Current geothermal activities and prospects in Poland

Abstract

Poland is a country with good conditions for the occurrence of geothermal water aquifers and their exploitation in many regions. Geothermal energy should be treated as one of the main renewable energy sources. On the other hand, there are several factors influencing the low official prognoses for the geothermal use which are briefly characterized.

Among the most important fields for geothermal development in the country, the space heating forms a sector with very good prospects for its wide application as it will result in a considerable reduction in the use of traditional fuels and in the emissions generated in many regions.

The paper presents the main aspects of current geothermal development in Poland, including the plants on-line, under construction and some further plans. Some experiences gained from the operation of existing plants will be given. Particular prospects for the development of geothermal energy in the country will be introduced (i.e. the adaptation of abandoned wells; cascaded, integrated and distributed systems; heat extraction not only from large depths but also from shallow water horizons and rock formations). Such solutions will result in the lowering of investment costs, increasing their effectiveness, extending the market and making geothermal energy competitive both for traditional energy sources and other renewables..