Poland is facing major challenges and some of them might be a big hurdle for the future development. Currently 90% of the Polish power is generated with coal. Most energy companies in Poland are profiting from this because they have a coal base. Changing this arrangement might not be in their interest. Oil sources will not last forever and we all know the drawbacks of fossil fuels. So, how to grow into a new energy security system?
Before the economic crisis the oil consumption was increasing at a dramatic speed. It became impossible to keep up with the demand. Not because of the lack of oil, but because of the high production cost.
After the current crisis the oil price will quickly rise again. This could be a trigger for alternative innovations. Which is needed, because we need an energy revolution- new fuels. Transportation accounts for 60% of the oil usage and therefore we need new fuels now. Not natural gas as a substitute, but really something new.
Throughout the world, power is produced mainly based on coal. That needs to change as well. We need to shift towards non carbon fuels. For the consumer this is useful as well. The prices won’t be stable when using the current fuels, their rates will quickly rise and so will the power prices.
Nuclear power is considered as a good alternative but many people have serious safety concerns about this source of energy. But realizing it might take too long and it needs high upfront financing. On the other hand it offers a steady supply and hardly any carbon emissions.
Currently we are wasting energy on transporting it. What is needed is an energy plan stating who needs what and where. We need to approach this on the world scale.
The future energy supply relies basically on three countries: Iran, Russia and Qatar. It’s hard to believe they will cooperate in finding new energy solutions. Which means we have to manage without them.
Honestly, the panel is not really touching on the promissed subject of necessary revolution. It’s mostly about optimizing fossil fuels and neclear power. For example wind and solar energy is not being discussed at all.