Poles install photovoltaic panels en masse. This is helped by money from the My Current program. Installing solar panels on the roof is an investment that can pay off for 20-30 years.
The installed photovoltaic capacity in Poland increased by 154.33 MW and amounted to 2.6 GW at the beginning of October. This means an increase of over 166%. Every year
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The number of green investments in Poland is growing rapidly. However, our country still produces as much electricity from coal as the other 25 EU countries together, excluding Germany. Although over 80 percent. Poles consider renewable sources to be the future of energy, there is no specific knowledge about the possibilities of their use. They associate them with costly and large investments. – The green transformation of the country depends not only on micro-installations for the needs of citizens and small businesses, but also on large institutional investments – says Grzegorz Biliński, managing director of Axpo Polska.
– We are now seeing a gigantic boom in micro-installations. Poles are building them even in times of a pandemic, which is a fantastic sign that allows us to look optimistically into the future – says Grzegorz Biliński in an interview with the Newseria Biznes agency.
An example is the installation of photovoltaic panels. The data provided to Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne (PSE) shows that the installed photovoltaic capacity in Poland increased by 154.33 MW and at the beginning of October amounted to 2.6 GW. This means an increase of over 166%. Every year. Only throughout September 2020, the increase in the capacity of photovoltaic installations amounted to 6.1 percent. Most Poles are of the opinion that RES is the future of energy and appreciate their positive impact on the environment.
– These are not empty words. In the last two years, more than 2,000 sq m. MW of micro-installations, which means that we have approx. 200 thousand. micro-installations, e.g. in small entrepreneurs who have decided to invest in renewable energy. This is a positive signal which shows that the awareness of the benefits is increasing, explains the managing director of Axpo Polska.
This can also be seen in the opinions of individual users. The report “Green social potential. Poland and Central and Eastern Europe” of the Institute for Market and Social Research indicates that according to 87 percent. Poles, renewable energy sources can bring real benefits. According to 76 percent Thanks to local production, renewable energy will increase the country’s energy security. The same number of people believe that the vast majority of generated energy should come from renewable sources, especially since it brings measurable financial benefits.
– Mounting a photovoltaic panel on the roof is an investment that will bring benefits for 20-30 years, because this is the service life of these installations. The repayment itself takes seven years, i.e. we have from 13 to 23 years of benefits in the form of electricity savings. Not everyone is aware of it, not all trust this information yet. Social awareness is a barrier that still has to be overcome – assesses the managing director of Axpo Polska.
This is helped by money from the My Electricity program, the budget of which is PLN 1 billion. There is still over PLN 540 million to be used for the construction of a photovoltaic installation with a power of 2-10 kW for residential purposes. According to the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, so far, thanks to the program, it has been possible to finance over 91 thousand. projects.
As the expert emphasizes, the current economic crisis is not conducive to planning energy investments – both among citizens and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Potential savings can convince them to do so, as well as the fact that energy prices – due to the economic slowdown – may fall again, which is conducive to reducing fixed costs.
– In times of a pandemic, only some of the 2 million entrepreneurs are able to think about such investments at the moment, because it is a time of anxiety about our future – says Grzegorz Biliński.
Encouraging entrepreneurs to invest is all the more difficult as coal is definitely dominant in Poland, and it is to be the same for the coming years. Think tank Ember in the report for the first half of 2020 states that in the entire European Union, renewable energy produced 40 percent. electricity, and fossil fuels – 34 percent. In the vast majority of countries, coal production is systematically dropping, e.g. in Germany by 39 percent. Poland now produces as much electricity from coal as the other 25 EU countries combined, excluding Germany.
– The transformation of our energy sector does not depend only on micro-installations, but also the need for large institutional investments and the construction of large energy sources. Building renewable energy sources is profitable for investors. They only need clear signposts from the government when it comes to offshore or onshore wind energy. We know that the government is working intensively on such a signpost that will help achieve the EU’s green energy goals, says the managing director of Axpo Polska.
According to recent government announcements, the act on offshore wind farms is to be delivered to the Sejm in December, so that it can enter into force next year. The industry indicated that investors are waiting for new regulations.
According to the expert, investors in Poland will be encouraged to use renewable energy sources by the European Green Deal and the funds it provides for the green transformation.
– We need funds for energy transformation and replacement of transmission networks. Not everything in this transformation is economically justified, which is why there is a Green Deal. Generating and managing energy involves costs that must be taken into account, hence these EU funds – explains Grzegorz Biliński.
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