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Coal Alternatives in Poland: The new electricity market


Qacer 38 | 125  
24 Aug 2007 /  #1
I just read some market analysis on power generation in Eastern European countries. Since Poland joined the EU, there's a push for it to follow the EU directives of cutting down emissions. That means cutting its reliance on coal and switching to something else. The main substitute as of now is gas.

Does Poland have an abundance of gas resources? Is the gas market controlled by the Polish government or is it distributed by various private companies? Which companies?
hello 22 | 890  
24 Aug 2007 /  #2
Well, coal may be not the most efficient source of energy, but when the price of oil is so high countries will still depend on coal - in the long run. So coal mines in Poland may thrive even more than in the communist era. Especially that Russia is not cooperating as far as gas exporting to Poland is concerned.
OP Qacer 38 | 125  
25 Aug 2007 /  #3
From what I've been reading, carbon trading is the new thing in the EU. I think they are pressuring Poland to get their emission levels down by 2010. Coal is very abundant in the country, so that's why I think the government will do anything to put off a Russian gas deal as the last option.

By the way, which branch of the government regulates the electricity market?
Grzegorz_ 51 | 6,149  
25 Aug 2007 /  #4
That means cutting its reliance on coal and switching to something else.

Coal will stay the main source of energy. The problem is not really coal itself but rather old technologies in power plants, which must be upgraded. Also we will build nuclear power plants.
OP Qacer 38 | 125  
25 Aug 2007 /  #5
And that's the reason why I see a market there. I used to work for a power company with experience in turning coal to something cleaner to generate power. When the opportunity is right, I may have to bring one of their engineers and marketeers to Poland. :-)

Plus, Poland sells its electricity to Czech, Slovakia, Germany, etc.. So I definitely think they want a way to keep emissions from coal plants lower, and I think I have a solution for that.
ski 7 | 140  
26 Aug 2008 /  #6
Success with Polish coal bed CO2 sequestration

publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file&file_id=Ec128p7.pdf

It is very good step when we look on current EU strategy
dtaylor 9 | 823  
26 Aug 2008 /  #7
This whole lets be green band-wagon is just a farse. The tree hugging wave is just a new way to extract more and more money from the public.
ski 7 | 140  
26 Aug 2008 /  #8
Sometimes it look strange but gives good efects. Why should we spend fortune on oil or gas.

In Polish mountains highlanders build geotermal power plant. Energy for free, In Zakopane region they already have geotermal central heating.

No CO2 no need to buy mineral resources, after investment there is only profit.

The same goes with hybride cars, why shoul we spend money on petrol and destroy nature, fight to get oil. It is better to have economic car or use public transport. Spend money for example on charity or simple buy beer in local pub. Money stay home enviroment is in better condition we are in better condition our country developes and we are less dependent.

It is bright future.
scorpio 20 | 188  
26 Aug 2008 /  #9
I live in the Carpathian Foothills in South-East Poland in a large village. My house is located on the highest point of one side of the village where I get plenty of wind and my house leans on the southern slope where the sun shines most. There is plenty of open space around me.

So, two projects I would like to actively pursue is setting up a wind turbine on my hill, and efficient solar panels on my barn. I think this would provide more than enough electrcity to my home to be self suffucient. Anyone here plan on doing the same? Any other suggestions?
ski 7 | 140  
26 Aug 2008 /  #10
I've participated in one project.

If wind is good one turbine should bring nice profit, very soon you will be able to sell green certificates and this is very interesting element. It is good idea to build more than one turbine because there is cost of connection to energetic system so ... more turbines ;) you can get very cheap credit in BOŚ and some donations from gov ;) good luck. Once you invest you only earn. There is big rush in this industry and some regulations have changed you should check everything.

PM me for details.
scorpio 20 | 188  
29 Aug 2008 /  #11
...you can get very cheap credit in BOŚ and some donations from gov ;) good luck. Once you invest you only earn.

Can you please tell me what BOŚ is? How can I arrange funding for a wind turbine on my land from both the Polish government and the EU? Please tell me more about this? Thank you very much!
ShelleyS 14 | 2,893  
29 Aug 2008 /  #12
How can I arrange funding for a wind turbine on my land from both the Polish government and the EU?

info on wind

You might be able to purchase the panels from the UK for solar power - it's really really big business here now: heatmyhome.co.uk/solar-panels/?m=200802 - solar energy.
scorpio 20 | 188  
29 Aug 2008 /  #13
ShelleyS / andy b,

Thank you very much for the valuable info! My main concern now in implementing wind and solar energy here will be the terrible politics and red tape of the local gmina. They usually do not welcome any change or fresh ideas in this village, especially when a foreigner does it before they do. I've heard from the grapevine that if I attempt to install a wind turbine on my own property, the gmina will most likely oppose it. Also, Zakład Energtyczny (Polish Electric company) will be another potential problem. They really don't want residents producing their own electric. That only means less profits for them. How can I start implementing my own power production without having the gmina and electric company down my throat? Another prominent person in my village has mentioned that I might be required to pay very high taxes on the value of my electric production and savings. That is ridiculous! What do you think?
hythorn 3 | 580  
1 Sep 2008 /  #14
Hi
if you produce your own electricity you MUST sell it to the local energy producer at half the going rate.
there are lots of good sites for windfarms but the problem is getting connection to the national grid
benszymanski 8 | 465  
1 Sep 2008 /  #15
I too am very interested to hear how I could go about installing a turbine or photovoltaic solar panels.

