| Abstract |
Poland is characterized by low-temperature geothermal resources connected mostly with the Mesozoic sedimentary formations. Since the 13th-14th centuries warm springs have been used for balneotherapy in several spas. The activities aimed at geothermal heating development were initiated in the 1980s. So far five geothermal heating plants have been operating (one of them was launched in 2006, i.e. during the period reported in this paper). It is worth to note seven new bathing centers opened in the years 2005 - 2009. Other types of uses comprise R&D greenhousing, wood drying and fish farming, salts’ extraction from geothermal water. As to the geothermal heat pumps sector, further progress has been made but it is very difficult to give accurate figures since no general database has existed so far. In two heating plants absorption heat pumps have been working. In 2008 they totalled in about 23.1 MWt and 44.5 TJ. In case of ground-source and groundwater heat pumps a constant growth has been observed; one may roughly assume that the installed capacities and heat production totalled in not less than ca. 180 MWt and 1000 TJ/2008. The total installed geothermal capacity (heat pumps including) at the end of 2008 was ca. 281 MWt while heat sales about 1501 TJ (comparing to 170.8 MWt and 838.3 TJ /2004, as presented at WGC 2005). Five new deep geothermal wells (1.8 – 3.2 km) were drilled in 2005 – 2009. The encountered ca. 28 - 80ºC waters are planned to be applied for heating or/and for bathing. The investments were accompanied by basic research, feasibility studies, some technical works, several projects of new drillings and implementation projects for public and private entities. In some cases geothermal is proposed not only as exclusive energy source but in integration with other renewables or traditional energy sources. Among prospective future options are: adaptation of abandoned wells; multipurposed, integrated systems; heat pumps; heat extraction from the underground mines (the latter still not in a realization stage). Like in other countries, the studies and first R&D started on possibility to produce electricity in binary schemes (using ca. 90 – 120ºC waters). |