Renewable energy investment and job creation; a cross-sectoral assessment for the Czech Republic with reference to EU benchmarks

The development of renewable energy sources has been primarily justified on the ground of environmental policies and energy security, but new jobs opportunities and establishment of new economy sectors may be equally important co-benefits from investments in this sector. The main goal of this paper is to assess the employment benefits of investments in renewable energy in the Czech Republic. We examine the level and rate of the development of the renewable energy sector in the Czech Republic in terms of ('green‘) job creation for the period 2008–2013, in comparison to data from other EU countries, including Germany as a leading early investor in renewables. Whilst the deployment of renewable energy in the Czech Republic has succeeded to create a significant number of jobs (more than 20 000 employees in 2010), our analysis illustrates a strong dependency of job creation on the continuation of financial incentives. We also find that biomass and waste energy processing offer the highest employment per MWh, which benefits employment in (economically fragile) rural areas. We discuss the question of competitiveness of a country that was not amongst the early adopters of renewables, arguing that the technical skills of the labour force in the Czech Republic provide a potential for more sustained investments in the sector

Best practice forever? Dynamics behind the perception of farm-fed anaerobic digestion plants in rural peripheries

Anaerobic digestion (AD) plants undoubtedly represent an integral and irreplaceable element in rural energy transition and sustainable waste management. In our study, we focus on an advanced understanding of the dynamics behind the changing perceptions of AD plants in host communities in Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. The surveyed AD plant case studies were selected to represent best-practice examples of AD plant operations in their countries. By means of a comparative survey in three host communities, we seek to learn more about the shift in perceptions of AD plants between their planning and operational phases. We find that, although our cases are considered best-practice examples of AD plant operations, their overall support in their communities dramatically dropped in the operational phase consequent to real-life experience with living in the neighbourhood of an AD plant. Additionally, our findings indicate that respondents who reported the most severe deterioration of AD plant perceptions were, surprisingly, those who had participated in the planning process more than other respondents. The most frequently mentioned type of participation in the planning phase was reported to be visits to the local administration office to inspect an AD plant's planning documentation. We argue that deteriorating perceptions of best-practice examples of AD plant operations negatively impact the further development and acceptance of the biogas sector in Eastern Europe. The element of acceptance by the locals of AD plant operations urgently requires reflection in the definition of best practices to inspire and upgrade both existing and planned biogas energy projects.Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness; State Research Agency of SpainSpanish Government; Regional Development Fund [CSO2017-86975-R, VEGA 1/0514/21]Vedecká Grantová Agentúra MŠVVaŠ SR a SAV, VEGA: 1/0514/21; European Regional Development Fund, ERDF: CSO2017-86975-R; Ministerio de Asuntos Económicos y Transformación Digital, Gobierno de España, MINEC

Shifts in the smart research agenda? 100 priority questions to accelerate sustainable energy futures

Energy transitions are at the top of global agendas in response to the growing challenges of climate change and international conflict, with the EU positioning itself as playing a pivotal role in addressing climate risks and sustainability imperatives. European energy transition policies identify 'smart consumption' as a key element of these efforts, which have previously been explored from a predominantly technical perspective thus often failing to identify or address fundamental interlinkages with social systems and consequences. This paper aims to contribute to interdisciplinary energy research by analysing a forward looking 'Horizon Scan' research agenda for smart consumption, driven by the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH). Reflecting on an extensive systematic Delphi Method exercise surveying over 70 SSH scholars from various institutional settings across Europe, we highlight what SSH scholars see as future directions for smart consumption research. Building from seven thematic areas (under which are grouped 100 SSH research questions), the study identifies three key 'shifts' this new smart research agenda represents, when compared to previous agendas: (1) From technological inevitability to political choice, highlighting the need for a wider political critique, with the potential to open up discussions of the instrumentalisation of smart research; (2) From narrow representation to diverse inclusion, moving beyond the shortcomings of current discourses for engaging marginalised communities; and (3) From individual consumers to interconnected citizens, reframing smart consumption to offer a broader model of social change and governance. Social Sciences and Humanities scholarship is essential to address these shifts in meaningful (rather than tokenistic) ways. This agenda and the shifts it embodies represent key tools to enable better interdisciplinary working between SSH and teams from the technical and natural sciences.Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic DKRVO, (RP/CPS/2022/005); Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, H2020; European Commission, EC; Horizon 2020, (826025)European Union [826025]; Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic DKRVO [RP/CPS/2022/005

