The book "Solar Energy. Solar Insolation and Practical Efficiency of Photovoltaic Microinstallations in Poland" presents a cross-sectional analysis of the distribution of solar energy in Poland, based on climatic data. Attention was paid to a number of factors determining the amount of solar radiation reaching different locations, such as terrain, climatic conditions and cloud cover. The climatic data was used, derived from observations of 41 weather stations, to make it possible to forecast the actual annual average values of solar energy reaching various regions of Poland. The publication is an introduction to the estimation of the profitability of investments in small and micro installations for obtaining electricity, and in particular the profitability of investments for individual investors (prosumers) from different geographical locations of Poland.

Climate change effects are becoming increasingly noticeable especially in the dynamic and overcrowded city areas. The frequency of occurrence and ways of appearance of natural risks along with the negative effects of intensive economic activities, energy conventional production, unsustainable transportation and energy consumption determine increases in dysfunctions that must be managed by the local authorities in the long term. This study addresses climate change in relation to policy and regulatory framework for urban planning. The article portrays several climate change-related threats that usually occur in urban areas, which are emphasized in the scientific literature, but also exemplifies practical solutions formulated by planners in their strategy for sustainable urban development as counteracting the current specific threats. The selected case studies are the cities of Krakówin Poland and of Cluj-Napoca in Romania. Results of the literature review show that the main risks related to sustainability of the urban areas, as effects of the climate change and man-made actions, are correspondingly visible and addressed in the main strategic plans at the local level, adopted by the city authorities as practical measures and actions to be implemented by 2030 aiming to limit the effects of the climate changes that arise, as well as to limit the causes that generate these changes. By implementing the proposed measures and by achieving the objectives described in the presented action plans, both of the selected cities prove their engagement in the European mission of climate change adaptation and mitigation.

The study focuses on the process of reorganization of the primary school network in the Polish Carpathians, in the period 2000-2020, determined by population dynamics and the education reform in Poland, which focused on the abolition of middle schools (junior high schools) and the return to eight-year primary schools. Primary schools located in the Polish Carpathians represent almost 10% of all schools of this type in Poland, usually with a smaller number of pupils/school (1/4 when compared to the national average). In mountainous areas with a specific settlement network, the closure of a primary school in a small village usually leads to several socioeconomic issues and may become subject to changing the managing authority due to budgetary reasons. The main aim was to determine the dynamics of the process and analyze spatial differentiations, by investigating the relation between population change in the 15-39 age group and the change in the number of schools, and to identify the location of the closed schools. Results show variability in the dynamics of the analysed variables in the case of Polish Carpathians compared to the national level, for instance, much slower dynamics of school closures than the rest of the country, the number of primary schools dropping by 14% between 2000 and 2020, while the greatest decrease in the number of pupils was observed in the Carpathian communes of Subcarpathian Voivodeship, especially in peripheral locations. However, we can conclude that in mountainous areas school closure has been highly avoided due to the engagement of different types of managing authorities, from local government to other public or private entities, in governing these schools.

Urban sprawl is a process that shapes contemporary urban spaces. Generally, this process is associated with negative effects due to the generation of high costs. However, not all the effects of urban sprawl should be considered in the context of the increasing costs of the use of space; some of them should be regarded as cost cutting factors, for example, the possibility of the use of roofed areas in generating energy from sunlight. Solar energy is believed to be one of the sources of clean energy that reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. However, solar energy generation necessitates the development of large areas for the purpose of installing photovoltaic modules and substantial funds for creating large solar farms. For this reason, a significant role in state energy policies is played by small dispersed installations mounted on the roofs of buildings. There is a gap in existing research on the assessment of urban sprawl in terms of the potential use of rooftops for solar installations in suburban areas. This research gap has not yet been filled, either conceptually and methodologically. Hence, the contribution of the research to the development of the current state of knowledge involves the identification of economic and environmental benefits of usually negatively perceived urban sprawl. The proposal of a method for the identification of suburban housing potential for solar energy generation constitutes another addition to the state of knowledge. The main objective of this article is to analyse the energy generating potential of buildings located in suburban and urban areas characterised by the confirmed occurrence of urban sprawl phenomena. CityGML data were used to conduct an analysis of the exposure of roofs to sunlight using algorithms based on vector data. The authors estimated the dynamics of changes in time and referred the existing photovoltaic installations to the total potential of a selected area. The use of the energy potential of the analysed roofs of buildings was used to evaluate the external costs and benefits of spatial planning. The discussion presented the current conditions of the energy sector and energy policies in Poland and the EU. In addition, recommendations were proposed for local spatial policies concerning the mitigation of the effects of suburbanization in the context of developing the system of PV micro-installations.

This paper proposes an open-source algorithm that performs parallel processing of spatial queries, during which an initial selection of objects to be subjected to spatial relationship tests is done using a spatial index. These data are then further subdivided by the use of the OFFSET and LIMIT clauses into still smaller subgroups, to which spatial relationship tests utilizing complex calculations are assigned, thereby creating multiple processes running in parallel. This algorithm was tested using data from the SQLite/SpatiaLite and PostgreSQL/PostGIS database. In processing spatial relationship queries involving six threads, the algorithm yielded a 3.6X maximum speed-up increase in performance compared to single-thread processing on SQLite/SpatiaLite database and 5.1X maximum speed-up on PostgreSQL/PostGIS database. In single-layer analyses (e.g., area calculation, buffer generation), a 5X speed-up time in query processing was observed.

The primary objective of the article was to establish the location of odour emitters with the use of spatial GIS analyses. The odour emitter location analysis based on measurements was carried out using QGIS software tools. The algorithm of the procedure was developed by analysing vector elements, including simulated odour streaks (in the form of wedge buffer surfaces) and a regular grid of points needed to determine the presence of a given buffer in a given location. Statistical analysis was performed in ArcGIS software. The detailed aim of the conducted study was to analyse the nuisance of odours from the measurement data on the basis of IDW interpolation and the arrangement of buildings. An innovative element of the developed analysis is the application of the inversed method of fragrance streak propagation. Identifying a streak from the measuring point towards the blowing wind is very likely to determine the approximate location of the odour emitter measured. The described method should provide better results at the location of emitters than the above mentioned methods using interpolation, because of taking into account wind direction and speed. In addition, it is a method that can be applied over a large open area where methods based on simulation and particle propagation would not be efficient or highly impossible to apply due to extensive and complex analysis. It was necessary to conduct field studies in order to meet the main goal, which resulted in sensory evaluation of the intensity of odour nuisance in an urbanised area. Odour concentration tests using field olfactometry with NasalRanger olfactometer were taken.