Economic Conditions for the Development of Energy Cooperatives in Poland

Abstract

One of the important areas of the energy transformation is the citizens involvement in the energy production process. This is a prerequisite for maintaining the security of supply and price stabilization. In order for all citizens to have equal opportunities to use green energy, regardless of financial and housing opportunities, energy cooperatives are established in many countries. In Poland, the first renewable energy cooperatives emerged in 2021 but, unfortunately, their role in the energy transformation process will be rather limited in the near future. This is mainly due to the numerous legal, economic and social barriers that hinder their creation. This article adopts the hypothesis that there are too many barriers in Poland that discourage the creation of energy cooperatives or other forms of collective prosumption. The main obstacle is the limitations of installed power, coerced by the poor condition of the network infrastructure. The aim of the article is to answer the question of whether, given the current legal and economic conditions, a large-scale development of energy cooperatives is possible in Poland, or will the existing barriers make this development limited and not contribute to the country’s energy transformation? To answer this question, primary and secondary sources were used. Primary research relied on interviews in all cooperatives operating in Poland. Based on the literature on the subject, reference was made to the experiences of other EU countries. The research shows that there are strong economic, legal and mental barriers to the development of cooperatives in Poland. Overcoming them requires changes in the law, in the energy policy including decentralization of the energy market and increased public confidence in collective forms of prosumption.