Polen en IJsland sluiten akkoord over duurzame energie (en)
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Waldemar Pawlak and Icelandic Minister of Industry, Energy and Tourism Katrin Júlíusdóttir Iceland have signed a Memorandum on cooperation in the renewable energy sector. The ceremony took place on 20th September 2011 during the informal meeting of EU Energy Ministers in Wroclaw.
The memorandum will allow the exchange of experiences between science and business in Poland and Iceland in the use of renewable energy sources, especially geothermal energy. ‘Thanks to this, we will be able to carry out investment projects in renewable energy sources in Poland involving both Polish and Icelandic companies,’ said Deputy Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak.
In the view of the Deputy Prime Minister, Poland has prospective geothermal energy resources. Their development will increase our share of RES in the energy balance, which is consistent with EU obligations. ‘Iceland can provide us with modern and proven technology to exploit these resources,’ said Deputy Prime Minister Pawlak.
In Poland, there are 16 plants currently operating that extract geothermal water (with a temperature over 20oC), which are used for heating, medicinal and recreational purposes. The total installed capacity of these units is about 150 MW.
***
Iceland occupies first place in terms of geothermal heat consumption per capita. Geothermal energy is used to generate electricity in five power plants with a total installed capacity of 575 MW. The total thermal capacity for direct use (e.g. heating, greenhouse horticulture, recreation and balneotherapy) is more than 1800 MW.