Extraction and combustion of coal have changed the world and the climate of our planet within last two hundred years, but both are declining. This fact alongside with many others belongs to key messages of a new, representative publication, the Coal Atlas. Coal has started the industrial revolution and at the same time caused environmental and social destruction of large areas. At present, coal significantly contributes to climate change by being responsible for 43 % of global carbon dioxide emissions and more than one third of all greenhouse gas emissions respectively. Progressive countries are therefore leaving coal behind. What is more, consumption of coal has recently stagnated also in China, so far the biggest consumer. While the coal business seems to be inevitably coming to the end, some investors still hope for a profit. Why some buy something that the others consider as “stranded assets”?

In December 2015, the scoping stage of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process on the Updated Concept of Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel Management began in the Czech Republic. The policy has processed only one option - a geological disposal facility in the Czech Republic. Second part of this article will look into the situation with radioactive waste management in the world.

In December 2015, the scoping stage of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process on the Updated Concept of Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel Management began in the Czech Republic. The policy has processed only one option - a geological disposal facility in the Czech Republic. The first part of this article will look into the situation with radioactive waste management in the country.

This article deals with assessment of health and environmental impacts from potential continuation of brown coal mining in the North Bohemian Coal Basin. Four defined mining variants, which are related to a possible modification of the regional ecological limits in the opencast mines Bílina and Československé armády have been reviewed. The impacts are quantified in monetary terms – external costs – using the damage cost approach that reflects site-specific conditions of the assessment and enables us to structure the external costs estimates by the type of the impact on health, agricultural production and biodiversity. In the case of mining process, health effects due to dust emissions and noise pollution on the surrounding population were evaluated. The external cost assessment of extracted coal usage in the defined mining variants for energy purposes consisted mainly in quantification of the health impacts due to primary and secondary pollutants.

The article refers to the new European subsidies for the replacement of boilers in the Czech republic. The author responds to the statement of the Minister of the Enviroment Richard Brabec who said, that the much debated permision to subsidize boilers, which were not verified by an independent authorized person, was necessary because of the requirements of the European legislation.

The article descrtibes selected Solar District Heating implementation business models. Prezented cases are based on actual projects running across Europe.

We calculate insulation thickness in accordance with the criterion of maximum heat loss and monitor unwanted warming or cooling media and maintain the required temperature.

This article reflects the author's view on the issue of emissions from the combustion of solid fuels in small combustion appliances and theirs decreasing by subsidy for boilers’ change. For maximum efficiency of subsidies, author recommends: 1) replace old boilers with modern gasification and automatic boilers, 2) subsidize only boilers certified by independent accredited laboratory, 3) optimize settings of newly installed boiler according to the measurement of flue gas composition and efficiency, directly at the new operator, 4) periodically check emission parameters in real conditions.

Article is dealing with gasification principles and gasifiers. Gasification is process for gas producing from solid fuels (coal, wastes, biomass). Producer gas can be used in cogeneration unit (piston engine or combustion turbine) for generating of heat and electricity with higher efficiency in comparison with combustion in boiler. All processes in gasifier taking place with regulated supply of gasification media (air, oxygen or steam) and reaction heat.

The article describes the transmission grid of the Czech republic and continental Europe.

The article deals with the beginning and development of the energy transmission system in the Czech republic and Slovakia and it's integration to the continental transmission grid.

Methods of cost allocation in apartment buildings have undergone significant changes in recent years. The article offers a comprehensive overview of cost allocation methods in multi-dwelling units according to applicable regulations. It is intended mainly for owners of residential units, board members of homeowners associations, managers of housing cooperatives or individuals and companies managing residential buildings.
Cost allocation in apartment buildings is currently governed by two laws: Act No. 67/2013 Coll. and the new Civil Code No. 89/2012 Coll. These laws governed cost allocation in calendar year 2014 and apply also for 2015. The heating and hot water supply costs in MDUs from 2016 onwards will be allocated pursuant to the new decree No. 269/2015 Coll. and the amended Act No. 67/2013 Coll.

The aim of electricity distributor is that customers may be sourced if a constant amount of energy. When properly appliances division into groups according to how they can be turned off, it is possible to reduce the agreed value of the load shedding and save on fixed fees. The regulator load shedding so in the short term applies.

This article analyzes the causes due to which the subscribers disconnected from district heating. It also offers cheap technical solution which will bring genuine increase in energy efficiency to which we are committed (EU Directive 20-20-20).

In a previous article we described current problems of district heating. Their creation is shared by all stakeholders - customers, suppliers and the state. The only difference is that while consumers and suppliers are more or less at the mercy of events, the state is the one who will decide on the future success or failure of the sector. And in this role still failing. The state should support the heating industry, but instead he openly harms.

The amount of heat consumed by households for heating will continue to decline. The causes of this trend, we can identify more, but they all have one common feature - the growing cost of heat. It is growing because of rising prices of inputs (raw materials, technology, labor) but also due to decreasing consumption of heat (climate change, saving measures).

In the presented article is analyzed aging of the photovoltaic power plant panels located in Dukovany. Photovoltaic power plant in Dukovany (identified also as PV power plant) is the oldest PV power plants built in the Czech Republic. PV power plant was put into service in 1998. After 17 years of working is slowly ending its life. This work compared an electricity production in individual years, decreasing of produce energy from the values given by the manufacturer and also describing visible defects on selected modules.

The heating period 2014/2015 in Prague based on the observation of Prague-Karlov station was with 222 days, a little shorter, and with an average temperature of 6,4 °C, slightly warmer than the long-term average. Basic characteristic of heat demand for heating is 2803 D°(19) degree days, heat demand is much lower than the long-term average of 3227 D°(19). It's the second lowest number of degree days of the heating period since the beginning of the century.

The last time we meet with the requirement to improve energy efficiency practically every step, as a result of the implementation of Directive 2012/27/EU into our legislation. The purpose of this regulation is to cause such changes in society and in the energy sector to increase energy efficiency in 2020 by 20% and created the conditions for its further growth in the longer term. The most important area in terms of energy consumption includes heating of buildings.