Poland lies outside active volcanic zones, which means we won't see spectacular steam eruptions known from Iceland here. However, geologists agree: Poland is one of the most prospective markets for low-temperature geothermal in Central Europe. Our country lies on vast sedimentary basins (including the Polish Lowlands), which hide hot waters with excellent parameters for district heating.
Pioneers and leaders
The history of Polish geothermal is a story of gradually taming difficult matter. The undisputed leader in terms of scale is Geotermia Podhalańska, which heats Zakopane and surrounding municipalities, reducing smog in the Tatras. Meanwhile, on the lowlands, trails were blazed by Pyrzyce and Mszczonów. The latter plant is a phenomenon – it extracts fresh water, which after releasing heat goes to residents' taps.
The Western Pomerania region deserves special attention. Stargard is an example of an installation with one of the highest efficiencies in the country. Thanks to excellent reservoir parameters and heating network modernization, this city is a model for other local governments on how to combine ecology with economics.
New wave of investments
Recent years (after 2015) have been a true investment boom. New wells in Toruń, Koło, Sieradz, or Turek show that geothermal is ceasing to be an experiment and is becoming a standard. New wells, such as Konin GT-1, achieve temperatures exceeding 90°C, which allows for very efficient powering of municipal heating systems without the need for water reheating for most of the year.
Below is a list of selected Polish wells illustrating the diversity of parameters – from deep, hot intakes in Podhale, to shallower but extremely efficient reservoirs on the lowlands:
The future is in doublets
Modern Polish geothermal relies on doublet systems (or multi-well systems). This means that water after releasing heat is not poured into rivers (which used to be a practice in old times in other countries), but is reinjected back underground. Such a closed loop, used e.g. in Stargard and Toruń, guarantees that the resource is renewable and infinite in the human time scale. It is this technology that makes Polish heating plants neutral for the water environment.