Dominik Mecko

The fever dreams of Aubrac

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Some places you visit. Others you carry home without realising what they mean

On the similarities of economics and ecology

Sun, 17 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Money and energy, markets and food webs, booms and predator-prey cycles - why economics might be nothing more than ecology applied to humans.

Five books to better understand the war against Ukraine

Fri, 15 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Five books — reportage, history, fiction, and information warfare — that will give you a better picture of the war against Ukraine and the decades of events that led to it.

A week of tracking wolves, bears and lynx in the Slovak wilderness

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A week spent reading snow, following predators, and rethinking what comes next.

Volunteering as European Climate Pact Ambassador

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I recently became a European Climate Pact Ambassador for Slovakia — here's what the role involves, what brought me to Brussels, and what I plan to do with it.

It's the eyes, they never lie

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Milión červených ruží, chceli by sme celý svet.
V objatí sme ako kruhy, bez začiatku, bez konca.
Vetrom nesieš prvé šifry, pot ma šteklí na perách.
Načo lúštiť povedané? Zamotať sa v riešeniach?
Je to všetko tu, leží ti to na očiach.
Nezľakni sa rezných rán.
Pod nimi je skytým písmom vytlačené,
komu dlžíš ďakujem.

Našiel som ho na najvyššom poschodí

Places from my dreams

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Otvoríš oči a spomenieš si, že si tam, kde si vždy chcel byť.
Kam len dovidíš, ti šeptá pokoj do ucha mäkkú uspávanku.
Zabudni, že aj posledný strom raz padne.
Sny sú ako z cukru, vábia s nekalým úmyslom.
Hladné mraky už zdola šplhajú, nie je šanca ujsť.
Len sa dole cez všetko živé prestrieľať.
Je čas ísť späť, na Zem.

Vietor pohne všetkým, iba Tebou nie

The echo of a distorted cry

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Snívalo sa mi.
Bol som opäť na tých najkrajších miestach, vôňa levandulí mi opantávala každý zmysel.
Počul známe zvuky, videl veci, čo sa nestali. Čas stál a dal sa ľubovoľne pretáčať.
Tu sa dali porušiť všetky zákony, ani Lorentz nemal žiaden dosah.
Platil by som všetkým za návrat.
No minul som to, a ostalo len, čo som zdedil.

A sme opäť sami

How to predict annual residential energy consumption?

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Predicting annual residential building energy use intensity from constrained open data using machine learning, weather records, and population dynamics embeddings.

What drives willingness to pay for renewable electricity in Slovakia?

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

As the climate crisis intensifies, shifting electricity generation to renewable sources has become critical. While engineering solutions continue advancing, understanding consumer preferences and pricing strategies is equally vital for accelerating this transition. As part of my bachelor’s thesis at Erasmus University Rotterdam, I investigated what Slovaks are willing to pay for renewable electricity and which factors influence these preferences.

The Challenge

Slovakia faces a unique situation: the country has substantial potential for renewable energy production (24.4 TWh technical potential vs. 30 TWh current consumption), yet only 23% of electricity comes from renewable sources. With recent energy market crises driven by geopolitical instability, understanding consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for renewable electricity became more urgent than ever. The research posed a central question: Can we quantify what Slovaks are willing to pay for renewable electricity, and can we predict these preferences to enable better pricing strategies?