First stakeholders meeting in Poland
On the 27th of February 2020 the first meeting of the Polish Regional Stakeholder Advisory Group took place in Płońsk, in the City Hall. The Group was established to help boosting RES application within district heating networks in the region, with the specific focus on the area of operation of the Płońsk Energy Cluster. It gathers representatives of local authorities, local utilities, energy suppliers, NGOs, research institutions (incl. University of Ecology and Management in Warsaw) and private companies working in the energy sector.
During the meeting current state-of-the-art concerning RES use in Poland and in the EU were discussed, including current and foreseen application of RES for heating purposes. The participants analysed regional RES potential and the possibility of making use of it within the current legal, economic and social framework. Some important questions were raised, including the economic justification of building new DH systems in the context of raising operation costs and warm winters, possibility to secure enough sustainable biomass resources and human perception of renewable. Also some important opportunities were highlighted, including combining RES development with air quality improvement and the possible role of energy clusters established by several Polish municipalities. Throughout the conversation the topic of energy education appeared and it was agreed that raising awareness of the citizens should be an important part of further project activities. At the end of the meetings tasks for the next weeks were discussed.
