Challenges for district heating in Poland

Currently, the district heating (DH) in Poland is facing many challenges. The business model used hitherto was very simple—in most cities, heating plants produced heat, and centralized heating systems supplied the "product" at a price approved annually by the president of the Energy Regula...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:DISCOVER ENERGY 2023-12, Vol.3 (1), p.5, Article 5
Main Authors: Talarek, Karolina, Knitter-Piątkowska, Anna, Garbowski, Tomasz
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alternative energy sources
Carbon dioxide
Emissions
Energy
Energy consumption
Energy Efficiency
Energy Harvesting
Energy industry
Energy resources
Energy Storage
Energy Systems
Heat
Heating
Renewable and Green Energy
Renewable resources
Review
Temperature
Trends
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Summary:Currently, the district heating (DH) in Poland is facing many challenges. The business model used hitherto was very simple—in most cities, heating plants produced heat, and centralized heating systems supplied the "product" at a price approved annually by the president of the Energy Regulatory Office (URE). However, recent years have brought significant changes on the market. EU regulations force the elimination of old coal-fired plants that were still built in the Polish People's Republic (PRL), moreover, high prices of CO 2 emission allowances aggravate the financial situation of companies. In addition, in the heating sector, the trend observed in the power sector is becoming increasingly visible—limiting the role of large sources in favor of energy generated locally, closer to the customer. One of the biggest challenges is achieving the targets set by the EU for the share of renewable energy sources (RES) in the heating sector. The present conflicts and problems with the supply of coal and gas are an additional impulse to turn to RES. Thus, the development of sustainable and innovative solutions for energy production and supply at the level of urban networks is currently one of the main technical challenges. The purpose of the paper is to present the current situation and perspectives of development of district heating systems in Poland with a view to the status of district heating in the world, and some deeper insight into European conditions. The review presents energy sources with particular emphasis on renewable energy sources (RES) and their cogeneration for heat production. The examples of existing heating network solutions using renewable energy sources, based on the selected published case studies, are also discussed.
ISSN:2730-7719
2730-7719
DOI:10.1007/s43937-023-00019-z