*2.1. PEST Analysis—Political Environment*

Table 1 contains the political determinants of the RE in the Pomerania region. The political factors of renewable energy sources in the Pomeranian Voivodeship generally result from the system and the political system in which it operates.


**Table 1.** The political environment of RE sources in the Pomerania Voivodeship (author's own work).

The constitution law [54] states that Poland is a parliamentary republic and realizes the principles of independence and national sovereignty of a democratic state ruled by law. The current political system in the Republic of Poland can be considered relatively stable. The development of the research and science sphere, including RE, is positively influenced by a fairly friendly administrative order.

The administration in Poland is an integral part of the country, a vehicle of remembrance of the state's tradition and endowed with the privilege of legislative initiative. Moreover, the preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of Poland [52] defines a very important goal related to the need to improve the functioning of the public sector in the Republic of Poland. Despite many efforts, the public administration does not function efficiently in Poland—it is not conducive to the development of RE sources, which is often emphasized by the owners of RE installations.

As indicated by respondents in surveys [53–55], the policy in the field of RE at the state/Voivodeship level is not very conducive to the development of RE. The "Distance Act" [56] stopped the development of aeroenergy (wind energy) in Poland. The RE Act [57] is frequently amended, which discourages potential investors. For every 1 kWh of energy introduced to the grid, the prosumer can receive only 0.8 kWh of energy at any time.

The Polish energy policy, implemented until 2040, represents an opportunity for the development of RE in the Pomerania Voivodeship [58]. Poland's energy policy until 2040 places a strong emphasis on three main pillars. The first is a fair energy transition, the second is the construction of a parallel, emission-free energy system, and the third is good air quality.

When deciding to purchase/build an RE installation, it is worth using a subsidy/loan/ financial relief. First, it is necessary to check whether there are funds for RE in a given town, commune, poviat, or Voivodeship and whether there are funds for investment in the national program or the EU program. For example, the "My Electricity" program allows one to obtain funding for the building of small photovoltaic installations (between 2 kW and 10 kW) in the form of a subsidy for up to 50% of the costs, but this is no more than PLN 5000 (in 2021, PLN 3000) for one project. Figure 2 shows the results of the "My Electricity 2" program [59]. The green color indicates the amount of co-financing granted to PV installation projects, while the black color indicates the installation power in a given Voivodeship (kW).

**Figure 2.** Results of the "My Electricity 2" program (own study from [59]).

In Poland, the Environmental Protection Law [60] describes legal regulations related to the use of the environment, including CHG emissions. According to the act, the principles of sustainable development constitute the basis for the preparation and updating of the national spatial development concept, Pomerania Voivodeship development strategies, and Voivodeship spatial development plans. The development of RE in the Pomerania Voivodeship/Poland is hindered by the strong lobby for conventional energy, mainly the coal lobby. Associated with mines, coal-fired power plants, and trade unions, they openly oppose the development of RE in Poland [55].

In order to ensure institutional "maturity" in Poland, this country is a member of the EU and other international organizations related to the law. Globalization processes positively influence the development of RE. This allows for open functioning in the European Research Area as part of the conducted research. This also allows for joint research projects and the free movement of employees between universities [55].
