Socially and environmentally responsible businesses? It is possible. In this category we have decided to distinguish the entrepreneurs who effectively implement ecological technologies in their plants for the benefit not only of the environment, but also of local residents.
Better use of energy
Periodic closure of coal-fired boilers, adaptation of equipment to work 24 hours a day, and thus lower emission of carbon dioxide… All this thanks to cogeneration!
Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Energetyki Cieplnej wants to invest in cogeneration. Construction of two natural gas-fired units will enable the enterprise to generate heat and electricity at the same time. The whole system will allow for the best possible use of both types of energy. All this to protect the environment!
Beneficiary: Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Energetyki Cieplnej Sp. z o.o. w Ostródzie
Project: Improving the efficiency of heat generation and distribution through the construction of a cogeneration system for Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Energetyki Cieplnej Sp. z o.o. in Ostróda
Total project value: 14,15 mln PLN
EU contribution (Infrastructure and Environment Programme): 5,16 mln PLN
More cost effective, more modern and cleaner thanks to… biomass
From this year, as many as 90% of Nidzica residents have access to heat that is cheaper by even one third and definitely more environmentally friendly. This is due to the construction of a new heating plant and the reconstruction of the existing heating network.
In a modern heating plant as much as one half of the produced energy originates from biomass - specifically from wood waste from sawmills or directly from forests. The previous boiler house, which is no longer in operation, was powered by coal, fuel oil and gas.
This is a real milestone in the city's fight against smog. Nidzica residents could already witness the effects of this investment during the last heating season. Analysis of samples collected near the chimney of the new heating plant showed that the concentration of harmful substances was even three times lower than in places where household furnaces were used.
Beneficiary: Przedsiębiorstwo Usługowe Gospodarki Komunalnej Sp. z o.o.
Project: Modernisation of the heating system in Nidzica - construction of a municipal boiler house based on the production of heat from biomass combustion
Total project value: 16,98 mln PLN
EU contribution (Infrastructure and Environment Programme): 5,2 mln PLN
Energy from the Earth
There is no doubt that renewable energy sources are the future of energy sector. One of them is geothermal energy, i.e. thermal energy of the Earth's interior: rocks, soil or water under the surface. Although it is virtually inexhaustible, it is not available everywhere. However, Poland has an immense potential in this respect. Scientists estimate that about 40% of our country's surface area has resources of hot thermal water deposits, which could be used to produce energy. Unfortunately, they are not widely used yet. In Poland, geothermal installations operate e.g. in the Podhale region.
They are managed by PEC Geotermia Podhalańska which, due to the co-financing from the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment, is developing its geothermal system and reconstructing its heating system. On the one hand, the project will reduce the energy intensity of the company; on the other hand, it will increase the use of geothermal energy in the company by more than 6 percentage points.
Beneficiary: Przedsiębiorstwo Energetyki Cieplnej Geotermia Podhalańska S.A.
Project: Expansion of the geothermal system in order to increase the capacity of the renewable heat source for PEC Geotermia Podhalańska S.A.
Total project value: 32,72 mln PLN
EU contribution (Infrastructure and Environment Programme): 12,25 mln PLN