28 March 2019
The Polish National Energy Conservation Agency (KAPE), the coordinator of the Polish Stakeholder Desk organised WinWind’s second Thematic Workshop, as well as a Policy Roundtable on 28 March in Warsaw. The event gathered important actors in the field of wind energy to discuss current challenges to wind energy development and social acceptance in Poland. The main focus of the Thematic Workshop was to discuss the impact of wind energy development in context of local sustainable development.
The session was opened by the President of KAPE, Zbigniew Szpak, as well as Piotr Nowakowski and Ryszard Wnuk who presented two best practice cases from Germany on the implementation of a quality label for fair wind energy in Thuringia, and the Community Wind Park in Neuenkirchen. The case studies were well received by stakeholders who considered them well worth implementing in Poland. Additionally, stakeholders expressed their interest in another upcoming Transfer Workshop, and in the possibility of an experience- and knowledge-exchange. During this session, Janusz Starościk, the President of the Association of Producers and Importers of Heating Appliances, provided insight on possibilities of wind energy utilisation for heating purposes. Next, Dr Hanna Bartoszewicz-Burczy, from the Institute of Power Engineering, described the key role wind energy plays in local energy security.
The second part of the event was a Policy Roundtable devoted to discussing the future of wind energy development in the light of EU policy, the Energy Policy of Poland to 2040, and energy auctions. The roundtable included stakeholders from various levels: European, national and local. Arthur Hinsch from ICLEI Europe introduced participants to the European Policy context regarding socially-inclusive deployment of wind energy that strongly emphasises the importance of energy communities. The national point of view was presented by Ewaryst Hille (independent expert), who showed several possible scenarios for the future wind energy, and Mirosław Kulak (Small Renewable Energy Association), who highlighted the significance of spatial planning with regards to wind energy. All stakeholders who participated agreed that repowering is a serious challenge for the further development of wind energy. Representing a local perspective, Leszek Kuliński (Mayor of Kobylnica Commune, and Chairman of the Board of the Association of Municipalities Friendly to Renewable Energy) shared his vast experience in increasing social acceptance of wind energy and effective methods to do so. All of the presentations evoked constructive debate among the stakeholders.
After the discussion, conclusions were formulated by the moderator of the debate, Wojciech Cetnarski (Vice President of PWEA and member of WinWind’s Advisory Board). He stated that wind energy should be developed, because this is one of the cheapest forms of electricity production, and its development should be carried out in cooperation and communication with local communities in order to build social acceptance. He also expressed that the field of wind energy should continuously disseminate knowledge to educate citizens and demonstrate its merits to opponents. Participants agreed to prepare recommendations for policy makers as a result of the meeting, as well craft recommendations based on the WinWind Project.