The effects of developing the geothermal energy in Uniej??w town, Poland

Abstract

There is a growing interest in the use of the geothermal energy in Poland. It is caused by the need of energy sources diversification as well as the necessity to meet the requirements of the European Community. The strategy of EC is based on the increase of the share of energy coming from renewable resources in the general energy balance. The development of the geothermal energy brings a lot of benefits for the heating industry.
The report presents the conditions to be met by the geothermal district heating in Uniej??w. The aim of the above mentioned analysis was examination of the influence of unconventional heating sources in a town of about 3 000 inhabitants, situated in the central Poland. The town was heated through small, dispersed and traditional boilers using conventional energy sources. The effects are grouped in 3 sections: social issues, ecological issues and economic ones. The results coming from the analysis have an essential impact on planning the future geothermal plants in the Polish Lowland. The advantageous, geological conditions typical of this region are not enough to guarantee the success of geothermal investments. The experience gained from Uniej??w ought to be used at the first stage for planning geothermal district heating in such places as Ko ? o, Podd ? bice, Czarnk??w, Stargard Szczeci ?? ski and others.