Promotion of renewable energy sources is one of BAPE's statutory goals. The most important actions taken in this field are:
- Design of straw and wood fired heating stations/installations,
- Implementing new fuels to the Polish market (wood chips, wood pellets),
- Wind power parks design,
- Solar thermal energy design,
- Design of landfill gas extraction and utilization,
- Education and consulting.
Our experiences so far consist of the following design, education and consulting tasks:
- Design of 3 installation fired with straw of the total capacity 0,8 MW,
- Design of 8 installations fired with wood of the total capacity 10 MW,
- Design of a landfill gas extraction and utilization installation,
- Design of two power parks in northern Poland,
- Analysis of the possibility of production and utilization of wood pellets in the Pomeranian region,
- Two 100% renewable programs for communes in northern Poland.
Renewable energy sources in Poland
The Polish energy sector is based mostly on coal and coke. Ca. 75% primary energy is produced of coal, which causes the highest of all energy sources air pollution. More developed countries have only ca. 10% coal in their energy mixes. Poland therefore has high dust emissions (6,2 t/km)2 per year) and sulphur dioxide emissions equal over 10 t/km2 per year.
Present RES share in Poland is less than 2,6% primary energy production (without big hydro power - above 5 MW capacity), which means ca. 105, 7 PJ energy. Nearly 98% of the renewable energy is produced of biomass.
It is estimated that Poland has the following RES potential:
| Technology |
Technical potential [PJ] |
| According to prof. A. Sala and J. Szargut |
According to prof. Zimny |
IBMER/ECBREC |
World Bank |
| Biomass - straw |
103 |
407 |
895 |
810 |
| Biomass - wood |
| Solar energy |
53 |
280 |
1340 |
370 |
| Wind energy |
8 |
140 |
36 |
4-5 |
| Geothermal energy |
257 |
625000 |
200 |
200 |
| Hydro energy |
18 |
43 |
43 |
30 |
| Biofuels |
71 |
* |
* |
* |
| Total |
580 |
625870 |
2514 |
1414 |
* lack of data
According to many experts, it is possible to increase the utilization of renewable energies by ca. 1000 PJ by 2010, which is ca. 25% of the total energy demand in Poland.
To fulfill the international agreements, including the Kyoto Protocol and the conclusions of the White Paper "Energy for Future: Renewable Energy Souces", the Polish government has prepared "Strategy for Renewable Energy Development". The strategy aims at increase of RES share in the energy mix up to 7,5% in 2010 and 14% in 2020.
Reaching this goal will require increasing the renewable energy production by nearly 235 PJ in the coming 9 years. Biomass will remain the main renewable energy source and it will reach 94% of the total renewable energy production.
There are many elements of the Polish renewable energy policy that still need to be more precise. There are also system threats in some areas, f.ex. lack of coordination and cohesion of environmental, energy and agricultural policies.