PRODUCTION AND USE OF BIOENERGY IN POLAND IN THE CONTEXT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF BIOECONOMY

Abstract

Growing demand for energy, along with the depletion of traditional fossil fuels and the development of civilization, raises interest in the use of bioenergy in all sectors of the economy, including electricity, transport, heating, cooling, and industry. In developed countries bioenergy is an alternative to traditional non-renewable energy from fossil fuels, as its resources renew in natural processes, making it practically inexhaustible. Due to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, bioenergy is also more environmentally friendly than fossil energy. Thus bioenergy sector is a key segment of bio-economy and determines its competitiveness and development. Increase in bioenergy production, resulting from both market and energy policies, leads to greater interdependence between energy and agricultural markets, affects food and feed prices and change in land use. The aim of this study was to identify changes in the bioenergy market in Poland in 2010-2015, present the role of bioenergy sector production in the structure of bio-economy, the changes in production and directions of biomass-based energy use and determine the importance of the major bioenergy markets in the structure of the energy market in Poland. The study was based on the aggregated statistical data on the acquisition and consumption of bioenergy in Poland, including energy from municipal waste, solid biofuels, biogas and liquid biofuels. Findings prove that bioenergy is the most important renewable energy source in Poland. It is also a diversified source of energy, as it can be converted into solid, liquid and gaseous fuels. Although solid biofuels and liquid biofuels dominate in Poland, the share of biogas and energy produced from municipal waste is small. Concluding, bioenergy in Poland changes its character from traditional and local energy source into modern, international commodity.