Electric vehicles (EVs) have seen significant advancements and mainstream adoption, prompting in-depth analysis of their economic, technical, and environmental impacts. Economically, while EVs offer lower operational costs than internal combustion engine vehicles, challenges remain, particularly for urban users reliant on public charging stations and the potential implementation of new road taxes to offset declining fuel tax revenues. Technically, electric motors in EVs have fewer moving parts, but battery management and cybersecurity complexities pose new risks. Transitioning from Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) to Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LFP) batteries reflects efforts to enhance thermal stability and mitigate fire hazards. Environmentally, lithium extraction for batteries has profound ecological impacts, including for water consumption and pollution. Battery production and the carbon footprint of the entire lifecycle remain pressing concerns, with battery recycling and second-life applications as crucial mitigation strategies. Smart integration of EVs with the energy infrastructure introduces challenges like grid stability and opportunities, such as smart, intelligent, innovative charging solutions and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology. Future research should develop economic models to forecast long-term impacts, advance battery technology, enhance cybersecurity, and conduct comprehensive environmental assessments to optimise the benefits of electromobility, addressing the multidimensional challenges and opportunities presented by EVs.

Objective: The article represents the preliminary study, with the aim of the experiment being to examine whether different types of light sources used commonly in building interiors combined with various color temperature have an effect on EEG activity. The effect of frequency pulsation and color temperature on brain activity in EEG examinations in the beta 2 band was assumed. Material/participants: Twenty healthy men aged 19-25 years participated in the experiment. Methods: The research stand was lit by: LED diodes with color temperatures of 3000 K, 4200 K, 6500 K, with the power supplied using the pulse width modulation (PWM) method with the current frequency of 122 Hz, linear fluorescent tubes (3000 K, 6500 K), with the power supplied with the frequency of 50 Hz and 52 kHz from the electromagnetic and electronic ballasts, and the conventional light bulb, with the power supplied directly from the mains electricity, used as a reference light. System Flex 30 apparatus with TrueScan software was used to record the EEG signal. The examination used two factors (speed and accuracy) of the Kraepelin's work curve to describe changes in work performance for various types of lighting. Results: The results demonstrate that the use of different types of emission of light and color temperature of the light have an effect on bioelectrical brain activity and work performance. Conclusions: The highest activity of brain waves concerns the beta band in the frequency range of 21-22 Hz, regardless of the type of the light source (LED, fluorescent tube). The methods used to supply power and color temperature of fluorescent tubes do not significantly affect bioelectrical brain activity during "work'', but previous lighting with fluorescent tubes during work has an essential effect on bioelectrical brain activity during rest. Regardless of the color temperature, LED lighting with PWM power supply leads to the highest bioelectrical activity (mainly in the range of 21-22 Hz) in the brain during work and rest, which might suggests the usefulness of this method of supplying power for everyday work. Incandescent light does not affect the bioelectrical brain activity during work and rest. (c) 2018 Polish Neurological Society. Published by Elsevier Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.

A properly designed and manufactured autonomous lighting system has an impact on reducing the amount of conflicts between pedestrians and drivers. For pedestrian crossings located outside of urban areas, one of the utilized solutions is PV installations with an electrochemical energy storage bank. So, the question should be asked: is it possible to maintain proper energy and lighting parameters throughout the year? This depends on the technical parameters of the installation, insolation, operating time, and the number and power of lighting luminaires directly prescribed by formal regulations. The purpose of this article is to present a method for evaluating the performance of a lighting installation at isolated pedestrian crossings based on annual power generation data obtained from a photovoltaic installation. This article presents lighting requirements for pedestrian crossing lighting. Based on the developed five lighting scenarios and energy calculations, year-round operation was simulated. Problems and risks that may affect the availability and performance of the lighting system were introduced. Directions for further research on the application of photovoltaic installations in road infrastructure were identified.

In the paper self-exciting induction generator system has been presented. It has been made on the base of cage induction motor, and it is intended for small hydroelectric and wind power plants. The basic advantages of the system are reliability, simple construction, and durability as well self-service and low cost of production. In the presented solution, generator is not connected with distribution system and represents an autonomous system. For voltage and frequency stabilization purpose its works with AC/DC converter. The paper presents the result of simulation research, as well experimental result obtained on laboratory model of generator with converters and prediction control.

This paper presents investigation of methods for reducing light pulsation and plasma temperature inside a high intensity discharge (HID) lamp arc tube. Differences found in light emission of an arc tube plasma channel under different power supply methods are presented and discussed in this work. The novelty of the paper lies in systematical investigation of different power converter supply methods and demonstrating that it has a significant influence on plasma temperature in an arc tube. The tested lamp was powered by electronic ballasts controlled by different algorithms, which forced their current waveform. To compare the results, the authors performed measurements on a discharge lamp powered by a standard electromagnetic ballast. The investigation of plasma parameters is based on the optical spectroscopy method. It was shown that by using the appropriate current shape of a high switching frequency supply converter, the plasma temperature of an HID lamp can be reduced almost by half.

The decarbonization of heating systems is one of the present political and legislative directions of the European Union and its Member States. The main activities concern the energy performance of buildings and energy efficiency. The mentioned UE directives are the basis for the financial support of high-emission fossil fuel thermal energy source replacement with emission-free ones, in particular heat pumps. Other aspects are the support of PV installations and the thermal insulation of buildings. 85% of EU buildings were built before 2000, and among those, 75% have poor energy performance. Therefore, a significant number of buildings have only high-temperature wall radiators, and this was a motivation to prepare this article. The main innovation of this research was a new theoretical design of a high-temperature heat pump based on ecological refrigerants. The presented solution allows wall radiators to receive a hot water supply with temperatures of up to 85 °C during external temperatures of up to −20 °C. Typical heat pumps do not have these kinds of parameters, so the authors decided to verify the possibility of operating this device in such a wide temperature range. Another important aspect was the analysis of PV support. Finally, this paper investigates the possibility of heating an energy-efficient house with the newly designed high-temperature heat pump. Depending on the location in Poland, i.e., Suwałki, Warsaw, and Wrocław, the total electric energy supplied to the compressors was 2538–3364 kWh. The energy provided by the PV to supply power to the compressors is 482–570 kWh. The achieved PV energy self-consumption is 16.9–19.0%. The Seasonal Coefficient of Performance (SCOP) of the heat pump is 1.825–2.038 without PV and 2.515–2.970 with PV.