Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues is a peer-reviewed journal which publishes original research papers and case studies

This paper proposes methodological approaches to assessing the impact of renewable energy and energy efficiency development on emerging economies’ energy security. It is suggested to supplement the current methodology for assessing energy security with the decoupling index of the renewable energy financial burden on the state budget, the energy efficiency decoupling index, the households’ energy poverty indicator, the index of capacity development for balancing electricity generation volumes, and the energy fluctuations indicator. These indices provide a comprehensive assessment of energy security under the latest challenges. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic in the Ukrainian energy sector led to the “green and coal paradox”, when the government decided to keep green electricity generation but limit nuclear generation. It required increased flexible capacities (thermal generation) and led to a rise in electricity prices and environmental pollution. Forecasting energy fluctuations with Butterworth filters allows minimizing the risks of maximum peak loads on the grid and timely prevention of emergencies. The energy fluctuations within the 20% range guarantee energy security and optimal energy companies’ operation. It is proposed to smooth out energy consumption fluctuations through green energy development, smart grids formation, energy efficiency improvements, and energy capacities balancing to ensure energy and economic sustainability.

Introduction. Green entrepreneurship has become a powerful new force, driving sustainability and promoting economic development within local economies. This research explains how small-scale green entrepreneurship activity has its desired role in environmentally affected matters and any economic grow-ups from the low ends. Aims and tasks. The study aims to analyze green entrepreneurship models and highlight successful initiatives in various regions, including those related to solar energy, green agriculture and green product development startups, to understand the impact related to social, economic and environmental factors. Results. The findings in the research indicate that creativity is an important business strategy, partnerships in the strategic plan, application of technology and capturing communities in driving green entrepreneurship. As such, the study discovered that business models were continuously associated with the creation of jobs, and in average 15,000 new jobs per region were created. North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America contributed significantly. Thus, as well as through strategic partnerships and technology adoption, it has contributed to a reduction in CO2 emissions by an average of 60,000 tons a year across all regions. The success of green entrepreneurship models is analyzed using empirical case studies and real-life examples to bring out core issues requiring action and offer recommendations to policy makers, investors, and entrepreneurs on how to implement green business models further. Conclusions. The research underlines the dynamic capability of green startups to solve environmental issues along with its shifting economy and community interface. An essential role of green entrepreneurs is the ability to use creative mindsets together with progressive tie-ups. This therefore engenders positive change and leads the way to a more equal and sustainable world. Going further, all critical characters in the area must still be inspired and enlightened to launch more green entrepreneurship initiatives to provide more significant influence on transitioning to a more sustainable society.

Renewable energy technologies play a crucial role in solving global energy and environmental issues, and the pace of the energy transition directly depends on improving their efficiency. Presently, the development and implementation of renewable energy systems are ensured mainly through state funding, the possibilities of which are limited. The potential of attracting private investments depends directly on their impact on companies’ profitability indicators, and the uncertainty regarding the return on investments is one of the main barriers affecting investors’ decision-making. Based on a vector autoregressive model for analysing the stationary time series, the paper explores the impact of long-term investments and research and development costs in renewable energy technologies on the financial performance of ten of the largest companies operating in this field. The study’s results showed that investments and spending on research and development positively affect such companies’ profitability indicators as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation, earnings before interest and tax, net income, and return on investment. The obtained results can be used to substantiate the economic effectiveness of investments in developing and improving renewable energy technologies when forming the companies’ financial policies to support them.

The growth of renewable energy facilities worldwide creates new challenges for sustainable regional development. Unregulated investment flows in the green energy sector cause disparities in the deployment of various renewable energy technologies, worsen the ability to balance national energy systems, etc. This article is the first comprehensive study that offers a methodology for multifactor modeling of investment flows in regional green energy deployment considering the priorities of national, regional, and local authorities within the sustainable development concept. The proposed methodological approaches help (1) determine the types of renewable energy technologies for priority development in the region, (2) select specific green energy projects to receive budgetary support on territories, and (3) form the optimal mechanism for budget financing distribution on regional development of renewable energy technologies. The modeling factors include natural conditions and resource base of a territory; its economically feasible renewable energy potential; the territory’s energy needs; installed capacity and electricity generation of new green energy facilities; power plants’ life cycle duration, the investment amount, etc. The model approbation on the example of household solar and wind power plants in the Sumy region, Ukraine, has shown the need to significantly increase financial support for renewable energy projects, primarily due to the region’s energy deficit. Calculations revealed that the interest-free loan share for both technologies should be 2.843 and 2.844 times higher than the basic share of lending (20%). For the 30-kW solar power plant project, the indicator should be 64.67% instead of the basic one of 56.86% for home solar energy facilities. Thus, the methodological approaches presented in the article are new tools that allow territorial authorities to purposefully shape and manage investment flows in the renewable energy sector to ensure sustainable energy development of regions worldwide.

This study investigates the transformative potential of blockchain technology in financial accounting by examining its applications, challenges, and implications. The study begins with a review of blockchain’s origins and its ability to address inefficiencies, fraud risks, and transparency limitations in traditional accounting. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining qualitative thematic analysis and quantitative statistical techniques. The qualitative analysis involved thematic coding of data from case studies and organizational reports, while the quantitative analysis assessed financial data using descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Eight organizations from diverse industries—including banking, retail, and technology—were purposively sampled to capture varied experiences and applications of blockchain technology. Key findings reveal blockchain’s ability to enhance transparency, efficiency, and security in financial transactions, offering significant advantages for financial reporting and auditing. However, challenges such as regulatory uncertainties, scalability concerns, and technical complexities remain barriers to its widespread adoption. This research provides actionable recommendations to overcome these challenges and maximize blockchain’s benefits in financial accounting. By integrating theoretical insights with empirical evidence, this study contributes to advancing the understanding of blockchain’s role in transforming financial practices, offering practical guidance for academia and industry practitioners alike.