Poland

Europe is witnessing a surge in power purchase agreements (PPAs). Over the past four years, the number of European PPA transactions has trebled. More than 180 deals were signed in 2022 alone and the trend is expected to continue, especially for solar projects.

Poland’s Energy Regulatory Office has awarded 494 MW of solar in largely unsubscribed auctions this year. It allocated 123 MW for installations smaller than 1 MW with the lowest bid of PLN 284.95 ($71.28)/MWh, and 471 MW for projects larger than 1 MW with the lowest bid of PLN 272.91/MWh.

Solar-industry companies need to forget ideas about office-based roles and look far afield to source the recruits necessary for the energy transition – and then they need to keep them loyal by offering a rewarding career.

Statistics from Instytut Energetyki Odnawialnej show that the Polish solar market could see significant growth due to a rise in grid-connection approvals, despite an increase in project rejections.

Created by scientists in Poland, the model is based on GIS and can be adapted to different market conditions. The researchers applied it to the Polish market and found that 3.61% of the country’s available land can host utility-scale PV systems.

Polish lawmakers are preparing plans to legislate the sharing of grid connections and regulators are easing the establishment of off-grid, direct-to-consumer power lines but obtaining a permit for a solar site could be about to get more tricky.

‘It is a project that stands as an example of energy transition,’ Duarte Bello, CEO of EDP Renewables’ Europe and Latin America operations told pv magazine. The new 200 MW solar PV plant is now generating energy on a former brown open-pit lignite site.

Amendments to Poland’s renewable energy laws will go into effect in October, permitting the installation of solar systems up to 150 kW in size, without the need for building permits. Piotr Pająk, a local PV analyst, says the changes will support investments in rooftop solar projects.

A Polish research team has developed a micro compressed air storage system that could be used in residential and industrial buildings where additional low-temperature waste heat is available. The system is claimed to have optimal control of the compressed air expansion process performance via pulse width modulation (PWM).

H2FLY claims that a recent three-hour test flight, entirely powered by liquid hydrogen, could lead to sustainable long-range flights fueled by liquefied, cryogenic hydrogen. Solaris, meanwhile, has started selling hydrogen buses in Italy.