The European Union has an ambitious plan to make the whole community climate neutral by 2050. Although experts estimate that Poland’s energy transformation requires investments of more than 1.5 trillion zlotys, it also presents an opportunity for a major digital revolution, which will make the Polish economy more competitive, as indicated by experts from Schneider Electric.
In the coming years, a further increase in the share of renewable energy in the Polish energy mix is expected. We are mainly talking about photovoltaic (PV) and onshore and offshore wind energy. According to the operator Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne, the installed photovoltaic capacity at the end of 2020 was 3936 MW, an increase of 2463 MW year-on-year, or as much as 200 per cent compared to 2019. At the end of April 2021, the installed capacity was already 4,690 MW, while in May of that year the total share of renewables in the installed capacity was 26%.
Changes associated with the Green Deal will affect almost every area of the economy and will involve not only energy transformation but also far-reaching electrification and digitization of industry. The EU Roadmap 2050 foresees that the electrification rate within the European Community should at least double.
Direct smart electrification can lead to multi-billion-dollar benefits and generate up to two million new jobs in Europe. The conversion of other energy sources to electricity, or so-called clean energy, will also enable a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, provided that the energy comes from renewable sources.
Another necessary element of the ecological puzzle is the already mentioned far-reaching digital transformation of industry, which experts point to as a great opportunity for the Polish economy.
“There is still much to be done in Poland to meet the EU’s climate targets. We need to think about the energy mix, invest in energy-intensive industries to make them more efficient. We need to digitize processes. Because it is digitalization that drives efficiency and reduces the consumption of raw materials and energy, which translates into a positive impact on the climate” – emphasizes Jacek Łukaszewski – President of the Central and Eastern Europe Cluster at Schneider Electric.
The expert points out that the smart industry is the future, which can lead to a reduction in electricity consumption by up to 30%.
“As Schneider Electric, we fit in with the EU’s climate targets by offering a new quality of energy. We use and continuously improve a range of solutions, technologies and services to meet energy efficiency and sustainability goals. We have proven solutions – such as EcoStuxure architecture based on the Internet of Things – that are already supporting the effective decarbonisation of industry,” adds Jacek Łukaszewski.
Schneider Electric will present its solutions for industry digitisation and energy efficiency during this year’s ENERGETAB fair in Bielsko-Biała. They will be held September 14-16 in a hybrid format. The company – apart from its presence on-site in Bielsko-Biała – has also prepared a series of free webinars on intelligent technologies of the future. They are addressed both to engineers, manufacturers, designers, investors and end-users, and all people interested in the subject of the so-called green technology.