Energy Policy of Poland until 2040: The Challenges and Threats to Energy Security in the Next Two Decades

Self Cite

Energy security plays a key role in the functioning of societies; therefore, every country should strive to ensure it. The Russian–Ukrainian dispute has destabilised the fuel market in Europe. In particular, the natural gas sector in Central and Eastern European countries (CEEs) has been disrupted. Poland was forced to reorganise its gas distribution from the eastern to the northern direction. Other Central European countries are also actively working towards independence from Russian gas. Certainly, a viable alternative for most CEEs is to access hydrocarbons located in the Eastern Mediterranean. The development of the gas transmission infrastructure between this region and the CEE can strengthen their energy security. This article provides an SWOT analysis showing that the commissioning of a new gas infrastructure for distributing gas from the Eastern Mediterranean to CEEs is important for their energy security and provides the opportunity to disconnect from Russian gas. The research results may be useful for analysts, entrepreneurs, or policymakers interested in the CEEs’ gas sector.

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gas from the South, Not from Russia: The Possibility of Distributing Natural Gas from the Eastern Mediterranean to Poland and Central Europe

Hebda

2024

Self Cite

“…This document defines the aim of a minimum share of 50% of zero-emission sources in the energy production capacity installed by 2040. This aim is, in particular, to be achieved by the development of offshore wind energy and nuclear power plants [27]. While the focus seems to be on large-scale solutions, there is no clear policy document that creates a basis for dealing with the complexity of a renewable energy transition [28] (p. 11 ff).…”

Section: Energy Transition Policy In Polandmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond Personal Beliefs: The Impact of the Dominant Social Paradigm on Energy Transition Choices

Platje,

Kurek,

Berg

et al. 2024

Energy transition towards a local resilient energy supply is necessary for energy security. Climate change and the threat of economic collapse are reasons to force society to become less dependent on fossil fuel. Small-scale solutions are expected to be more sustainable, as large-scale integrated networks are featured by complexity and difficult-to-notice vulnerabilities, creating system risks. This paper presents the results of empirical research among a sample of Polish business students (N = 205) on the importance of worldviews for the choice of the energy transition scenario (local solutions vs. large-scale solutions). Worldviews are represented here by the Dominant Social Paradigm (defined for the purpose of this study as the belief that liberal democracy, free markets, and technological development are to solve all type of problems). This study addresses two research questions: (1) Is there a difference in preference for the energy transition scenarios? (2) Does adherence to the Dominant Social Paradigm determine the choice of the scenario for energy transition? The results present a preference for non-cooperative solutions (individual household solutions and large-scale solutions), while no significant relation to the worldviews represented by the Dominant Social Paradigm has been found. The results suggest that preferences for individual and large-scale solutions may be influenced more by institutional factors than by personal worldviews. A policy implication is that a change in the socio-political institutions and strengthening local governance may be a prerequisite for a sustainable energy transition.

“…Although the transformation of the power sector in Poland is taking place at different levels and within different market segments [24][25][26], the authors claim that the reconstruction of the system at the local and regional level, implemented through various forms of energy communities, is of particular significance [27][28][29]. In Poland, until 31 March 2022, there was a support mechanism in place in which surplus energy not used in the self-consumption of energy generated in a prosumer renewable energy source was injected into the grid of the local distribution network operator.…”

Section: Background: Description Of the Net Metering System In Polandmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of the Economic Soundness and Viability of Migrating from Net Billing to Net Metering Using Energy Cooperatives

Jasiński,

Kozakiewicz,

Sołtysik

2024

In the European Union, increasing attention is already being paid not only to the development of renewable energy sources, but also to the establishment of solutions to achieve local energy self-sufficiency while increasing the role of citizens in managing the energy they generate. This approach is expected both to have a positive impact on the environment and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and to enhance energy security—both in economic and civic terms by, i.a., combating energy poverty. The development of local energy communities promoted in the EU is supported i.a. by energy cooperatives. These contribute to the efficient harnessing of renewable energy potential in rural and urban-rural areas, and have been developing in Poland for several years now. In their previous studies, the authors of this research paper attempted to verify the generation (number, type and capacity of installed sources) and consumption (energy demand) configurations in which an energy cooperative would be a viable solution for prosumers who might establish it. However, over the past few years, the conditions for prosumers and the method of their accounting with the electricity seller have changed radically in Poland (shift from net metering to net billing). This situation has opened up space for further research and encouraged the authors to revisit the problem of analyzing the viability of establishing energy cooperatives in relation to the rules of operation of individual prosumers. This research was carried out for three scenarios, and the horizon of the analyses conducted and described extends to 2045. The comparative analysis included energy consumers without their own generation sources, prosumers with a photovoltaic generation installation covered by the net billing model, as well as a scenario involving prosumers’ cooperation within an energy cooperative, which by law is settled in the net metering model. Conclusions from the research and simulations made it possible to confirm the claim that, despite changes in the rules of prosumer billing, developing energy independence in the energy community formula results in a significant reduction in the cost of purchasing electricity (even several times lower purchase costs in the timeframe analyzed) and can lead to a reduction in the payback time of investments in generation sources even by a factor of two. The results presented in this research paper open up space for further research. The outcomes allow us to assume that energy cooperatives—in the organizational and institutional model in Poland—are a good tool for reducing the phenomenon of energy poverty on a local scale.