In recent years, over 600,000 households and businesses have invested in their own solar installations, and approximately 35,000 jobs have been created in companies offering services in this segment. This is the biggest, albeit unplanned, success of the Law and Justice government in the energy sector. However, further expansion of micro-installations in Poland is questionable - the government is planning changes in the rules governing this dynamically developing energy sector. This is an operation on a living organism, therefore surgical precision is needed in introducing changes - a transparent process, clear intentions and time that will allow the newly established sector and energy companies to prepare for the transition.

Work on the European Green Deal is accelerating. The main tool to achieve the new targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the EU will be the Fit for 55 package. Among its key elements is support for reducing CO2 emissions from buildings and transport. For Poland, this debate will be uncomfortable because over the course of three decades, not only has pollution not decreased but it has increased considerably in transport. This results in terrible air quality in Poland. Catching up, which is necessary for both climate reasons and the modernisation of outdated infrastructure and improvement of air quality, will be a challenge. The introduction of emission charges is intended to help. In its latest study, Forum Energii proposes measures to internalise the external costs of emissions in a way that is smooth, gradual, and socially acceptable.

In the film with Louis de Funès, a separate, unreal world was created for the titular hibernatus to make him feel comfortable in the new reality. With the National Energy Security Agency (NABE) that the government is proposing for coal power, it is similar. The ring-fencing of coal assets is necessary because they are making increasing losses, the power companies are in debt, and with the coal burden in the new reality they are running out of finance to invest. However, without a cost-benefit analysis for the economy and society, or an assessment of the risks, NABE, instead of unlocking the transition, may hibernate it and introduce chaos that will threaten Poland's energy security.

Since the beginning of the year, CO2 emission allowance prices have risen by 70%, from EUR 30 to over EUR 50 per tonne. The rate of this increase has again triggered discussion in Poland on the purpose of the Emissions Trading System’s (EU-ETS) existence. Meanwhile, the EU discussion on the ETS, which is due to begin shortly, will not be about whether to abolish the system, but how to reform it so that the EU can achieve its decarbonization goals. Carbon pricing will be the most important tool for achieving the EU's 55% emissions reduction target in 2030. In this text, we explain the system’s basic operational principles and highlight expected discussion topics and possible upcoming changes. 

The Ministry of Climate and Environment have announced its plans to abolish the obligation to sell electricity on power exchange by generators, a so-called ‘obligo’. A public consultation on the proposed law is underway. The topic seems technical and niche. But the effects of the planned changes will be widespread: with the electricity market not very competitive, the abolition of the obligation will increase wholesale prices and have a negative impact on consumers―mainly industrial ones. This is a step backwards in terms of competition and transparency of the electricity market in Poland.

Electrification sets the direction of inevitable changes in many areas of our lives, including transport and heating. This direction will force a closer cooperation of various sectors of the economy with the future, completely different from today's power system. The integration of three industries — transportation, heat, and power generation— is the new concept for the operation of the entire energy sector. What can it look like in 2050? How will the necessary changes bring Poland closer to the goal of climate neutrality? Forum Energii in the new analysis convinces that a good strategy of sector coupling is a benefit for the Polish economy and society.

"Energy Boost for Poland" - a package for the economy prepared by the Forum Energii and Polish Confederation Lewiatan. Forum Energii and the Confederation Lewiatan call for the adoption of the "Energy Boost for Poland" package, which aims to mobilise available public and private funds for the Polish energy modernization. The implementation of the "Energy Boost for Poland" will stimulate investments worth over PLN 580 billion, which will create 240 thousand new jobs. Investments in the energy sector should be an element of the strategy for overcoming the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

After a few weeks of the pandemic in Poland, we know for sure that the virus will infect the economy, even as we finally get rid of it ourselves. We need to act decisively right now. But we also need to think about economic recovery, in which the low-carbon transformation of energy has to take a central place. This is the time for bold decisions, so far postponed. A strategic rebuilding of the sector must be announced today to help society emerge from the crisis and provide long-term benefits.

The Ministry of State Assets announces subsidies to energy bills for people earning less than 5 000 net per month. The reaction to the increase in electricity prices in Poland has shown that politicians are so afraid of this subject. However, they have no good idea how to solve it. 

In Poland we have just reached 1 GW of capacity in photovoltaic installations. Their growth rate has accelerated in the last several months. With the increasing economic attractiveness of photovoltaics, we are no longer wondering whether this development will be continued, but what are its limits. One thing is certain - we will wait much shorter for the next gigawatt and there will be at least a few drivers of this growth.