Poland has had a total of 70 mines, but now more than half of them is out of operation. This mining closure raises with respect to the environment and unemployment. Innovative technology is needed to overcome the problems that arise and could simultaneously make use of abandoned mine infrastructure. The increased electricity generation coming from renewable energy, which produces fluctuating and intermittent energy for the electric power system, causes frequency problems such that energy storage technologies are needed. Abandoned mines can be used for the implementation of energy storage plants. This paper explores the possibility of using abandoned mines in Poland for electrical energy storage. Closed mines can be used to store clean and flexible energy. This idea has the potential to support sustainable economic development within the community following mine closure in Poland.

The rapid expansion of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation has established its pivotal role in the shift toward sustainable energy systems. This study conducts an in-depth analysis of solar generation data from 2015 to 2018 in Spain, with a specific emphasis on temporal patterns, excluding weather data. Employing the powerful eXtreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) algorithm for modeling and forecasting, our research underscores its exceptional efficacy in capturing solar generation trends, as evidenced by a remarkable root mean squared error (RMSE) of 11.042, a mean absolute error (MAE) of 5.621, an R-squared (R²) of 0.999, and a minimal mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 0.046. These insights hold substantial implications for grid management, energy planning, and policy development, reaffirming solar energy’s promise as a dependable and sustainable contributor to the electrical power system’s evolution. This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge aimed at optimizing renewable energy integration and enhancing energy sustainability for future generations.

The increasing number of renewable energy sources in power systems contributes to overloads of power lines in emergency situations. Lines made with relatively small cross-section cables, which in the past were designed for an operating temperature of 40 °C, are particularly exposed to overloads. Currently, they constitute the so-called “bottlenecks” in network capacity. This is manifested in the fact that when carrying out expert opinions aimed at examining the impact of a source on the network, computational analyses show overloads of its elements. This article proposes a methodology for eliminating these overloads. It involves the use of two methods at the same time, namely optimal network reconfiguration combined with minimisation of the total power curtailment in RE sources. The search for the optimal network configuration will also allow for minimising power curtailment in renewable energy sources, and thus reduce the costs of this type of operation. With such a tool, network operators will be able to achieve the effect of relieving the line load with the lowest possible cost of redistribution. Based on the IEEE 118 bus test network, calculations were performed that confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The operation of the proposed methodology is presented with the example of two selected network failure states. The novelty of the proposed solution lies in the simultaneous use of two methods of eliminating line overloads. This streamlines the entire process and improves its effectiveness.

Studying the impact of renewable energy sources planned to be connected to the grid, requires the preparation of expert opinions. The task of this opinion is to verify that there are possibilities enabling the connection of the considered source to the network. Each opinion is required to take into account other facilities and those sources which were previously connected to the grid or connection agreement were signed with them. The need to take into account such a large number of sources contributes to potential thermal overloads of high-voltage lines. Sometimes these overloads are insignificant, but in certain situations it turns out that their occurrence may be a reason for refusing to sign connection agreements for new sources. According to network operators, their presence may constitute a threat to the operational security of the grid. The article presents the use of the method of tracking active power flows and the DC method of determining power flows to estimate the impact of these sources on thermal overloading of lines. Using of the IEEE-118 test network, selected nodes were analysed where connecting sources might significantly worsen overloads previously observed or would cause new overloads. The proposed approach will enable potential investors to make proper decisions regarding selection of source connection points. Combining the results obtained by both methods at the same time will allow for the indication of appropriate connection nodes for sources from the point of view of minimising the number of overloaded lines and prospective costs of their uprating.