Wind EnErgy Poland Plenty of catching up to do The enormous potential of Polish wind energy remains Wind turbines can also be operated viably in the country’s interior, such as the Polish North-East at untapped, despite a high feed-in tariff. The government the Lithuanian and Belarus border, in the Greater Poland (Wielkopolskie) and Masowia (Mazowieckie) and most of the regions remain committed to coal and areas, as well as on the slopes of the Carpathian promote renewables only half-heartedly. Mountains. Foreign investors are also fully aware of this fact. In mid-April 2009, RWE Innogy set up their first wind power generators in the Suwalki region in Wind farm in Zagórze ind turbines can easily cover 10 percent of the North-East. Some 18 2.3 MW turbines supply near Wolin in the Poland’s electricity demand”, believes roughly 80 million kWh of power per year. Szczecin Lagoon. In late W Janusz Gajowiecki of the Polish Wind Ener- September, the total gy Association (PWEA). It would take wind turbines to- Government plans first installed wind energy talling a capacity of 12,000 MW to achieve this goal. nuclear power plant capacity in Poland was Initially this seems somewhat optimistic: because just under 1,100 MW. PWEA reports that wind turbines with a capacity of “The government is not interested in promoting wind Photo: PWEA about 1,100 MW were rotating between the Oder in power”, thinks Gajowiecki. The reasons are histori- the West and Belarus and the Ukraine in the East in cal. Every Polish government to date has backed do- late September. They only supply about 0.7 % of the mestic coal. Nothing suggests that this is going to total electricity production although Poland offers change. Quite the contrary: instead of supporting the many good locations. The best places are situated on generation of power from wind, water and bioenergy, the Baltic coast. From the island of Usedom to Hel the government plans to build a nuclear power station peninsula, the wind blows at speeds of 5 to 6 m/s. – the first in Poland. 162 Sun & Wind Energy 12/2010 But there were some positive attempts to change EU gives clear guidelines. In March 2009, the EU stip- the status quo in the past. The Polish wind era start- ulated in the “directive to promote the use of energy ed in 1991 – on the Pomeranian (Pomorskie) coast- from renewable sources” that at least a fifth of the en- line: in Swarzewo near Hel peninsula, a 95 kW turbine ergy consumption has to be covered by renewable en- was set up and a 150 kW turbine in Lisewo. In West- ergy sources EU-wide by 2020. However, not every EU ern Pomerania (Zachodniopomorskie), near the Bal- member state has to commit itself in the same way. tic coast, the first wind farms supplied power ten Poland is expected to cover 15 % of its energy de- years later: six 850 kW turbines in Barzowice and mand from renewables which would be double the nine 2 MW turbines in Cisowo. In 2002, 15 wind percentage in 2005. At that time renewables – prima- power generators in Wolin followed, with a capacity rily hydro power plants and energy from biomass – of 3 MW each. made up 7.2 % of the energy mix. The government also supported renewables: a To reach its 20 % target, the EU forces its member quota system has been in place since 2001. Energy states to proceed systematically and prepare a na- groups must obtain a part of the electricity sold from tional action plan. By the end of 2009, every state renewable energy sources. This quota rises year on had to assess how it intended to reach the specified year – currently it is 7.5 %. This does not mean that targets. By late June 2010, 27 national action plans energy utilities, such as the state-controlled energy were to have been submitted to the EU Commission. giant PGE (Polska Grupa Energetyczna), invest in The first measures should have been adopted by the green power. They can pay a penalty instead. How- end of 2010. However, the Polish government still ever, the quota system had little success: in 2005, has not completed its action plan. Gajowiecki sees wind turbines with a capacity of only about 60 MW his theory borne out that the government takes little fed electricity to the grid. interest in renewables. It also annoys him that the The next steps followed in 2005: that year, the draft action plan contains many mistakes and dis- Polish government presented its strategy for the devel- crepancies. Moreover, it underrates the possibilities opment of renewable energy until 2020. As an inter- of wind power and overrates those of biomass. No mediate target, it intended to install some 2,000 MW mention is made of the fact that the power grid is out- of wind power by 2010. Poland has only reached half dated. Yet Poland is not the only country which is still of this self-imposed target. The government at the time deliberating on the future path to take for renew- waived setting specific targets for 2020. ables. There are also no action plans from Belgium, Since 2005, the Polish Energy Act provides for a Estonia and Hungary. purchasing and compensation obligation for green power. The feed-in rates for energy from sun, wind, Offshore farms still a vision hydro power and biomass are the same. The amount of the future comprises an average electricity price which the en- ergy companies have to pay in the electricity market, It would be crucial for wind activist Gajowiecki for the as well as an extra charge. In 2009, operators of re- Polish government to commit itself to renewables. newable energy sources obtained 4.64 zloty (just Then offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea would below € 0.12) for feeding in one kWh. This sum is stand a chance. There are repeated reports that for- composed of an extra charge of 2.67 zloty and the eign investors intended to set up large wind farms off average electricity market price of 1.97 zloty/kWh. the Baltic Sea coast. Even PGE is involved. Poland’s largest energy group plans to install offshore wind A bureaucratic nightmare farms in the range of 1,000 MW for € 3.5 billion by 2020. Today any such projects are still up in the air, “But money is not everything”, claims Gajowiecki. because planning and building law precludes wind There are lots of obstacles. In Poland there is no obli- farms in sea areas. gation to connect renewable energy to the grid. The Ralph Ahrens grid is completely outdated and frequently cannot cope with oscillating power quantities at all. “Poland will have to invest in power grids and modern substa- tions to reach the renewable energy quota. This is not www.PolishWindEnergy.com enough, however”, said Gajowiecki. He went on to Polish Wind Energy Competence Center say that obtaining permission to install a wind turbine is often a bureaucratic nightmare. Moreover, setting More than just information... up a wind turbine is strictly forbidden in a Natura 2000 area. He also sees shortcomings in the educa- - Information services tional system. He says that there is plenty of informa- - Market analysis tion on nuclear fusion, but not on wind energy. - Business directory - Market entry consulting All the same, Gajowiecki hopes that the situation - Legal services is gradually changing for the better. On the one hand because the Polish government is preparing a legis- lative proposal to promote renewable energy. On the Local action. Global impact. other hand, because Poland is an EU member and the Sun & Wind Energy 12/2010 163.