Geothermal heat pumps in Poland

General

According to the Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources the target for the share of energy from renewable sources in gross final consumption of energy in the year 2020 for Poland is 15% (in the year 2005 the share was 7.2%)

Renewable energy projections according to the National Renewable Energy Action Plan for Poland

The National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) for Poland was submitted in December 2010. The target according to Annex I of Directive 2009/28/EC is 15% for the year 2020 and the projected NREAP share in that year is 15.5%. According to the projection, the most important contribution in the year 2020 is expected from biomass (renewable heating and cooling) (5089 ktoe, 47% of all renewable energy). Second important contribution is expected from biodiesel (renewable transport) (1451 ktoe, 14% of all renewable energy). The third largest contribution is from wind power (15.2 TWh or 1308 ktoe, 12% of all renewable energy). Wind power contributes with 6.7 GW (15.2 TWh) in the year 2020 (onshore wind 5.6 GW and 13.2 TWh (explicitly mentioning a contribution from micro-turbines), offshore wind 0.5 GW and 1.1 TWh). For solar photovoltaic the 2020 contribution is projected to be 0.0 GW (0.0 TWh). For solar thermal the 2020 contribution is projected to be 506 ktoe. The two most important biofuels are projected to contribute 1451 ktoe (biodiesel) and 451 ktoe (bioethanol / bio-ETBE) by 2020. The renewable electricity production from solid biomass amounts to 10.2 TWh (877 ktoe) and for biogas it is expected to be 4.0 TWh (345 ktoe). The consumption of renewable heat is expected to amount to 4636 ktoe for solid biomass and 453 ktoe for biogas.

Renewable Heating and Cooling: geothermal heat pumps

The Polish market for heat pumps is in the early stages of development and financial supports for this technology are rather low. The total number of installations working now in Poland is estimated at nearly 20,000. In case of heat pumps, the exact data are known only for the heating plants (absorption pumps), while for ground-source and groundwater compressor pumps only tentative data are available.

The total geothermal heat pump capacity only for domestic heating application installed in the country is 203.1 MWth while heat sales about 1,044.5 TJ. These data are only an approximation, since pumps installed by individuals are not registered anywhere in Poland. According to some sources, the annual sales of such pumps range from 1,000 to 1,500 units. The largest pumps installed are absorption ones in Pyrzyce (two pumps of 20.4 MWt total capacity produced about 30 TJ in 2008) and in Mszczonów with the installed capacity of 2.7 MWt and heat sales ca. 14.5 TJ/2008. The largest compression heat pump installed in Poland is the one operated at the Bukowina Tatrzańska pool complex (0.5 MWt of heating power).

The market for shallow geothermal heat pumps, GHPs, has been constantly growing. However, no detailed statistic data exist. On a basis of available data and market analyses one may very roughly assume the total installed capacities and heat production not less than 180 MWt and 1,000 TJ/2008. About half of newly installed GHPs has capacities less than 70 kW, larger capacities (70 - 110 kW) form ca. 30% of installations while bigger ones (110 - 150 kW) are not common (only 1% of units sold).

The fundamental parameter that makes Poland stand out among other European countries where the heat pump market is developing rapidly is the mix of energy sources used to produce the electricity that powers pump compressors. Currently, the Polish electricity production sector is based primarily on hard and brown coal; the share of coal in the overall consumption of energy sources used to produce electricity in Poland can be estimated at around 95%. According to the same sources, the share of hydroelectric power plants and renewable energy sources (RES) in overall electricity production does not exceed 3%. Such a mix of primary energy sources used to produce electricity translates into significant differences in the efficiency of using heat pumps between Poland and other countries. This must be taken into account when looking at other countries’ data related to the efficiency evaluation of heat pumps. The factors listed above directly contribute to the still limited popularity of heat pumps in Polish conditions.

Owing to the increase in the share of electricity produced from RES and the gradual reduction in operating temperatures of heating installations (according to EN 442 standard requirements), an improvement in the efficiency of heat pumps using geothermal energy may be expected. An additional incentive for the development of the Polish heat pump market will be the probable intensification of competition in the appliance market, which may drive the prices down. A steady increase in the prices of conventional energy sources is also highly probable. The introduction of carbon caps will certainly influence the heat pump market. Carbon caps may lead to a significant increase in the cost of producing electricity, and therefore a drop in the cost effectiveness of heat pump use. Given the current mix of sources from which electricity is produced, making heat pump use efficient from the point of view of energy is not a problem.

There is still no effective support scheme for RES-H in Poland. Special funding is available for RES-H projects (thermal power generation using biomass, CHP). However, the implementation programme of Poland’s Energy Policy until 2030 foresees to introduce additional support mechanism

Regarding the information on certification schemes or equivalent qualification schemes for installers of small-scale biomass boilers and stoves, solar photovoltaic and solar thermal systems, shallow geothermal systems and heat pumps (Article 14(4) of Directive 2009/28/EC) there is no relevant legislation that would explicitly mention a separate information requirements in this respect. Work on legislation implementing Directive 2009/28/EC is currently in progress.

Future programme changes expected

The NREAP mentioned a plan to develop geothermal into public buildings. Support schemes seem available for GSHP. The legal frame for a certification of the installers and notably the drillers exists and a new regulation will be adopted to detail about the scheme.

Poland plans an increase of HP from 25 ktoe in 2010 to 148 ktoe in 2020 (without distinguishing HP systems). It is estimated that more than the half will be geothermal systems, as already the GSHP production in Poland is around 1,044 TJ/year.

Sources

The National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPs) are all published on the Transparency Platform on Renewable Energy: http://www.ec.europa.eu/energy/renewables/transparency_platform/action_plan_en.htm

(sourced July - December 2010)

Renewable Energy Projections as Published in the National Renewable Energy Action Plans of the European Member States, http://www.ecn.nl/nreap (sourced December 2010)

Renewable Energy Policy, March 2011 http://www.reshaping-res-policy.eu/

EGEC Final Evaluation of the National Renewable Energy Action Plans, March 2011 http://egec.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/NREAP-Evaluation-FINAL-March-2011.pdf

Leszek Pajak, Grazyna Holojuch, The Use of Compression Heat Pumps for Geothermal Heating Plants in Poland - Analyses of Operating Limitations and Cost-Efficiency, April 2010, http://www.geothermal-energy.org/pdf/IGAstandard/WGC/2010/2918.pdf

Beata Kępińsk, Geothermal Energy Country Update Report from Poland, 2005 – 2009, April 2010, http://www.geothermal-energy.org/pdf/IGAstandard/WGC/2010/0108.pdf

Wiesław Bujakowski, Wykorzystanie wód geotermalnych w kontekście: klimatycznym, rekreacyjnym, balneologicznym i ciepłowniczym, http://www.energia365.pl/dokumenty/W.Bujakowski.pdf

Interactive EurObserv’ER Database
http://www.eurobserv-er.org
Last update: August 2011

---

This information can be referenced without permission provided that the source is mentioned completely and correctly: 'Interactive EurObserv'ER Database, http://www.eurobserv-er.org (date of last update)'

Suggestions for improvements to the policy description can be sent to EurObserv'ER by e-mail: project@eurobserv-er.org

The EurObserv'ER barometer is a project supported by the European Commission within the DG TREN 'Intelligent Energy Europe' programme and by Ademe, the French Environment and Energy management Agency. The EurObserv'ER Barometer is the result of the investigation and research work of its authors. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.