Wind energy in Poland – History, current state, surveys, Renewable Energy Sources Act, SWOT analysis Bartlomiej Igliński n , Anna Iglińska, Grzegorz Koziński, Mateusz Skrzatek, Roman Buczkowski Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Gagarina 7, 87-100 Toruń, Poland article info Article history: Received 19 February 2016 Received in revised form 12 May 2016 Accepted 23 May 2016 Keywords: Wind energy Poland Windmill Wind turbine RES Act SWOT analysis abstract The history, current state and prospects for the development of the wind power sector in Poland have been presented. Poland has a long tradition of using wooden windmills, mainly post mills for economic purposes. Basing on the data of the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, the speed of wind was calculated in Poland at a height of 100 m. The highest wind speed in Poland is noted in the northern part, the central part and, most of all, in the south-western part. In the December 2015 therewere 1016 wind installations in Poland of total power of 5100 MW in Poland. There are also 37 wind farms. At the largest farm – Margonin – there are 60 wind turbines in operation, each of power of 2 MW. The new formal and legal framework for the wind power sector in Poland was described in relation to the new Renewable Energy Sources Act (RES Act). The new regulations on funding the wind power sector; that is, an auction system, were presented. The outcomes of the sociometric surveys conducted among investors were described. The SWOT analysis of the wind power sector in Poland was presented. The three sce- narios of the development of the wind power sector in Poland were described. & 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 2 2. Use of wind energy in windmills in Poland ................................................................................. 2 2.1. Trestle post mills – design and operation ............................................................................ 3 3. Recent development in renewable energy sector in Poland .................................................................... 4 4. The wind power sector in Poland – the current state ......................................................................... 5 5. The development of the wind power sector in Poland in relation to the new Act on RES ............................................ 6 6. The wind power sector in Poland – survey research .......................................................................... 8 7. SWOT analysis of the wind power sector in Poland .......................................................................... 8 7.1. Strenghths ..................................................................................................... 8 7.2. Weaknesses ................................................................................................... 10 7.3. Opportunities .................................................................................................. 11 7.4. Threats ....................................................................................................... 12 8. Discussion .......................................................................................................... 12 9. Conclusions ......................................................................................................... 14 References .............................................................................................................. 14 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rser Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.05.081 1364-0321/& 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. n Corresponding author. Tel.: þ48 56 611 43 31; fax: þ48 56 654 24 77. E-mail address: iglinski@chem.umk.pl (B. Igliński). Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 64 (2016) 19–33