On the 27th of February 2020 the first meeting of the Polish Regional Stakeholder Advisory Group took place in Płońsk, in the City Hall within the ENTRAIN project. The aim of the project is to increase the competence of local authorities to develop and implement local strategies and action plans to help boosting RES application within district heating networks in the region. Partners from 6 EU countries participate in the project and the Polish pilot city is Płońsk, which has a very well-functioning biomass-fired electrical power and heating plant. It is planning new capacities using RES within the Płońsk Energy Cluster.
The task of the RSAG is to help in the evaluation of the potential for production of heating from renewable energy sources within small district heating, as well as to prepare a regional action plan supporting the development of this systems. To the Group were invited representatives of local authorities, local utilities, energy suppliers, NGOs, research institutions and private companies working in the energy sector. In the meeting took part, among others, representatives of the Association of Social Building in Płońsk, Heat Energy Company, Communal Economy Company, Skarżyn Biogas Plant and University of Ecology and Management in Warsaw.
During the meeting, the objectives and tasks of the ENTRAIN project and its Regional Stakeholder Advisory Group were discussed, as well as the current state-of-the-art concerning RES use in Poland and in the EU – both in the power industry in general and in the heating sector itself. Płońsk Energy Cluster presented its objectives and plans for the future. The participants analysed regional RES potential and the possibility of making use of it within the current legal, economic and social framework. The most important barriers and opportunities for the increase of RES for heating purposes were also discussed. . Some important questions were raised, including the economic justification of building new DH systems in the context of raising operation costs and warm winters, possibility to secure enough sustainable biomass resources and human perception of renewable. Also some important opportunities were highlighted, including combining RES development with air quality improvement and the possible role of energy clusters established by several Polish municipalities – although they don’t yet have specific support instruments, the may significantly contribute to the decarbonization of the Polish heating sector. Throughout the conversation the topic of energy education appeared and it was agreed that raising awareness of the citizens should be an important part of further project activities. At the end of the meetings tasks for the next weeks were discussed.
Presentations
- Projekt ENTRAIN: Planowanie rozwoju systemów ciepłowniczych wykorzystujących OZE dla poprawy jakości powietrza. Regionalny Zespół Doradczy – rola i zadania , Anna Lachowicz, The Association of Municipalities Polish Network „Energie Cités”
- Wykorzystanie OZE w ciepłownictwie w Polsce i w Europie , Patrycja Płonka, The Association of Municipalities Polish Network „Energie Cités”
- Płoński Klaster Energii – sytuacja wyjściowa, założenia, plany na bliższą i dalszą przyszłość , Jarosław Osiak, University of Ecology and Management in Warsaw