Shifts in the smart research agenda? 100 priority questions to accelerate sustainable energy futures

Energy transitions are at the top of global agendas in response to the growing challenges of climate change and international conflict, with the EU positioning itself as playing a pivotal role in addressing climate risks and sustainability imperatives. European energy transition policies identify ‘smart consumption’ as a key element of these efforts, which have previously been explored from a predominantly technical perspective thus often failing to identify or address fundamental interlinkages with social systems and consequences. This paper aims to contribute to interdisciplinary energy research by analysing a forward looking ‘Horizon Scan’ research agenda for smart consumption, driven by the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH). Reflecting on an extensive systematic Delphi Method exercise surveying over 70 SSH scholars from various institutional settings across Europe, we highlight what SSH scholars see as future directions for smart consumption research. Building from seven thematic areas (under which are grouped 100 SSH research questions), the study identifies three key ‘shifts’ this new smart research agenda represents, when compared to previous agendas: (1) From technological inevitability to political choice, highlighting the need for a wider political critique, with the potential to open up discussions of the instrumentalisation of smart research; (2) From narrow representation to diverse inclusion, moving beyond the shortcomings of current discourses for engaging marginalised communities; and (3) From individual consumers to interconnected citizens, reframing smart consumption to offer a broader model of social change and governance. Social Sciences and Humanities scholarship is essential to address these shifts in meaningful (rather than tokenistic) ways. This agenda and the shifts it embodies represent key tools to enable better interdisciplinary working between SSH and teams from the technical and natural sciences

Wind energy development and tourism: a threat or the possibility?

A plan to increase a share of energy production gained from renewable sources has been proclaimed and ratified in most of the European countries including the Czech Republic. The usage of so called clean energy has become a global challenge that raises big controversies on a local and regional level though. Wind turbines turned out to be the most controversial phenomenon for both the scientific and public community. Hereat a social acceptance (community acceptance and political acceptance) is the key question in the planning and realisation process. A potential impacts on landscape character, swirling turbines´ noise and speculations concerning potential negative impacts on tourism have become the main arguments of opposition in the last two three years. The aim of the paper is to analyze, evaluate and empirically verify a potential impact of the wind power developments on tourism on the example of localities of Slezská Harta (dam) and Boží Dar and Kryštofovy Hamry (Ore Mountains)

Místo v mysli: měření image a management značky (na příkladu malých moravských měst)

The lecture deals with the concepts of image and place branding on example of small Moravian towns and different quantitative and qualitative methodological approaches and measure techniques are described within. A general typology of the images of town (as ideal types) - reflecting the Tuan´s concepts of public symbols and fields of care - was created on the basis of results from own empirical research (surveys). The author also tried to apply the theory of social roles on towns and their social functions and some practical problems concerning the brand management of towns were discussed on example of concrete towns

Place identity, image and place branding: new perspectives and strategies of the municipal and regional development in the time of globalisation

In connection with dynamic liberation, extension and integration of European space, with reduction of function of original politically delimited borders and with regard to global processes questions of place (state, regional and local) identities have been becoming frequently discussed issues and practical problems to deal with. In a time characteristic of perpetual change, uncertainty, fragmentation of social life, diversity and inconsistence of its forms the identity (self-definition) of a single person and their embedment in social-geographical space is getting more and more important. Together with spreading globalisation whose denominators are substantial mobility of capital, labour force, technologies and informations, with increasing competition among municipalities and regions in a sense of use and profit of available resources the identity and image of place become the key marketing tools in strategic planning of developing activities and their implementation

Prostorová strukturace vnímání a vědomí regionálních a lokálních identit: analýza a kartografická reprezentace pomocí metod mentálního mapování (teoretický a metodologický úvod)

The project following transdisciplinary approach comprising geographical, sociological and environmental-psychological view of the issue is about to be theoretically and empirically concerned with a question of subjective perception and construction of space and creation of territorially tied collective identities. Using the method of mental mapping and other behavioural-geographical, sociological and psychosemantic methods a spatial structure of awareness of local and regional identities, preferences, values and attitudes will be investigated. The factors affecting creation of subjective sense of places and relations (identifications) with places will be analysed and classified. The main result should be a set of mental maps (cartographic syntheses) delimiting and representing a model area (region) at different spatial hierarchical levels based on selected aspects, characteristics and subjective criteria