Renewable energy production is gaining importance in the context of global climate changes. However, in some countries other aspects increasing the role of renewable energy production are also present. Such a country is Ukraine, which is not self-sufficient in energy supply and whose dependency on poorly diversified import of energy carriers regularly leads to political tensions and has socio-economic implications. Production of agricultural biogas seems to be a way to both slow down climatic changes and increase energy self-sufficiency by replacing or complementing conventional sources of energy. One of the most substantial barriers to agricultural biogas production is the low level of agricultural concentration and significant economies of scale in constructing biogas plants. The aim of the paper was thus to assess the potential of agricultural biogas production in Ukraine, including its impact on energy self-sufficiency, mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the economic performance of biogas plants. The results show that due to the prevailing fragmentation of farms, most manure cannot be processed in an economically viable way. However, in some regions utilization of technically available manure for agricultural biogas production could cover up to 11% of natural gas or up to 19% of electricity demand. While the theoretical potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions could reach 5% to 6.14%, the achievable technical potential varies between 2.3% and 2.8% of total emissions. The economic performance of agricultural biogas plants correlates closely with their size and bioenergy generation potential.

Establishing patterns of change in the indicators of using milk processing shops at a community territory

Heat pump technology offers a path towards reducing the use of fossil fuels to heat space, providing energy bill savings and reducing air pollution and GHG emissions. The choice of heating method is based on costs; hence, this study examines the gains from operating heat pump systems in public buildings as well as alternative systems using electricity, LPG, and heating oil. The study focuses on the Ruda-Huta municipality in Poland that, as is common in rural areas, lacks access to a district heating system or piped gas. The empirical analysis includes heat pump installations in eight municipal buildings. The study found that the use of ground source heat pumps proved competitive with existing heating systems in terms of payback time. Calculations for three heating energy source scenarios, i.e., electricity, LPG, and heating oil, used the Simple Pay Back Time (SPBT) and the Levelized Cost of Heat (LCOH) methods and the average prices of the three energy types for the period 2012–2021. The payback period calculations disregarded the EU subsidies for heating systems utilizing renewable energy sources (RES). The payback time for electric, LPG, and heating oil were, respectively, 6.7–7.8 years, 4.1–6.1 years, and 6.7–6.9 years. Much larger spreads favoring heat pumps were calculated using the LCOH, and the costs in the case of electric heating were nearly three times higher and doubled when using heating oil and LPG. The gains from investing in heat pump systems have been offset by the increase in electricity, LPH, and heating oil prices, which have been predicted to continue to increase in the foreseeable future supporting the use of heat pumps in rural areas lacking access to, for example, district heating systems. The switch to heat pumps reduced local air pollution by eliminating the burning of fossil fuels to heat space in public buildings.

Modern agriculture requires substantial energy inputs, a significant portion of which are derived from fossil fuels. In the interests of addressing global challenges, such as sustainable resource management and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, this study examines changes in energy efficiency within Polish agriculture following the country’s accession to the European Union. It emphasizes the impact of dynamic structural transformations on energy consumption patterns in the agricultural sector. The research, based on data from Statistics Poland and FADN (Farm Accountancy Data Network) covering the period 2004–2021, analyzes various farm types and their economic sizes. Key indicators include energy intensity in agricultural production, expressed as the ratio of energy consumption to production value, and the share of different energy carriers in total energy inputs. The results demonstrate an overall improvement in energy efficiency during the analyzed period, with energy intensity decreasing by an average of 40%. The most significant improvements were observed in large-scale farms. Additionally, there was a notable decline in the use of solid fuels, offset by increased reliance on diesel fuel and electricity. Despite these positive trends, challenges persist. Energy costs per unit of production value in Poland remain relatively high compared to other EU countries, driven by rapidly rising energy prices and the structure of Polish agriculture, which predominantly produces goods with relatively low added value. Furthermore, variations in energy consumption structures across production types highlight the importance of specialization in enhancing energy efficiency at the farm level.

Purpose. The purpose of the article is to assess the socio-ecological and economic efficiency of the organic land-use through the economic substantiation of the organic production development in the Western Polissia regions and its impact on the population health. Methodology / approach. We used general scientific and special research methods for the study. With methods of comparisons, extrapolations, correlations and the regression analysis, we could give an ecological and economical estimate for costs using for the organic land-use engineering and for the feasibility evaluation of the organic production development. The synthesis method was useful in determining the socio-economic efficiency of growing organic products. The State Statistics Service data, collections of health indicators and the activities of medical institutions in the Rivne region became the initial basis for the present study. Results. We made the scientific rationale for the organic production development in the Western Polissia, namely, in Volyn, Rivne, Zhytomyr and Kyiv regions, determined the stabilizing costs for the quality condition of 1 hectare of agricultural land. Moreover, the absence of a direct and close relationship between the agro-ecological indicators of soils and the rate of land certification was proved. It was proposed to use the economic criteria for the agricultural land suitability relative to the organic production, as they are defined as informational rather than restrictive. Mathematical modeling helped to evidence the existence of a relationship between the volume of mineral fertilizers applied per hectare of sown area and the level of the population oncological morbidity exemplified by Rivne region, resulting in mathematical models obtained and applied for the predictive estimates of health problems among the population in Rivne region for the coming years. Originality / scientific novelty. For the first time, the assessment of the socio-economic efficiency of the organic land use was carried out with the involvement of economic justification for the development of organic production in Western Polissia regions and its impact on the population health. Practical value / implications. Key results of the study are primarily actionable for determining the ecological and economic substantiation of the development advisability of the organic production through the implementation of the ecological and economic appraisal of costs using for the organic land-use engineering. In addition to it, another key result is to set the level of reduction in the population morbidity due to a decrease in mineral fertilizers applicable per hectare of sown area.

The purpose of the scientific publication is to analyze the dynamics of innovation and investment support for regional ecological development, to identify prospective ways to improve the financial incentives for innovative environmentally-oriented development of Ukrainian regions. The achievement of the purpose of environmentally sustainable development of the country and its regions requires an innovative approach, which essence is to introduce innovations aimed at accelerating quantitative and qualitative changes in the methods of management combined with the development and absorption of environmentally safe innovations, the development of the market for innovative environmental goods and services. The article emphasizes that the innovative eco-sustainable development is the main means of solving a wide range of problems in almost all spheres of life and characterizes the quality of the socio-economic system of the country as a whole and its regions. The article discusses the features of implementation of innovations and investment in the regional ecological development. It analyses the dynamics of innovation-investment support of regional ecological development based on calculations of innovation-scientific and investment indicators. This provided the basis for their rating assessment and identification of the interregional differentiation of administrative regions of Ukraine according to the indexes, which could be the basis for making managerial decisions on innovation and investment support for environmentally sustainable development, taking into account regional peculiarities. It is proved that for the activation of innovation and investment support for regional eco-sustainable development, it is necessary to determine its preconditions, taking into account the assessment of the possibilities of implementation of innovations and attraction of investments in the regions of Ukraine. Indices of innovation and investment support for environmentally safe development of the region are calculated on the basis of statistical data that have an enormous influence on their level and their grouping has been conducted according to qualitative features. A number of measures have been proposed to improve the financial incentives for innovative environmentally-oriented regional development. Keywords: innovation and investment projects, eco-sustainable development, environmental innovations, innovation activity, capital investments, financial sources. JEL Classification Q56, R58, O31, G31 Formulas: 0; fig.: 3; tabl.: 3; bibl.: 19.