Fleet electrification is one of the measures proposed for achieving climate neutrality in the coming years. The replacement of internal combustion engine vehicles with electric vehicles has a positive impact on carbon emission reduction in some countries. However, in countries highly dependent on fossil fuels, such a possibility requires examination with respect to the means of electricity generation and fuel mix used in their power systems. One such country is Poland, selected as an example of an economy strongly dependent on fossil fuels. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of fleet electrification of an individual company located in Poland on the reduction of carbon emissions. The concept and calculations are based on historical data on the single-year mileage and fuel consumption of 619 cars used by this company. Even though the Polish power system is based on fossil fuels, fleet electrification could contribute to a reduction in carbon emissions of 24%. The decrease in operational costs by EUR 370 thousand/year is also significant. Apart from environmental and economic impacts, this paper provides valuable findings on the difference between catalogue and real-driving data application in the various analyses. With respect to Polish fuel mix in 2019, the application of data published by car producers shows that fleet electrification would increase carbon emissions by 14% in this company. This means that depending on the initial assumptions, different conclusions can be drawn by policymakers, regulatory bodies, academics, or other groups of interest.

Sustainable City solutions can become an essential element of the development of contemporary urban communities. This development path can also provide opportunities for organisations operating in cities and metropolises. An inherent feature of the organisation which a city constitutes is that it enables the people who make it up to cooperate. Climate packages, including the Green Deal and Fit for 55, are implemented in Europe, while in Poland decarbonisation processes are underway. The main challenges in this area include, on the one hand, a search for savings of energy consumed, and, on the other hand, a reduction in pollution resulting from the use of transport or heat or energy sources. Cities and metropolises will become green only when they manage to cope with these problems. The article aims at showing various facets of sustainable smart city management. With relations, information and knowledge gaining importance as the key organisational resource, cities have become, as organisations, an essential element of contemporary societies and organisations. In recent times, the harmful emissions from heating installations have drawn the attention of the public opinion in Poland. Polish municipalities distribute heat which mostly comes from local, most often district heating systems where energy is generated on a wide scale from coal combustion. This study compares the results of an air quality survey and those of a case study to assess the potential for the implementation of an automated heat control system in cities. On the basis of solutions implemented in the Warsaw Metropolis, the possibility of their implementation in the Upper Silesian (GZM) and Poznań Metropolises, too, was also assessed. Throughout Poland, there is a large potential for the application of innovative smart technologies in district heating systems to reduce the levels of harmful emissions. These reductions, which are still possible, could translate into a significant improvement in the attractiveness and competitiveness of municipalities. Finally, practical recommendations are being provided.

Harmful emissions from heating installations have recently received public attention in Poland. Polish municipalities mainly take their heat from local district heating networks with large-scale coal-fired heat sources. Today, transition to nonemissive sources on this scale would be impractical. The easiest way to reduce carbon emissions is to limit heat consumption, but at the same time, to preserve thermal comfort, the application of smart technologies is necessary. Veolia operates on 71 district heating systems in Poland, including Warsaw, Lodz, and Poznan. Since heat consumption in Warsaw and Metropolis GZM is at a similar level, this is a case study of Hubgrade automation system application within the Warsaw district heating network. This paper also presents results of simulation of harmful emission reduction potential in Metropolis GZM. Simulation results show that there is a potential for saving approximately 275 kt of CO₂ for the whole Metropolis GZM.

The article uses the case study of a polycentric metropolitan area as a starting point for a debate about the available tools for managing the network aspects of intelligent cities. We show that the construction of talents, the development of knowledge among officials and inhabitants, and technological tools such as Hubgrade (which allows for heat delivery process control, supervision, inspection, and results in emission reduction) are prerequisites for the sustainable development of cities. It is critical to understand that technological solutions are insufficient to accomplish such a task. Relevant stakeholders need to consciously take advantage of technological tools and build and utilise 4T potential and the self-learning capabilities of the organisations. An inherent feature of an organisation, such as a city, is cooperation between the people who build it. The main challenges of cities includes the reduction of pollutants resulting from the use of transport, heat sources, or energy production. In many cities, an efficient manner of reducing carbon dioxide emissions is to limit the consumption of thermal energy. In order to simultaneously maintain thermal comfort, in this situation, it is necessary to use intelligent technologies. The paper includes research related to the knowledge and development of 4T potentials (technology, trust, talent, tolerance) and to networking expansion by introducing the automated Hubgrade system, used in Warsaw district heating, into a similar metropolitan area. Along with an increase in the significance of relations, information, and knowledge as a key organisational resource, cities, as organisations, have become an important element of contemporary communities and organisations. They have the possibility of a positive climate change. The possibility of cooperation and networking between people forming an organisation is its inherent feature, such as in the Hubgrade project. Conclusions and recommendations are drawn for the analysed case—linking 4T potentials and the Hubgrade system—with the potential for future generalisations and extrapolations. The authors performed a simulation of possible energy savings and the reduction of harmful emissions in Metropolis GZM.