Policies

Obligation for Power Purchase from Renewable Sources

Source: JOIN IEA/IRENA Policy and Measures Database
Last updated: 30 July 2015

In order to promote the utilization of renewable energy sources for energy production, Poland introduced in 2005 (with effect from 1st October 2005) a support system for generating electricity from renewable energy sources (system of green certificates). It is primarily regulated by the Energy Law Act of 10 April 1997 with later amendments and the secondary legislation. The Polish RES support scheme is a market-based mechanism that is conducive to optimal development and competition.

The system is generally based on two components:

  • the obligation of the suppliers of last resort to purchase electricity generated from renewable energy sources at the average price of electricity applied in the preceding calendar year (the price is set by the President of the Energy Regulatory Office);
  • the system of trading property rights arising from RE certificates of origin (the system works as follow: Entities defined in the Energy Law Act are obliged to either acquire certificates of origin and present them to the President of the ERO for redemption, or pay a substitution fee. Prices of property rights are indirectly determined by the value of the substitution fee which is adjusted annually).

The system has been provided for in detail in the Regulation of the Minister of Economy of 18 October 2012, so called “RES Regulation” (Full name: Regulation establishing detailed provisions on the obligation to acquire certificates of origin and submit them for collection, the obligation to pay a compensation fee, the obligation to purchase electric energy and heat generated from renewable energy sources, and the obligation to prove that the amount of energy generated from the respective source of energy stated is accurate).

The Regulation has introduced an obligation of electricity suppliers to have a certain RES share in theirs total volumes of electricity sales.

For 2013-2020 the required RES shares are set as follow: 

Quota levels

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

12%

13%

14%

15%

16%

17%

18%

19%

20%

(previously quota levels for 2010-2014 were set on level of: 10,4%).

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