Malgorzata Wolna, Polish Solar Energy Society ISES

Introduction

Black and brown coal have been used as main energy raw materials in Poland for centuries, and even today are the basic source of energy used for both industrial and domestic purposes. However fossil fuels create environmental problems such as air pollution by increasing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases concentration in the earth atmosphere causing, in consequence, climate changes due to global warming. Systems utilising renewable energy sources (RES) are often not economical. The prices of conventional energy carriers are lower than those of RES. Financial mechanisms addressed directly to the independent producers of energy from RES are insufficient. These and a number of other barriers hinder the development of RES sector.

However the environmental situation indicates that changes in the structure of energy supplies in Poland are urgently needed and new solutions and applications are being considered.

Goals of Poland’s renewable energy policy

The EU’s White Paper [1] presents the strategy and action plan in the field of RES, which requires all members states to take steps towards the solution of energy problems. The European Union’s target is to increase the share of RES from 6% to 12% of gross energy consumption by 2010. Another document — EU’s Renewable Electricity Directive 2001/77/EC [2] gives a framework for increasing the share of green electricity from 14% to 22% of gross electricity consumption by 2010. The forecasts also include ten European applicant countries that will in the nearest future become members of the European Union.

Poland has adopted a renewable energy strategy, whose goals, at present, are lower than the targets set by the European Union. The main objective is to increase the share of energy from renewable sources in primary energy balance to 7.5% in 2010 and to 14% in 2020 [3]. In the Accession Treaty [4] Poland set its national indicative target for the consumption electricity from RES in the total gross electricity consumption to amount to 7.5% by 2010.

Table 1. The share of green electricity generation in 10 candidate countries in 1999 and prospects in 2010 [5]

Table 1 presents the targets negotiated by ten associated candidate countries. It depicts the share of green electricity in the total gross electricity consumption predicted in 2010 and compares it with figures for 1999.

To meet numerous challenges and solve problems in the RES sector, the Polish governmental policy is focused on several scopes of activity, including environmental, economic, financial, agricultural, educational and research policy (Fig. 1).

Ministry of Education

Ministry of Scientific Research and Information Technology

Fig. 1 RES policy in different sectors in Poland