| Title | Geothermal Energy Country Update Report from Poland, 2020-2022 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Beata Kepinska, Marek Hajto |
| Year | 2023 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | geothermal energy, direct uses, country update, Poland, 2020-2022 |
| Abstract | The paper updates the status of geothermal energy development in Poland in 2020–2022 since the World Geothermal Congress 2020+1 (Kępińska, 2020). The country has low-temperature geothermal resources suitable for direct applications like space heating, balneotherapy, bathing and recreation as well as some other uses. In case of geothermal district heating seven systems were operating at the end of 2022 (including one launched in 2022). Their total installed geothermal capacity was at least ca. 123.4 MW and geothermal heat production at least 1 121 TJ (about 26% and 22% more than in 2019, respectively). A growth of bathing & swimming sector was continuing: at the end of 2022 there were eighteen recreation centers, sixteen of them in operation (four launched in 2020–2022) and twelve health resorts using geothermal water and heat. The development of individual heating in dozen big geothermal centers was observed. Other uses included a large atlantic salmon farm, as well as several types of applications on a small scale (wood drying, snow melting, heating up a football pitch, cosmetics production, CO2, etc. – some as in previous years, some new). These all applications represented in total at least 220 MW and 1 447 TJ of geothermal heat at the end of 2022 (bulk for district heating, and individual heating – the latter estimated very roughly). The development of shallow geothermal – ground source heat pumps (GSHP) was persisting. They could reach at least 900 MW and 4 600 TJ in 2022 (rough estimations). The progress of GSHPs was a part of the progress of the whole heat pumps‘ sector. In 2020–2022 about eight new geothermal wells were drilled. They will serve mainly for district heating, some for bathing & swimming. Majority of those wells and other investments aimed at geoDH development were done thanks to several public support programs introduced in 2015/2016 and available in reported years. In general, as former reported period 2015–2019, also 2020–2022 period was characterized by more geothermal drillings and investments, especially in district heating sector (mostly thanks to the public support programs). The development of bathing & swimming sector was continuing. A Multiannual Program for the Development of the Use of Geothermal Resources for Poland until 2040, with a perspective until 2050 was announced in 2022. However, the geothermal share in RES (and total energy) mix was still very small. Among the arguments for the wider geothermal uses development are, inter alia, the needs to increase local energy uses, security of energy supply, and to prevent energy poverty – these aspects are more and more important in recent years. In the coming years one may expect more intense geothermal use development in the country, especially for district heating (mostly thanks to mentioned support programs). The paper indicates also ongoing geothermal investments, some pre-investment works, as well as provides several basic information usually given in the WGC country reports. One shall remember that the reported years 2020–2022 were affected by pandemic and then by energy crisis caused by Russian invasion on Ukraine in February 2022. Many economic sectors in many countries were impacted by those facts, including geothermal branch. |