Warunki tworzenia i stan rozwoju spółdzielni i klastrów energetycznych w Polsce na tle doświadczeń niemieckich

Abstract

<jats:p>In energy policy, various organizational forms are used. At local and regional levels, energy cooperatives and energy clusters are perfect. Their main advantages are: socialization of the production process, combining social and economic goals and a beneficial effect on the improvement of the natural environment. The aim of the article was to recognize the conditions and state of development of energy cooperatives and energy clusters in Poland and their impact on local development and the entire energy sector as compared with similar activities in Germany. Germany has the largest number of energy cooperatives that operate in the European Union. They lead to the development of civic energy in which the interests of energy producers and consumers are integrated on a large scale. The conducted analysis led to the conclusion that energy cooperatives should have flexible structures resulting from local needs and possibilities, starting from social cooperatives to structures functioning in the form of regional clusters</jats:p>

The Role of Local Government in the Bottom-Up Energy Transformation of Poland on the Example of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship

“…Especially in Poland, we are still dealing with a low level of social capital, resulting in low involvement of residents in grassroots initiatives, which is confirmed, among others, by the research conducted by Łabędzki and Struś in the border areas of Lower Silesia [31]. Other authors also emphasize that individualism and reluctance to cooperate still dominate in Poland [32]. That is why it is so important for municipalities to initiate and participate in energy cooperatives.…”

“…Eleven out of eighteen communes surveyed did not see the need to engage in the bottom-up process of energy transformation. Bła żejewska and Gostomczyk also drew attention to the passivity of local authorities in their earlier research [32]. At the same time, it is worth emphasizing that the considerations conducted by these authors concern mainly rural areas and the possibility of farmers' participation in innovative energy initiatives.…”

Factors Determining the Development of Prosumer Photovoltaic Installations in Poland

“…Subsequent actions to support the development of RES, including PV, should concern the development of demand-side management systems, which will enable better energy management [57], but also the creation of energy communities in which the production and consumption of energy will be jointly planned [62][63][64]. Additionally, the development of smart grids is necessary as they allow better management of surplus energy, including in isolated systems (e.g., in islands, separated rural areas, and countries without a welldeveloped energy network) [48,[65][66][67][68][69].…”

Energy Transition in the Baltic Sea Region

“…Simultaneously, the cluster's thermal power production potential was at 1.5 MW in biogas sources and 190 MW in conventional sources (ibid.). The cluster aims at further investments in cogeneration, wind and photovoltaic sources that include local wind and solar farms, processing plants that would supply waste from the production process and production plants that would receive cheaper heat and energy (Błażejowska and Gostomczyk, 2018). Ultimately, the cluster's strategic goal is to use the potential of sludge and waste to launch a local initiative in line with the low-carbon, resource-efficient circular economy.…”

“…Their role, as envisioned in the Polish Ministry of Energy regulations at the time, is to stimulate local communities' cooperation in renewable energy production for local needs, develop prosumer energy, improve local energy security and increase the competitiveness and efficiency of the local economy (Moszkowicz and Bembenek, 2017). Having a share from renewable energy, cogeneration or waste energy in the energy consumption of cluster members is one of the formal criteria of the clusters' establishment (Błażejowska and Gostomczyk, 2018). Not surprisingly then, among the most common declared goals of the recently formed energy clusters in Poland are the production of renewable energy and improvement of local energy efficiency measures, as well as the development of cooperation between science and the economy, development of new energy technologies and R&D facilities, improved local energy security and reduction of the negative impact of energy production on the environment (Burzyńska, 2016).…”