Poland, like most European countries, gets its energy from various sources. These include renewables, natural gas and large amounts of coal. However, in June of this year, the amount of energy produced from renewable sources overtook the amount produced by coal for the first time (by just under half a percent).Â
Figure 1: Bukowsko-Nowotaniec Wind Farm, Poland. [6]
Energy in Poland
At the start of the year, Poland had approximately 9 GW of installed wind capacity. And while the development of onshore wind is problematic due to regulations around where turbines can be sited, there is significant potential for offshore development in the Baltic sea. Whilst offshore development will no doubt face its own challenges (not least the increased cost when compared to onshore wind farms), developers and the Polish Wind Energy Association are excited about unlocking the potential that is available, due to reliable high wind speeds in the region.
Coal in Europe
Coal is one of the dirtier options for generating power from an emissions perspective. This is not new information, and many countries have transitioned or are transitioning away from coal as an energy source. However, Europe has not entirely shed its dependence on coal yet, with both Poland and Germany remaining reliant on it to varying degrees, although both are working hard to phase it out.
Wind Energy in Europe
Wind energy remains a strong component of Europe’s energy transition, as it continues towards its targets of carbon neutrality. WindEurope has reported that in 2024, the EU installed 18 GW of new wind capacity. Most of this was in Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. Wind farms have always been, and will likely remain, controversial politically and in wider society, however if Europe is to progress significantly towards energy independence, it is likely that every available option will need to be recruited.
Outlook
Poland is still the most coal-dependent country in the European Union, and remains a significant coal producer as well. The country therefore has a long way to go. However, their government, led by former President of the European Council Donal Tusk, remains steadfast in its commitment to the energy transition. This is perhaps particularly encouraging given modern challenges that Poland faces. These include their geographical proxmimity to the war in Ukraine, their strong focus on increased military spending and the rise of populism. However, for the time being, Poland continues to make strides in its energy transition, which we can only hope will continue.
Pager Power
Pager Power has been supporting wind developers, onshore and offshore, in countries around the world for over 20 years. If your wind project is facing radar, aviation, telecommunication or shadow flicker constraints, please get in touch.
References
[1] Minder, R (2025), Poland’s clean energy usage overtakes coal for first time (link), Financial Times, last accessed August 2025.
[2] Â Glogowski, P (2025), Change blows over the Baltic Sea as Poland bets on offshore wind energy (link).
[3] Reuters (2025), German coal plants vital for electricity supply, importers say (link), Reuters, last accessed August 2025.
[4] Euronews with EBU (2025), Poland’s president vows to spend 4.7% of GDP on defence this year (link), Euronews, last accessed August 2025.
[5] Wigura, K and Kuisz, J (2025), Poland is sliding back towards populism. Democrats elsewhere should heed our mistakes (link), last accessed August 2025.
[6] Bukowsko-Nowotaniec Wind Farm (2017) from WikiMedia Commons. Last accessed on 11th August 2025. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:02017_0070_Der_Windpark_Nowotaniec_s%C3%BCdlich_von_Sanok.jpg
