The Polish government has launched the second round of its Energy for Rural Areas (Energia dla wsi) program, designed to support the development of renewable energy projects and agricultural biogas plants in rural areas of Poland.
This initiative provides both loans and subsidies to help fund the construction of solar and wind installations, as well as biogas and hydroelectric power plants in the countryside.
The second round of funding is now open and will run until December 19, or until the allocated funds are exhausted, with a total budget of PLN 1 billion, financed through the EU’s Modernization Fund. Under this program, loans of up to 100% are available for the construction of solar and wind energy systems.
Additionally, subsidies of up to 45% are offered for building biogas and hydroelectric plants, with subsidies of up to 20% for integrated energy storage systems.The program is available to farmers, energy cooperatives, and entrepreneurs who are members of energy cooperatives.
The first round of the program, which had a budget of PLN 2 billion, has already funded seven solar projects, four small hydroelectric projects, and 208 biogas plants.Poland’s Minister of Climate and Environment, Paulina Hennig-Kloska, expressed confidence that this program would continue to be successful, noting that many farms could benefit from producing energy for their own use.
She emphasized that the subsidy would encourage the construction of more wind turbines, photovoltaic systems, and energy storage solutions, thus promoting self-consumption of energy produced on farms.In 2024, Poland deployed 4 GW of solar power, furthering its commitment to renewable energy development.
