Magazine - Geotermia Podhalańska

Magazine
Commemorative edition
Economy
and ecology
Economy Prize of President New borehole
Bańska PGP-3
of Republic of Poland
It’s been 20 years since the foundation of Geotermia Podhalańska. It’s
long enough to summarize both the
company’s operation and the ways
of using renewable energy sources
in Poland.
This economy award is sometimes
called “Polish Economy Nobel Prize”.
It honours contribution to economic
development in Poland.
2
13
In May 2013 the drilling of
new borehole Bańska PGP3 was finished. The borewhole is 3400 m (TVD) deep,
as planned.
13
GEOTERMIA MAGAZINE
Economy and
ecology – always
for the good
For more than two decades Podhale has been
the positive example of how to use renewable,
ecologically clean sources of heating energy.
We speak with Czesław Ślimak, the CEO of PEC
Geotermia Podhalańska S.A. about the company’s
activities so far.
It’s been 20 years since the foundation of Geotermia Podhalańska. It’s
long enough to summarize both the
company’s operation and the ways
of using renewable energy sources in
Poland. How would you evaluate this
period in company’s history?
Czesław Ślimak: – The geothermal
project in Podhale was the first of this
type in Poland. Initially it was realized
as a scientific project but quickly it
changed into commercial undertaking.
Geotermia Podhalańska as a company
was built from scratch so it required
lots of investments, but it was worth
every penny. Today we are a modern
energy provider using Earth’s heat that
is geothermal wells. We can say that
we were both pioneers and models
to follow. The 20 years of company’s
operation was a time of systematic development in both obtaining new heat
sources and its distribution – every year
we connect dozens of new buildings to
our network.
How do Podhale and Geotermia
Podhalańska compare to other European and Polish producers of energy
from geothermal waters?
2
– It is definitely the biggest producer
of geothermal energy in Poland. In the
National Plan of Action concerning
Renewable Energy Sources Geotermia
Podhalańska was called the biggest
geothermal heating system in Europe
as far as target capacity and heat production is concerned.
It is clear that Polish people begin to
view alternative, ecological energy
sources in a positive way. Did the inhabitants of the districts that you cooperate with needed to be persuaded
to see the advantages of geothermy?
Did you need to bust some myths or
clarify concerns?
– In the beginning we connected a
couple of buildings in Bańska Niżna
closest to the geothermal well for free.
People could see that this is working
and is effective and safe, so with time
more and more people got convinced
of the advantages of geothermy. The
most important thing was the positive
opinion of the people who started using geothermy first. The inhabitants
understood that this is economically
stable and in the same ecological heating solution.
If we compare the cost of heating
buildings with geothermal energy
with the cost of heating with natural
gas or heating oil, it is in favor of geothermal energy. How would you convince people who prefer burning coal,
as it is still cheaper energy source?
– First of all, geothermal energy is more
convenient – our system is virtually
service-free. I would also give the argument of safety (especially fire safety)
and the fact that it is non-exhaustible
geothermal well. I think that more and
more inhabitants, also under the influence of tourists, appreciate clean air
in Podhale and geothermy guarantees
it will last.
Did the proportion of individual recipients to institutional recipients
change considerably during these
years? Which group constitutes the
biggest percentage of clients?
– We provide heat to almost 1400 recipients and 80% of them are the individual clients. It is worth mentioning
though that the institutional clients,
such as hotels, pensions, public buildings etc influence how big the heat
YEARS
sales are. We sell heat to clients in
Zakopane, Poronin and Biały Dunajec.
Our heat is used by City Halls, schools
and also Tatra National Park and Aqua
Park in Zakopane.
In your opinion, what is the biggest
success of Geotermia Podhalańska?
What do you think you still need to
think about and work on?
company that attracts more and more
clients. Because of our actions the
quality of air in Podhale has improved
greatly. We managed to reduce the
emission of carbon dioxide by 300
thousand tons. The geothermal project
is not only an undertaking of primary
significance for the natural environment, but it is also economically worthwhile.
