Hydropower in the Energy Market in Poland and the Baltic States in the Light of the Challenges of Sustainable Development-An Overview of the Current State and Development Potential

Abstract

The energy crisis is affecting a number of countries, but particularly those that are heavily dependent on the traditional energy generation formula (e.g., Poland), as well as those neighbouring the territory of the ongoing war in Ukraine, i.e., Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. With this in mind, the authors of this study decided to explore the issue of water energy as a source of green (cheap and environmentally safe) energy in these countries. The main objective of the paper is to review the available literature, which is needed to identify the role hydropower plays in energy security and energy transition in these energy markets. This paper is based on a review and critical appraisal of the available literature and studies together with an inference. The structure of the paper consists of an introduction, the main part of the review and conclusions. The geopolitical location and socio-economic conditions of the adopted set of countries, form the basis of the review of the existing literature on the theme explored and the substantive inference. The main findings of this review indicate that the literature is most strongly focused on the overall assessment of the energy transition of the adopted countries for review, where the hydropower thread is most often taken up as one source of renewable energy supply. Hydropower, due to its relatively low share in the energy systems of the adopted set of countries, is, according to the authors, insufficiently explored. The most significant gap relates to the aspect of the potential for hydropower development in these areas, considering both the construction of new hydropower plants and opportunities signalled in the literature for the modernisation or restoration of existing ones. In this respect, the need for analyses (studies and simulations) of hydropower development, considering the economic benefits associated with their development juxtaposed with the safety dimension of this course of action for the environment (analysis and assessment of environmental costs) is indicated, which is the main recommendation of the review.