Green energy accounted for 31.4%. electricity production in Poland in 2025, even though renewable energy sources were already responsible for more than half of the installed capacity. The difference between power and real generation shows a structural problem, and 2026 may turn out to be a turning point for the energy transformation, says Małgorzata Szambelańczyk, president of Eurowind Energy in Poland.
Low capacity utilization rate in Poland
“Poland has a similar share of renewable energy capacity as Denmark, but uses it much less. The Danish system, based primarily on wind, allows you to obtain 80-88 percent. electricity from renewable energy sources.In Germany, where the share of renewable energy capacity is approximately 70 percent, the share in production exceeds 56-62 percent. In It’s different in Poland. Renewable energy sources are growing rapidly, but the development is mainly based on photovoltaics, which has a low power utilization rateespecially in winter. This is why we nominally have power, but in reality we produce much less of it than our neighbors. There is no coherent strategy and an appropriate proportion of sources,” said Szambelańczyk, quoted in the release.
According to her, the consequences are visible every day. In moments high-generation renewable energy sources, the system is unable to accept itbecause coal blocks must maintain a minimum level of operation to maintain network stability. During periods of low generation – especially in winter – photovoltaics cannot support the systemand the difference must be covered from conventional sources.
Too much sun and too little wind in the energy mix
“PSE’s plan until 2036 assumes a large scale power increase: up to 43 GW of photovoltaics,28 GW of wind on land and almost 14 GW of wind at sea. However, it should be remembered that PV works effectively at only 10-12%, and we already have quite a lot of energy from the sun in the energy mix. On the other hand onshore wind reaches 25-35% of effective use. This coefficient, together with the relatively low cost of building wind parks and, consequently, the lowest price of the energy produced, indicates the high attractiveness of this element of the energy mix. Offshore even approaches 50% productivity, but the energy price is several times higher than onshore wind“- added the president of Eurowind Energy in Poland.
Germany and Denmark use onshore wind
She pointed out that Germany and Denmark mainly use onshore wind, thanks to which achieve a significantly higher share of renewable energy sources in energy production. Denmark has only 2.9 percent. offshore power,but despite this, it achieves the highest share of renewable energy in production in all of Europe. What matters is structure, not nominal power.
We need to free the wind on land
“Offshore and planned nuclear energy are necessary in the energy mix, but they will not improve the efficiency of the entire system. This role is played by onshore wind, which in Poland is still limited as a technology by regulations and the lack of a clear policy, as well as the contradictory narrative of the government administration and subordinate institutions,” Szambelańczyk emphasized.
In her opinion, 2026 may prove to be a turning point for the Polish energy transformation.
Lack of a clear vision of the structure of the energy mix
“We have already built a significant scale of renewable capacity, but this has not yet translated into efficiency, achieved by the best in Europe. To change this, we need not only investment in new technologies, but above all stable rules, orderly planning, efficient procedures and a clear vision of the mix structure. Poland has potential, provided that it boldly chooses solutions that actually improve its energy balance. It is crucial to create conditions for the development of onshore wind and energy storage systemsas well as supporting system flexibility and local production of green fuels. Only then will renewable energy sources be able to fully contribute to the country’s energy security, the competitiveness of the economy and lower energy costs for consumers,” she concluded.
Eurowind Energy is a company from the renewable energy sector founded in Denmark, with its own production assets in Europe with a capacity of 1,305 MW and a total portfolio of projects under development with a capacity of approx. 61 GW, including 185.6 MW and 6 GW in Poland, respectively.
