The broad understanding and effective use of energy from within the Earth is becoming increasingly realistic in Poland. The use of the Earth's heat in district and individual heating systems creates real opportunities to support the effective implementation of the energy transformation process [1] [2] . Besides the clearly defined advantages of geothermal energy, which include: a renewable, stable, and virtually inexhaustible heat source, 24/7/365 access to energy (regardless of weather and climate conditions), low environmental impact, including in terms of landscape interference, relatively low operating costs, and low cost per unit of energy compared to other sources, its disadvantages include: the lack of evenly and "reliably" distributed areas with favorable conditions for its development, its difficulty in obtaining, the requirement for specialized technologies, and the need for significant capital expenditures to implement it.

Geothermal energy undoubtedly provides "clean," emission-free energy. It also offers the potential for electricity production, albeit to a limited extent in Poland, and the rock mass that carries it also offers the potential for energy storage. This is particularly beneficial for increasing the share of renewable energy in the energy mix, but also for adapting to climate change and improving the quality of life in the country. It is also an important economic area that should develop more dynamically and build competencies at the European level.

Both the geological knowledge and the technical and technological potential existing in Poland in correlation with the program for the comprehensive use of geothermal resources prepared by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in 2020-2021 ( https://www.gov.pl/web/klimat/mapa-drogowa-rozwoju-geotermii-w-polsce) and the possibilities of obtaining funds from various sources provide an opportunity for its development [3] .

The program describes the possibilities and necessary actions to utilize the energy resources stored in the Earth, as well as, for example, the possibility of accumulating it in the subsurface (in rocks and water). Among the areas described there, four deserve special attention, as they are well-suited to the energy and product transformation. These are:

– classic medium and high-temperature geothermal energy, the occurrence of which has been documented in an area of ​​approximately 50% of the country’s area, which can be obtained and utilized mainly by collective consumers;

– low-temperature geothermal energy, which is available in almost the entire country (approx. 90% of the area) and can be obtained by both individual and collective recipients,

– energy from warm mine waters and storage of energy and heat in the rock mass depending on local potential and demand.

An additional challenge, however, is the need to develop technology to make this provision cheaper and therefore more accessible, and to make the services offered, including the delivery of energy from renewable sources to customers, as attractive as those offered by fossil fuels. While all this is possible, it requires further intensive action and coordination by competent institutions. The European Parliament also unequivocally expressed the importance of this area of ​​energy transformation in its Resolution of 18 January 2024 on geothermal energy (2023/2111(INI)) 9_TA(2024)0049 Geothermal energy.

An important statement was made during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos in January 2025 by Fatih Birol (Executive Director of the International Energy Agency) – he said that geothermal energy capacity is projected to triple by 2030. This indicates a significant trend in its development.

[1] Dziadzio P. et al., 2020. Geothermal energy in Poland – development stimulated by the resources of the NFOŚiGW geological subfund. Prz. Geol., 68, 3, 151-155

[2] Dziadzio P. et al., 2020. Geothermal development support programs in Poland and their current effects. Prz. Geol., 69, 3, 549-558

[3] Dziadzio P., 2023. Geothermal energy as a path to zero-emission heating in Poland. WNiG, 12 (298), 9-13.