Miroslava Čukanová

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
Decentralization and renewable energy have gained significant global attention due to their potential to enhance energy security, promote sustainability, and democratize energy access. This study aims to provide a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of research trends, key contributors, and thematic developments in the field of the decentralization of energy sources and their renewability. The research methodology involves a bibliometric analysis based on data extracted from the Scopus database, covering publications from 1973 to 2025. The analysis reveals exponential growth in research output, particularly after 2014, with over 3,700 publications recorded in 2023 alone. Citation trends indicate that foundational studies on decentralized microgrids and distributed energy systems remain highly influential, while recent works on blockchain-based energy trading and AI-driven energy management are gaining prominence. The study identifies China (11.7% of total publications), the United States (6.5%), and India (5.7%) as the leading contributors, with significant research activity also observed in European countries. Additionally, journals such as Applied Energy, Renewable Energy, and Energies serve as the primary publication platforms in this domain. Thematic analysis highlights a shift from bioenergy and land-use studies toward smart grids, energy storage, artificial intelligence, and decentralized finance for energy markets. Furthermore, co-authorship and international collaboration have increased significantly, with 25% of papers involving multi-country research efforts. Keyword analysis indicates growing research interest in emerging topics such as hydrogen energy, demand-side management, and digitalization in decentralized energy systems. These findings underscore the increasing interdisciplinary nature of decentralized energy research, integrating technological, economic, and policy dimensions.

Acknowledgment
This study was prepared as part of the project IZURZ1_224119/1 (Swiss National Science Foundation).

Type of the article: Research Article

Amid growing global challenges such as technological change and socio-economic uncertainty, fostering youth creativity has become vital for sustainable development. In Ukraine, open science provides a promising pathway to develop key competences like creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration, essential for navigating ongoing social and educational transformation. This study aims to investigate the relationship between Ukrainian young people's engagement with open science practices and their creative development across academic disciplines and educational levels. Drawing on data from a nationwide survey of 2,250 Ukrainian university students (Bachelor, Master, and Ph.D.), this study applies non-parametric methods to analyze how young people engage with open science. The results show that engagement with open science practices among Ukrainian students varies significantly by both level of education and field of study. Ph.D. students report the highest frequency of participation (median = 4.0 on a 5-point scale), significantly more than Bachelor's and Master's students (Kruskal-Wallis χ² = 44.92, p < 0.001). They also rate mentorship and collaborative research as more effective for creativity (e.g., mentorship: p = 0.00008 between Bachelor and Master levels). Disciplinary differences are most evident in the perceived effectiveness of webinars (χ² = 31.69, p = 0.0002) and collaborative research (χ² = 23.34, p = 0.0055), with students from engineering and life sciences showing the highest appreciation. These differentiated patterns confirm that the creative development potential of open science is powerfully shaped by students’ academic stage and disciplinary background.

Acknowledgment
This research was funded by the grant VEGA 1/0271/23 “Sustainable renewal of spa tourism in the Slovak Republic in the context of the impacts of civilisation crises”. This research was also prepared as part of projects 0124U000545 and ERASMUS-JMO-2022-HEI-TCH-RSCH-101085198.