Methods of promotion of renewable energy among local municipalities of Poland

Abstract

Perspektywa dalszego dynamicznego rozwoju gospodarki Polski w ramach UE wymaga przekonania społeczeństwa do przyjęcia nowoczesnej koncepcji wytwarzania energii. Powinna być ona dostosowana do wymagań ochrony środowiska i ma doprowadzić do produkcji 7,5% energii z odnawialnych źródeł do 2010 r. oraz 14% do 2010 r. W pracy dokonano pobieżnej analizy sytuacji energetycznej w Polsce i podjęto próbę sformułowania efektywnej strategii promocji odnawialnych źródeł energii w ramach polskich samorządów lokalnych z uwzględnieniem udziału mieszkańców tych terenów oraz istniejącego już systemu wspierania tych inicjatyw przez rząd.

Poland faces nowadays a multi-dimensional challenge: She is a country of a high-accelerated economic development (considered to show another 30% of economic development, during the next 50 years), with abundant energy needs, situated at a crossroad between Europe and Russia (an energy-consuming and an energy-productive center), with ambitious objectives to catch in the sector of renewable energy sources, with dynamic and participative local municipalities struggling for the benefit of their territories, with a very recent accession to the European Union (only in 2004), and with a historical past full of revolutionary ideas and actions. Nowadays, Poland needs to persuade her people to adopt innovative schemes of energy production in order to protect the environment while at the same time she has to achieve a target of 7,5% from renewable energy sources until 2010 (14% until 2020), showing at the same time a high degree of competitiveness equal to the one of other European Member States. For the newly accessing country, these challenges are not an easy task. In this paper, we run a quick look at the energy situation in Poland, and we try to approach an effective strategy regarding the promotion of renewable energy applications among Polish municipalities, taking into consideration the specific concerns of local people as well as the already existent supporting scheme from the central government.