In 2040, annual demand for hydrogen in Poland will exceed 100 TWh. However, the current RES growth and development plans cannot provide the future supply. It is necessary to eliminate barriers and facilitate construction of renewable energy sources, in particular wind, which will form teh basis of the hydrogen economy. Fulfilment of the ambitions requires more than 60 GW of RES generation in 2040 — these are the key conclusions of the “Green hydrogen from RES in Poland” report prepared by the Polish Wind Energy Association (PWEA) and Lower Silesian Institute for Energy Studies (DISE).

Achieving climate-neutral Europe, including Poland, will not be possible without large-scale implementation of hydrogen technologies in energy, gas, transport, and industry. However, if hydrogen is to fulfil its role in decarbonisation of European economies, it is necessary to ensure access to zero-emission technologies for its production. Green hydrogen has a prominent place among concepts how to prevent climate change, attracting increased stakeholder attention — also in Poland — which see substantial business potential of the fuel.

Increasing climate ambitions in the European Union affect the Polish strategy for the energy sector. This year we signed the Hydrogen Economy Sector Deal, initiated by Ministry of Climate and Environment, and adopted the Hydrogen Strategy, which emphasizes the role of hydrogen on the way towards climate neutrality. This is a constant element of the Polish energy transition, included in strategic plans of the government – said Anna Moskwa, Minister for Climate and Environment.

The “Green hydrogen from RES in Poland” report is the first, comprehensive study that thoroughly discusses green hydrogen issues. It presents the current status of the hydrogen market and its development outlook. The analyses demonstrate that within the next few decades hydrogen, in particular green hydrogen, may become the basis for the operation of industry in Poland and the EU. However, this requires elimination of a number of barriers, in particular those currently precluding the development of renewable sources used for its production. The report states the necessary changes to: hydrogen production licensing procedures; hydrogen transmission through gas network; storage; as well as the support for the development of direct lines, connecting RES installations with customers operating electrolysers that enable the storage of surplus electricity irrespectively of connection to the power grid.

The report demonstrates that the growth rate of the hydrogen market will strongly depend on the adaptation of legal regulations and market standards, which not only should enable development of easily-scalable hydrogen technologies, but also contribute to establishment of the expected incentives to use hydrogen-based solutions. We will need a stable legal framework to facilitate investments in the entire hydrogen supply chain, which includes equipment manufacturers, infrastructure providers, vehicle manufacturers and others –  lists Janusz Gajowiecki — President of the Polish Wind Energy Association.

The key condition enabling development of economy based on green hydrogen is access to sufficient RES installed capacity, in particular the least expensive wind and its supplementary source, PV. By 2040, renewable energy source generation should increase many times to ensure sufficient supply of zero-emission hydrogen within the next 10-20 years.

The “Green hydrogen from RES in Poland” report recommends urgent measures that will enable facing the requirements related to hydrogen economy, in particular in the field of hydrogen transmission, storage and grid connection.

In Poland, hydrogen should be produced within three paths: through the use of surplus RES, operation of separated off-grid generation integrated with dedicated electrolysers, and distributed generation for local purposes. The report demonstrates that is necessary to change hydrogen production and storage licensing procedures, and support the development of direct lines, connecting RES installations with customers operating electrolysers – said Remigiusz Nowakowski, President of the Lower Silesian Institute for Energy Studies (DISE).

However, the current RES growth and development plans cannot provide the future green hydrogen supply. Energy transition in Poland requires decommissioning conventional generation units from the National Power System and precludes construction of new ones.

Public discussion to date omitted issues related to hydrogen production capacity. It was taken for granted that in the future, renewable energy sources will be abundant enough to provide the required supply. However, the reality is very different — the report confirms that without quick elimination of barriers we will fact actual problems with providing enough hydrogen to satisfy the increasing demand. The report emphasizes that the development of the hydrogen market requires allocation of part of the RES potential with the highest capacity factors (offshore wind) for direct hydrogen production, without grid connection (off-grid operation). Financial support for hydrogen investments in the first phase of its development would also substantially foster growth of hydrogen economy.