Problems of Development of Offshore Wind Power in the Southern Baltic

According to the assumptions adopted by the European Union, the average share of renewable energy in the consumption of gross final energy in 2020 in member states should reach 20%. It is estimated that approx. 60-70% of this amount will be energy obtained from wind. This includes energy from offshore wind farms whose numbers, due to fewer restrictions regarding their location, much better aerodynamic conditions (windiness), favourable legal and financial conditions and the possibility of using larger and more efficient equipment, have been rapidly growing for a decade. Thus, the possibility of development of offshore wind energy (OWE) in the southern Baltic in light of European solutions, with particular emphasis on Polish experience started to appear in considerations. An analysis of the potential of establishing offshore wind farms and marine power lines and them operating in the current and the anticipated state of the law has been conducted. Due to the nature of the spatial and organizational structure of OWE a lot of attention has been devoted to the analysis of international conditions of operation of offshore wind farms in Europe, including those in the southern Baltic. Current findings indicate that the prospects for development of this type of energy are strongly determined not only by economic factors but also by political factors on the national and international level.