Experts on the impact of new regulations on renewable energy in Pomerania [VIDEO].

The challenges of the green energy transition are crucial for the energy future of Pomerania and the local economy and environment. In the context of current changes in the way renewable energy sources are accounted for, a lot of questions arise: what specifically will change, is it worth investing in RES? To address these questions, the Centre for Sustainable Development has organised a meeting entitled ‘Opportunities and risks for Pomerania’s economy in light of changes implemented by the Energy Regulatory Office – new Balancing Conditions’. The event on 23 May 2024 at the Faculty of Social Sciences of UG was attended by representatives of science, local government and small and medium-sized enterprises. Video footage.

The event was held under the honorary patronage of the Marshall of the Pomorskie Voivodeship, Mieczysław Struk.

The participants were welcomed by Sylwia Mrozowska, PhD, DSc, Prof. UG, Vice-Chancellor for Cooperation and Development of the University of Gdansk.

“As a University, we strive to work closely with local government units, small and medium-sized enterprises, in supporting the energy transition in the region,” emphasised Sylwia Mrozowska, PhD, DSc, Professor UG. “The time has come to talk about specific challenges. Administrative and formal issues are identified as the most significant ones, in the context of the concerns of all entities that will want and need to cope with the energy transition. We are about to launch the BALTICBEAT project (Interreg South Baltic programme – editor’s note), in which we will support local government and the SME sector in the energy transition, including energy cooperatives.“

Krzysztof Szczepaniak, PhD, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Development at the University of Gdansk, also took the floor.

“For us, what is important is the opinion of both the local government administration, the opinion of practitioners and scientific reflection. I am pleased that the guests at today’s meeting are representatives of the socio-economic environment, who represent all the groups I have mentioned,” said Krzysztof Szczepaniak, PhD.

The first lecture, entitled ‘Pomeranian archipelago of energy islands, towards local self-balancing’, was presented by Łukasz Dąbrowski from the Energy Planning Department, Office of the Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.

“We are aiming at self-balancing, creating areas that are self-sufficient in energy. Areas that produce their own electricity and consume it themselves, without placing a burden on the energy system. The idea is for the energy island to be connected to the electricity system, but for the grid to be a kind of storage. It is important to us that the energy produced is consumed on site and does not burden the system additionally,” emphasised Łukasz Dąbrowski.

One of the main topics of the meeting was the impact of new regulations on the development of renewable energy, including photovoltaics, energy storage and energy cooperatives. This theme was continued by Bartłomiej Gawin, PhD, DSc, Professor UG from the Faculty of Management at the University of Gdansk, who prepared a presentation on ‘Energy transformation of the Pomeranian economy in light of the new Balancing Conditions (BDC)’.

“Many new concepts, regulations and settlement mechanisms are emerging. Within the scope of today’s meeting, among the most interesting of these are: allowing energy storage facilities to actively participate in the balancing market and a catalogue of balancing services. These are development opportunities for those planning energy transitions,” the researcher pointed out.

Mariusz Sadłowski talked about the urban perspective. The Director of the Energy Office of the Municipal Office in Gdansk, in a presentation entitled “The way to a self-sufficient city in terms of energy”, listed the factors and entities that should make up a self-sufficient city. These include: energy storage facilities, suppliers, sellers, energy producers, consumers, as well as new projects and expert services.

“Let us remember that maintenance, security, periodic inspection, cleaning of installations are a large number of projects that either have to be carried out ourselves or outsourced. This requires both financial resources and time. This is a major challenge for us. Expert services also include IT activities. A central system is essential here, so that we can parameterise and manage everything,” said Mateusz Sadłowski.

What are the challenges and risks of the green transition for small and medium-sized enterprises? This was discussed by Bartosz Iwicki and Bartosz Ciemiecki from Pomerania Green. Experts in investment projects in the field of renewable energy and energy storage highlighted, among other things, the problem of the inadequacy of power grids in small towns to accommodate the increase in investments such as photovoltaic installations and heat pumps in private homes.

“The electricity grids in small towns and cities cannot handle the load that heat pumps represent. They are often unmodernised for decades,” noted Bartosz Ciemiecki.

The event concluded with a discussion and networking.

Video: Alexander Szlęzak

Photos and text: Szymon Gronowski

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