The Role of Clean Coal Technologies in the Development of Renewable Energy Sources

Abstract

The article presents research on the synergistic impact of clean coal technologies and renewable energy sources on the energy mix in Poland. The main causes of problems that inhibit the development of renewable energy sources and ways to eliminate them are presented. A factor that may undermine the development of renewable energy potential is access to critical raw materials such as rare earth elements. Clean coal technologies will make it possible to survive the transition period for coal-based energy mixes. The CCT solution described in this article will enable the acquisition of rare earth elements necessary for the development of renewable energy sources. The ability to meet the demand for REEs based on elements recovered from fly ash is examined. For this purpose, an analysis of wind electricity production capacities was carried out and a forecast until 2030 was created. A program was written using machine learning and the Gompretz sigmoid model. Based on the forecast, the level of demand for REEs was determined and compared with the supply obtained from fly ash. The authors propose an alternative source of REEs and analyze the relationship between demand and supply of this source.