Energy storage without procedures, wind turbines without a development plan. This is how local governments see the development of renewable energy sources

• The development of renewable energy sources is limited by Polish law - local government officials from Wielkopolska believe. However, they have an idea, among other things, on how to give impetus to the location of energy storage facilities and the development of photovoltaic farms.
• As for the former, local governments believe that it is enough to enter them in the catalogue of "auxiliary infrastructure" for photovoltaic farms. Thanks to this, it will not be necessary to apply for a new environmental decision for warehouses that would be built at existing farms.
• When it comes to building wind turbines, local governments are proposing that Integrated Investment Plans, instead of spatial development plans, should be the basis for their construction. This will allow the costs to be passed on to the investor.

The process of creating the necessary RES infrastructure encounters certain legislative restrictions that cause delays and difficulties in the development of this sector - we read in the position of the Association of Municipalities and Districts of Wielkopolska.

According to the association, minor adjustments to the regulations will be enough to provide an impetus to create more energy storage facilities at photovoltaic farms or to accelerate the construction of wind farms .

Local government officials from Wielkopolska are appealing, among other things, to simplify the procedure for locating energy storage facilities near existing photovoltaic farms. Currently, to do this, a lengthy procedure of changing an already issued environmental decision must be carried out.

Decisions issued years ago often do not provide for the possibility of installing energy storage devices, but they do provide for provisions such as "technical and auxiliary infrastructure".

- local government officials note.

They propose to include energy storage facilities in the catalogue of the aforementioned "auxiliary infrastructure" as an element stabilising the power grid.

- Perhaps we will be able to locate warehouses without having to go through the entire procedure from the beginning - the association members believe.

Under current legal solutions, municipalities bear the costs of preparing and adopting a spatial development plan for wind investments.

These costs amount to PLN 100-150 thousand for several turbines.

- local government officials note.

And they add that the Wind Farm Investment Act, which specifies the conditions for implementing and locating such investments, does not mention Integrated Investment Plans (ZPI), which are a tool that allows "passing on" the huge costs of preparing a local plan to the applicant investor. According to local governments, this would be a transfer "on fair terms", which would significantly speed up this type of investment.

Currently, as local governments write, it is the commune that must find these funds in its budget.

- Given the current expenses incurred for activities related to spatial planning, such an obligation is extremely time-consuming and may, as a result, last even several years - local government officials note.

Once the general plan is adopted, the ZPI for wind farms would significantly accelerate this type of investment.