Conference ” Citizens’ energy NOW! Time for communities and energy cooperatives”.
POL-ECO SYSTEM trade fair 10 October 2019 in Poznań, Poland. (10.10.2019)
Adam Dzienis, co-author of the film “Human Energy”, whose trailer was presented at the conference (the film is now available for viewing online in its entirety, for a symbolic €3), described very interestingly the social background, unobvious priorities and motivations guiding the cooperatives, as well as legal conditions, perspectives and limitations in the development of energy cooperatives in Poland and Europe. Underlining the benefits of such grassroots initiatives, the author also shared bitter reflections on the serious barriers that still exist, especially in Poland – lack of strategy, instability of law, low social capital, distrust towards authorities, dependence on subsidies and many others.
They also took part in the conference:
Barbara Adamska, an expert on distributed energy and energy storage, involved in several advanced projects of energy clusters, highlighted the revolutionary changes that have taken place on the energy market in the last decade, also indicating the necessary systemic changes that the civil energy sector in Poland needs most. She highlighted the benefits not only from the point of view of improving energy security but also purely economic, thanks to the fact that the expenditure on energy, borne by its recipients, will be retained in the local system – a cooperative or a cluster.
Michał Tarka, the advisor to the Minister of Entrepreneurship and Technology, presented the current condition of the prosumer market and a review of the changes in the legal system that took place in 2019 towards liberalization of the energy market and releasing the energy potential of citizens, announced another amendment to the RES Act.
Mr. Tarka stressed that “The world does not wait for the law. The law follows progress.” and therefore it is urgently necessary to create an attractive legal environment for the development of distributed energy, also by group prospectuses – residents of multi-family buildings, housing communities and cooperatives. The patron presented a very interesting pilot project to be carried out on the roofs of blocks of flats in the Winogrady estate in Poznan. He also pointed out the need to change the current regulations governing the operation of energy cooperatives, which are few so far, so that they can also operate in cities.
*We have been point out for that the possibility of setting up energy cooperatives in cities in July 2016 when voting on amendments to the RES Act in Poland toke place.
Jakub Koczorowski from the Polish Organisation for the Development of Heat Pump Technology stressed the role of heat pumps, which in combination with photovoltaic installations and the annual balancing period are a very attractive and, in addition, emission-free alternative to all other heating sources. This was illustrated by the presentation of the assumptions of the comprehensive “House without bills” programme, carried out thanks to the cooperation of entities from the heat pump, photovoltaic and ventilation industries. from the Polish Organisation for the Development of Heat Pump Technology stressed the role of heat pumps, which in combination with photovoltaic installations and the annual balancing period are a very attractive and, in addition, emission-free alternative to all other heating sources. This was illustrated by the presentation of the assumptions of the comprehensive “House without bills” programme, carried out thanks to the cooperation of entities from the heat pump, photovoltaic and ventilation industries.
They organized the conference together:
social movement More Than Energy,
Association of Associations Polish Green Network,
EKO-UNIA Association,
Capital Training Studio.
The substantive partner was the law firm Tarka Trupkiewicz i Wspólnicy.
The Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Technology was the institutional patron.
Link to the conference report in Polish: https://wiecejnizenergia.pl/aktualnosci/podsumowanie-konferencji-poznan-10-10/
