Poland’s energy sector looked very different just a decade ago. In 2016, coal accounted for around 80% of electricity generation, while the prospect of large-scale wind and solar development seemed unrealistic to many. Today, we are in the midst of one of the biggest structural shifts in Poland’s energy sector since the country’s post-war electrification. Coal’s share of electricity generation has fallen to 52%, while solar, wind and gas are rapidly gaining ground. In July 2026, electricity from Baltic Power – Poland’s first offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea – entered the national grid for the first time.
10 Years of Poland’s Energy Transition — The Forum Energii Perspective
To mark Forum Energii’s 10th anniversary, we have prepared a publication looking back at this transformation from our perspective. But this is not another report based solely on data, charts and analysis. It is a story about the transformation of Poland’s energy sector.
This transition did not happen on its own. Behind these changes are decisions, analysis and investment – but above all, the people and organisations that have consistently shown over the years that Poland’s energy system could look different. Forum Energii is part of this story. We started out in 2014 as the Energy Analysis Forum (Forum Analiz Energetycznych), and in 2016 became Forum Energii, deliberately broadening our role – from providing analysis to creating space for dialogue, connecting data with practice, and supporting decisions about the future of Poland’s energy sector.
In 2015, we highlighted the potential of solar energy to strengthen Poland’s energy security. In the years that followed, we became involved in developing system flexibility mechanisms such as demand-side response (DSR), as well as in debates on the electricity market, heating, the transformation of coal regions, climate policy and energy security. Over the past decade, installed solar PV capacity in Poland has grown from 0.5 GW to 27 GW.
This publication tells the story of that decade from a different perspective. It is not just a history of changes in numbers and public policy, but above all a story about the people who took action when doing so was not always obvious or popular. It is a story of collaboration, courage and ideas that, over time, began to reshape Poland’s energy sector. We look at what has happened over the past ten years and how these experiences can help us navigate the next decade of the transition.
The publication is available in English.
Date of publication: : 22 September 2026
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Authors:
Maria Niewierko, PhD
Joanna Pandera, PhD