On February 7, 2023, a Technology Innovation for Local Energy Transition conference was held to discuss changes in the energy system. It was hosted by Dr. Michał Kurtyka (Kozminski University) in the form of a debate between the assembled guests:
- Lee Beck (CATF),
- Prof. Maciej Chorowski (Wrocław University of Science and Technology),
- Sławomir Krenczyk (Pułaski Foundation, Warsaw Security Forum),
- Adam Guibourge-Czetwertyński (Ministry of Climate and Environment),
- Grzegorz Tchorek (Institute of Power Engineering).
At the beginning, Lee Beck introduced CATF's activities and then initiated a brief discussion on the decarbonized ecosystem and clean technology. This was followed by brief implications of the Inflation of Reduction Act of 2022, which initiated a discussion of the Polish energy transition consisting of two pillars: energy security and transition.
Also briefly presented was the problem of central heating, which, according to the debaters, should change in part to a cogeneration system because heat can be kept for a few days.
Also discussed were nuclear power plants, plans for 2040, as well as how the nuclear energy value chain in Poland could look like, business models in the nuclear sector, and an ideal map of Poland with all energy sources. Slawomir Krenczyk presented six lessons that we, as Poland, should learn after the war with Ukraine.
The conclusion of the conference was that Poland should have both a centralized system and a partially decentralized one. Nuclear power will bring us energy somewhere in the future at a higher cost; we need that for the future, but it is not answering our immediate needs.
We need to act, especially in Europe, because through our complicated legal systems and lack of action, some of the European industry will move to the U.S. We also need to focus on the distribution system of energy production while keeping in mind how our system is structured and not aiming only for centralization or decentralization. Only a hybrid system can meet the expectations of the Poles, but also remember the hydrogen transition. One participant mentioned that 60 hydrogen plants will be built in Poland by 2024, and this is something to focus on as well.
