The aim of this paper is to present the state of development of renewable energy sources (RES) in Poland in accordance with the obligations of European Union energy policy. The EU Member States are obliged to adopt different support mechanisms for the development of renewable energy sources, and in consequence to achieve their Directive’s targets. Poland, being a Member State of the EU since 2004, has accepted a target of a 15% share of energy generated from renewable energy sources in final energy consumption, including 19.3% from renewable electricity until 2020. Due to the difficulties with target achievement, the authors found it reasonable to analyze the challenge of RES development in Poland. The article presents energy policy in the EU, as well as the review of measures implemented for renewable energy development. The current state of and perspectives on using renewable energy sources in Poland and in the EU are also depicted. In the article, the authors analyze the relation between reference prices at dedicated RES auctions in Poland and the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). The paper also provides a description of the renewable energy sources’ development in three areas: electricity, heat and transport biofuels. Its main content, though, refers to the generation of electricity from renewable energy sources.
Poland has great potential for the development of renewable energy sources. The implementation of support systems dedicated to renewable sources has resulted in the installation of over 10,500 MW of installed capacity. At present, with high electricity prices, stimulated by the costs of CO2 emissions and the costs of fuel purchase, renewable energy sources are of particular importance in the transformation of the Polish power industry. The RES auction system and the My Electricity Program contributed to the growth of entrepreneurship and the development of the economy. Energy consumers, from passive ones, have become active market participants—prosumers. The RES auction system alone contributed to the creation of approx. 5 GWp of installed capacity of photovoltaics (PV) sources in 2016–2021, while the My Electricity Program contributed to the creation of approx. 2 GWp of installed capacity in PV installations in 2019–2021. The aim of the study is to compare the economic and social costs of two photovoltaic development programs, My Electricity and the RES auction system, from the point of view of the country (in support distribution costs—subsidies) and investors, renewable energy installations operators and prosumers to which these programs are targeted, namely, individuals and enterprises.
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