Building Energy Self-Sufficiency of Municipalities on the Basis of National Legal Conditions in the Theoretical Perspective of the Polish Legal Experiences

Abstract

In today’s social, economic, and political reality, it cannot be overlooked that the energy self-sufficiency of municipalities not only optimizes the lives of the inhabitants of the municipality but also, in a broader perspective, the services provided by the municipality. The sustainable development of a municipality will therefore depend on its degree of self-reliance and self-sufficiency. Economic and technological considerations are not sufficient for the municipality to achieve optimal energy independence without normative conditions. The current (2021/2022) trends in electricity prices and in the development of national and international policies and strategies for electricity generation from renewable energy sources also make the change in the energy market structure toward distributed generation. The main objective of this paper is a theoretical analysis of the legal solutions in force in Poland that allow building energy self-sufficiency in municipalities and their adequacy to the current economic, technological, and political conditions. The scientific discussion will focus here on research problems related to the impact of the national regulations on the gradual assumption of control by municipalities over the generation and distribution of electricity with regard to energy produced in RES installations and the independence of municipalities from the national energy management and supply system.