Offshore wind in the Baltic Sea to make a bigger contribution to Poland’s green transition. DTU-collaboration may accelerate the process, writes the Danish university in a press release.
Historically, Poland has based its energy production on coal mining. The Polish coal mines have been—and still are—a significant factor in the Polish economy. However, the winds of change are blowing, a process that started in earnest last year when Poland’s climate minister Michał Kurtyka announced that the country will invest in renewable energy, and build gigantic wind farms in the Baltic Sea. In this connection, the countries around the Baltic Sea signed an agreement to develop new offshore wind farms in the area. Denmark was one of the signatories.
However, you do not transform a nation’s energy supply overnight. In Denmark, the development has taken about 40 years. During this period, Danish researchers, engineers, and companies have acquired extensive experience which has put Danish wind research at the front of its field, and which can now benefit the Polish transition.
It has resulted in the Polish energy company PGE (Polska Grupa Energetyczna) and the Gdańsk University of Technology reaching out to DTU Wind Energy, one of the world’s leading research institutes in the field. Initially, the parties have signed a memorandum of understanding.
“The path from decision-making to the establishment of offshore wind turbines in the Polish part of the Baltic Sea can be shortened considerably if one takes advantage of the experience gained in Denmark,” says Cathy Suo, Head of Division for Wind Energy Systems at DTU Wind Energy.