not, however, found widespread use to date. As asserted by Seibert and Rees [10], the events of recent years prove that the idea of “pure energy at an affordable price” is still a myth and the transition to sustainable energy sources is saddled with myriad economic, environmental and social costs. Nevertheless, as the authors say, “history is replete with stellar achievements that have arisen only from a dogged pursuit of the seemingly impossible”.