I know in the UK there are grants and the council will actively help you. Plus in the UK since deregulation it is easy to sell the power you generate back to the grid.

If anyone has experience of doing this in Poland I am all ears :-)
agatka131 1 | 20  
17 Sep 2008 /  #16
polish gminas have been offering quite good grands for solar heating and panels recently. it just depends on the region, so you would have to find out. i think there will be more problems with the wind turbine, its not so easy to connect it to the grid and all those stupid polish regulations generally are not in a favour of wind power because it is not economical, you have to put more money in than is worth.
Lukasz 49 | 1,746  
17 Sep 2008 /  #17
Good financial institution which can help you in investment in proecological infrastructure/energy

bosbank.pl/?page=ecology

"Bank Ochrony Środowiska S.A. offers a wide range of credit facilities for financing investments in environmental protection."

polish gminas have been offering quite good grands for solar heating and panels recently. it just depends on the region, so you would have to find out. i think there will be more problems with the wind turbine, its not so easy to connect it to the grid and all those stupid polish regulations generally are not in a favour of wind power because it is not economical, you have to put more money in than is worth.

If you succesfuly end your investment in wind turbines it gives you nice profit. There is one problem they are unstable. Wind doesn't blow every day so there is need to hold power in reserve in result if there is too many turbines system is very unstable. However energetic distributors are obliged to buy it for higher price so it isn't bad business. In my opinion it is time for other sources of green energy.
nierozumiem 9 | 118  
18 Sep 2008 /  #18
Qacer: Does Poland have an abundance of gas resources?

See the following article from Interfax, "Poland may have much more gas than confirmed 100 bln cm owned by gasmonopolist PGNiG":

Regarding solar, my plumber was pushing me to install solar hot water (not electric) in my house in Małopolska and gave me a lot of brochures from a Polish company that would supply the panels and related hardware. At that time, 2 years ago, it just didn't make sense - a 10 yr payoff. If the price of gas continues to accelerate, I may need to rethink, or take shorter showers...
scorpio 20 | 188  
18 Sep 2008 /  #19
...in my house in Małopolska...

I'm also in Małopolska, just south of Tarnów. It's really beautiful here and I live in a perfect area for a wind turbine. My house and property is on the highest point of a low mountain here where wind is plentiful and constantly blows from the West.

If anyone here would like to meet up one day, have a few beers perhaps, and talk about green energy, I'm open for discussion. We can have a meeting at my place if you wish. Let me know, ok?

Cheers!
Lukasz 49 | 1,746  
3 Oct 2008 /  #20
ft.onet.pl/0,14326,poland_strives_to_diversify_supplies,artykul _ft.html

Poland is the European Union's largest coalminer and coal is responsible for more than 90 per cent of electricity generation. In spite of EU restrictions on CO 2 emissions, Poland plans to continue relying on coal for the foreseeable future and is investigating using coal to produce natural gas.

Prince 15 | 590  
20 Dec 2008 /  #21
spacedaily.com/2006/081201152225.ps56qkpm.html

Coal-dependent Poland could build a nuclear power station on its territoryby 2020, in a drive to switch to a cheap and clean energy source, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Monday.

Poland has already chosen a nuclear option off its territory, however, by signing on to a four-nation project to build a power plant in neighbouring Lithuania.

The plan, which also involves Latvia and Estonia, is to replace a Soviet-era nuclear plant in Lithuania which that country pledged to close by 2010 as a condition for joining the EU.

Bechtel to prepare feasibility study of coal-to-gas conversion project in Poland

pm.g-point.biz/document/:17614

Plant is expecting the gasification installation to cover half of the company's need for gas, which is approximately 450 million cubic meters per year. In June 2007 the plant signed an intention letter with Bogdanka colliery for coal gasification estimated at PLN 2 billion.

pgnig.pl/norway/?s,main_2826_2900,!state=maximize&r,main,docId=8130

The company has been active in the field of oil and gas exploration, both in Poland and abroad.On 7 November 2008, PGNiG Norway applied to the Norwegian Ministry of Oil and Energy for exploration licenses, as a part of the 20th licensing round. This round covers only new areas of the Norwegian Continental Shelf which previously had not been granted for exploration.
In Poland, PGNiG has been conducting intensive exploration efforts in the Lesser Poland/Carpathia and Greater Poland oil provinces, where prospective natural gas deposits have been discovered in a red sandstone layer.

POLISH LNG TERMINAL
hydrocarbons-technology.com/projects/swinoujscie/

In January 2008 after a long period of consultation the Canadian LNG engineering specialist SNC-Lavalin was chosen by the Polish natural gas distributor Polskie Gornictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo (PGNiG) to carry out the FEED (Front-End Engineering and Design) contract for Poland's first LNG import terminal (contract was signed on 10th January 2008).

The site chosen for the new facility is on the Baltic coast at Swinoujscie. The FEED contract is worth zl26m (C$10.6m, €7.2m) and SNC-Lavalin were chosen as the preferred contractor over five other bidders in the tender process including Suez-Tractebel of France.


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