Photovoltaic Systems: A Challenge or an Opportunity for the Polish Energy Sector During Its Transformation

Abstract

The paper presents briefly the present state of the Polish energy sector and its transformation into a zero-emission sector based on renewable energy. The chapter’s emphasis is on solar energy technologies, mainly photovoltaics. The climatic conditions of Poland are characterized by high variability over the time of the availability of solar radiation. The average annual amount of solar irradiation corresponds to 1000 kWh/m², and the annual number of solar hours is about 1600. The climatic conditions of Poland are characterized by high changes in the time of solar radiation availability. About 80% of annual solar radiation is available from April to October and only 20% in the remaining 5 months. In winter, a day lasts 6–7 hours, while in summer it can be nearly 19 hours. Such conditions create preferences for the use of certain PV installation solutions, and require the use of various forms and modes of energy storage. The support mechanisms for micro-installations and individual solar energy prosumers were introduced in recent years and they have led to a huge increase in the number of photovoltaic installations with power from a few to a dozen or so kW, which were and are installed mainly in single-family houses. The photovoltaic market is currently dominated by micro-installations in the form of BAPV – Building Attached Photovoltaic systems. Large-scale systems are usually built as photovoltaic farms with power from 1 to several megawatts in the countryside. The use of PV installations plays a huge role in the transition from a central energy economy based on fossil fuels to a distributed energy economy using RES – renewable energy systems. The process of energy transformation is already visible in the Polish energy sector. In 2012, the total installed capacity in PV installations was equal to 1.6 MW, currently in 2022 it is approximately 12 GW. The total installed capacity in the national power system is 60 GW. There is no other energy technology that would so rapidly increase its energy generation potential and give such significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in the country.