The Recent Development of High-Efficiency Cogeneration Units in Poland.

Combined heat and power generation is a tool for achieving energy policy goals - improving energy efficiency, improving energy security, diversifying the structure of energy generation, the wider use of renewable resources, developing competitive markets and reducing the environmental impact of the energy sector. The broader use of combined heat and power, including high-efficiency cogeneration in particular, contributes to saving the primary energy contained in fuel and reducing the carbon footprint calculated in terms of the combined electricity and heat produced. Electricity generation in high-efficiency cogeneration units has found recognition in many European Union countries. These countries have introduced support systems to stimulate the development of these sources. Poland also has significant potential for the development of high-efficiency cogeneration. In Poland, a dedicated law promoting electricity from high-efficiency cogeneration was adopted in 2018. The law was implemented in the second half of 2019. Other schemes were also implemented in Poland, in which high-efficiency cogeneration units may participate for development purposes. The purpose of the all-new regulations is to further develop high-efficiency cogeneration, guaranteeing the possibility of building new sources or activities related to the modernisation or operation of existing sources. The article presents support systems for high-efficiency cogeneration, together with an assessment of their implementation and the impact on the development of these sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]