RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE SYSTEM OF SPATIAL PLANNING IN POLAND

Global energy demand is continuously increasing and forces mankind to search for new sources of alternative energy, since conventional energy resources are depleting and the natural environment is faced with the ever-growing problem of their extraction. As a result, renewable energy sources, including geothermal energy, wind power, solar power, hydropower and biomass, are more and more frequently being heard of. The European Union's requirement is that by 2020 the share of energy from renewable sources in the final gross domestic energy consumption in Poland will have reached 15%. Meeting this objective, however, requires the use of appropriate support systems that must be based on well-prepared planning. Therefore, this publication aims to verify whether renewable energy sources are adequately prominent in the Polish system of spatial planning and whether the provisions on renewable energy sources set out in the Polish planning documents are sufficient to adapt Polish power industry to the European Union requirements.