Renewable Energy Analysis in Poland

Renewable energy and sustainability market research encompasses projects analyzing consumer and corporate attitudes toward sustainable development, green technologies, and the ecological transition. These studies examine readiness to adopt renewable energy solutions, barriers and motivations for pro-environmental behavior, ESG regulation awareness, and preferences for products and services marketed as eco-friendly.

The topic of renewable energy and sustainability is gaining critical importance in the context of EU climate policy (European Green Deal, Fit for 55), rising conventional energy costs, and shifting social attitudes. In Poland, the photovoltaic market has exploded — from a few thousand prosumers in 2016 to over one million. Heat pumps, energy storage systems, and EV chargers represent additional high-growth segments. Simultaneously, ESG reporting is becoming mandatory for an increasing number of companies, generating demand for data on stakeholder environmental attitudes.

Common research projects in this area include: consumer environmental attitude studies (waste sorting, plastic reduction, willingness to pay a premium for eco-products), renewable energy investment readiness analysis (photovoltaics, heat pumps — motivations, barriers, information sources), brand image research in ESG contexts, greenwashing monitoring (how do consumers evaluate the credibility of corporate environmental claims?), electromobility attitude studies, research among companies implementing ESG policies (motivations, barriers, costs), and evaluations of government renewable energy support programs.

Methodologically, sustainability research requires interpretive caution — social desirability bias (respondents overstating their pro-environmental behavior) is particularly strong in this topic area. A respondent may claim they sort waste and plan to buy an electric car, but behavioral data may tell a different story. The most commonly used methods are: CAWI on consumer panels (fast, anonymous — which encourages honesty), CATI (reaching prosumers and rural area residents), IDI with CSR/ESG corporate decision-makers, desk research (regulatory authority data, industry reports), and quasi-experimental studies (e.g., testing whether an “eco” label affects willingness to pay).

The challenge is attitude polarization — sustainability is a politically charged topic in Poland, which affects response honesty and willingness to participate in research. Additionally, rapidly changing regulations (net-billing reforms, renewable energy auctions, ESG requirements) mean the research context evolves faster than project timelines.