GREEN LIGHT FOR PHOTOVOLTAICS IN POLAND?

摘要

Fast progress in introducing electric energy originated from photovoltaic conversion of solar radiationin Europe as well as in the world, for a long time has presented Poland in an unfavourable light. Despite the fact thatour country entered the European Union, all the time we were deviating from indicators of renewable sources ofenergy depicted their participation in general energetic balance. This situation resulted from many reasons but mainlyfrom the strong influence of coal lobby. The energy industry of Poland in more than 90% is based on coal energy.However, wide-ranging propaganda, led in frameworks of EU IEE “PVs in Bloom” Project, which approximated PVissue to local governors and decision makers in Poland. Quantifiable effect of this was activation of the firstphotovoltaic farm with power of 1.8 MWp in September last year. It was opened in one borough of Malopolska -Wierzchoslawice. While opening the investment, there was the Vice- Prime Minister of the Republic of Polandpresented - Waldemar Pawlak, who at the same time was the minister responsible for energy industry. Simulation ofbenefits from producing PV energy, convinced the Minister of Economy about the purposefulness of this kind ofinvestments in Poland. Certainly, at current stage Poland has not introduced economic mechanisms supporting theseinvestments, that is why, time of paying back of costs eliminated their profitability. Hence, as a suggestion of thisoccurrence, the Ministry of Economy compiled programme of improvement in this sector, editing the Act about therenewable sources of energy, which bill saw the light of day on December 2011. Although the bill predictssupporting mechanisms via green certificates, not feed-in tariffs (FiT), but this is step forward in a right direction.This support would be concentrated mainly on dispersed systems - so called micro power stations, for whichcoefficient of green certificates would come to 2.5. There are also very significant 15-year guarantees for this systemsof support functioning. It gives us hope that these would be the green light for development of this sector.