Energy in Poland
Encyclopedia
Energy in Poland describes energy
and electricity
production, consumption and import in Poland
.
In 2009, Poland was world's 9th largest hard coal producer. The country is also the second largest coal consumer in Europe behind Germany
.
Poland’s imported energy share of primary energy increased from 15% in 2004 to 31% in 2008.
.
by almost two meters in the Kuyavia
–Pomerania
and the lakes in the Powidz Landscape Park
. According to Poznań's University of Agriculture, the water drainage in the Kleczew
brown coal mining areas has formed craters in the area.
to protect cultural heritage and the nature reserve at Lake Gopło. This was the first protest of its kind in the country's history. Gopło Millennium Park (Nadgoplański Park Tysiąclecia) is protected by the European Union's Natura 2000
program and includes a major bird sanctuary. The Tomisławice opencast mine
(less than 10 kilometers away from the Kruszwica mine) was due to open in 2009.
capacity and a 2.3% share of wind generation in domestic energy consumption by 2010. By the end of 2010, the capacity stood at 1,107 MW.
A binding European Union resolution stipulates a 15% renewable energy
target in 2020. According to the Polish National Renewable Energy Action Plan, the 2020 target is 19% of the national energy capacity (15.2 TWh wind power and 14.2 TWh biomass
), 17% in heating and cooling, and 10.1% in transport. EWEA's 2009 forecast suggests a higher wind capacity of 10–12 GW (2020).
If Poland had the same wind power density as Denmark
, there would have been 23 GW of wind power by the end of 2008.
World energy resources and consumption
]World energy consumption in 2010: over 5% growthEnergy markets have combined crisis recovery and strong industry dynamism. Energy consumption in the G20 soared by more than 5% in 2010, after the slight decrease of 2009. This strong increase is the result of two converging trends...
and electricity
Electricity generation
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric energy from other forms of energy.The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered during the 1820s and early 1830s by the British scientist Michael Faraday...
production, consumption and import in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
In 2009, Poland was world's 9th largest hard coal producer. The country is also the second largest coal consumer in Europe behind Germany
Energy in Germany
Energy in Germany describes energy and electricity production, consumption and import in Germany. Energy policy of Germany will describe the politics of Germany related to energy more in detail. Electricity sector in Germany is the main article of electricity in Germany...
.
Overview
| Energy in Poland | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capita | Prim. energy | Production | Import | Electricity | CO2-emission | |
| Million | TWh | TWh | TWh | TWh | Mt | |
| 2004 | 38.18 | 1,067 | 917 | 157 | 131 | 296 |
| 2007 | 38.12 | 1,129 | 845 | 294 | 140 | 305 |
| 2008 | 38.12 | 1,138 | 830 | 352 | 142 | 299 |
| 2009 | 38.15 | 1,093 | 785 | 352 | 137 | 287 |
| Change 2004-2009 | -0.1 % | 2.5 % | -14.3 % | 123 % | 5.0 % | -3.1 % |
| Mtoe = 11.63 TWh, Prim. energy includes energy losses that are 2/3 for nuclear power |
||||||
Poland’s imported energy share of primary energy increased from 15% in 2004 to 31% in 2008.
Coal
In 2009 Poland produced 78 megatonnes (Mt) of hard coal and 57 Mt of brown coalLignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...
.
Coal and the environment
Coal mining has far-reaching effects on local water resources. Coal mining requires large amounts of water. Mining activities have dropped the water level of Lake OstrowskieOstrowskie Lake
Ostrowskie Lake is a lake in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, north-central Poland, in the Gmina Jeziora Wielkie. It's a Glacial lake typically Ribbon lake...
by almost two meters in the Kuyavia
Kuyavia
Kujawy , is a historical and ethnographic region in the north-central Poland, situated in the basin of the middle Vistula and upper Noteć Rivers, with its capital in Włocławek.-Etymology:The origin of the name Kujawy was seen differently in history...
–Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
and the lakes in the Powidz Landscape Park
Powidz Landscape Park
Powidz Landscape Park is a protected area in west-central Poland, established in 1998, covering an area of ....
. According to Poznań's University of Agriculture, the water drainage in the Kleczew
Kleczew
Kleczew is a town in Konin County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, western-central Poland.-External links:*...
brown coal mining areas has formed craters in the area.
Coal and the public
In April 2008, five thousand people demonstrated in KruszwicaKruszwica
Kruszwica is a town in central Poland and is situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship , previously in Bydgoszcz Voivodeship .It has a population of 9,412 people .-History:...
to protect cultural heritage and the nature reserve at Lake Gopło. This was the first protest of its kind in the country's history. Gopło Millennium Park (Nadgoplański Park Tysiąclecia) is protected by the European Union's Natura 2000
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is an ecological network of protected areas in the territory of the European Union.-Origins:In May 1992, the governments of the European Communities adopted legislation designed to protect the most seriously threatened habitats and species across Europe. This legislation is called the...
program and includes a major bird sanctuary. The Tomisławice opencast mine
Open-pit mining
Open-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
(less than 10 kilometers away from the Kruszwica mine) was due to open in 2009.
Coal and business
The Bełchatów Power Station in the Łódź region supplies almost 20% of Poland's energy. It is the largest brown coal power plant in Europe.Renewable energy
The Polish government had plans to reach 2,000 MW in wind powerWind power
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity, windmills for mechanical power, windpumps for water pumping or drainage, or sails to propel ships....
capacity and a 2.3% share of wind generation in domestic energy consumption by 2010. By the end of 2010, the capacity stood at 1,107 MW.
A binding European Union resolution stipulates a 15% renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
target in 2020. According to the Polish National Renewable Energy Action Plan, the 2020 target is 19% of the national energy capacity (15.2 TWh wind power and 14.2 TWh biomass
Biomass
Biomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel....
), 17% in heating and cooling, and 10.1% in transport. EWEA's 2009 forecast suggests a higher wind capacity of 10–12 GW (2020).
If Poland had the same wind power density as Denmark
Wind power in Denmark
Wind power provided 18.9% of electricity production and 24.1% of generation capacity in Denmark in 2008, Denmark was a pioneer in developing commercial wind power during the 1970s, and today almost half of the wind turbines around the world are produced by Danish manufacturers such as Vestas and...
, there would have been 23 GW of wind power by the end of 2008.