– The geothermal system in Podhale is
part of the district’s landscape. Our biggest success is that we are a modern
What are the company’s plans for
next few months and for longer period of time?
Geothermal
energy – renewable
and healthy
source of heat
The inner heat of the Earth, accumulated in rocks and water
filling the fractures and pores within rocks is the geothermal
energy, also called geothermy.
Our planet, and especially its lithosphere,
is built so that the temperature rises with
the increase of depth towards the center of the Earth. If there is water deep
inside Earth, its temperature can reach
several dozen degrees Celsius or even
above 100°C. In districts with height-
ened volcanic activity (such as Iceland for
instance) we can observe such water surfacing in the form of geysers. Thanks to
the fact that this is virtually non-exhaustible energy source – as we speak of the
red hot Earth center here – it belongs to
renewable energy sources category.
– This year we plan to include another
well which would be third already,
thanks to which we will increase the
power of geothermal system by more
than 50%. It will allow us to connect
another several hundred buildings in
Podhale to our network. Our long term
aim is to develop the heating network,
so that the biggest possible area of
Podhale is provided with ecological
Earth heat.
The renewability, ecological aspect and
independence from climatic conditions
– all these advantages of geothermy
point to the fact that it is worth using
for heating and not only in households,
but also in agriculture, balneotherapy
and recreation.
Podhale is one of the most prospective
districts in Poland for using geothermal
energy as it possesses good thermal
water aquifers and offers great possibilities for their exploitation. Therefore it provides good basis for heat engineering, recreation, balneotherapy
and other uses of geothermy. It was
in this region that the energetic use of
geothermal waters was initiated in Poland. Using the geothermal heat and replacing fossil fuels, especially coal, with
geothermal heat contributed to lowering air pollution and the improvement
of the environment in the region. It led
to visible and measurable benefits for
the environment such as limiting the
sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide and suspended dust emission.
The recipients of geothermal heat appreciate its advantages, such as:
 comfort of managing heat appliances and devices,
 better possibility of regulating the temperature of the heated space,
 the possibility to observe the heat consumption, which allows savings,
 limiting of air pollution within closest area,
 stable and competitive prices.
3
GEOTERMIA MAGAZINE
The heat of Earth
in human service
Humanity has been using Earth heat for ages. Throughout
centuries, the technology and ways of using it changed, but
geothermy has always been close to humans and their needs.
The word „geothermy” is derived
from Greek „geo”, meaning Earth, and
„therme”, that is heat. Already Romans
used this universal and non-exhaustible
energy source, using thermal waters for
bathing and heating households. The
modern interest in geothermy initially
focused on its use for recreation and
rehabilitation. The next stage was using it for heating households and electrification. One can say that the natural
cause for development in this area was
human tendency to enjoy comfort and
relaxation as well as common sense and
economic arguments.
of crops, countering the icing of communication roads. The countries leading
in using geothermal energy for these
purposes are China, USA, Sweden, Turkey and Japan. Electricity is produced
on the basis of geothermy in 24 countries, including the USA, Filippines, Indonesia, Mexico, Italy and Iceland among
others.
The geothermal energy was particularly in fashion in the 60’s of 19th century
in the United States, where it was used
for heating households and baths. In Europe we owe the breakthrough in this
area to Italian scientist and duke Piero
Ginori Conti, who invented the first prototype of geothermal electrical plant in
1904. The steam coming from geothermal well powered steam engine. Electrical plant Larderello 1 was put in operation in 1912 and is still operating.
The importance of geothermal energy
increased considerably in the 70’s due
to oil crisis and search for alternative
power sources. The governments began
co-financing geothermal programs in
Germany, Sweden, Canada, Great Britain
and the United States. Nowadays this
kind of energy is important also for ecological reasons.
Energy from Earth in the
world
Nowadays the geothermal energy is
used directly in 78 countries. It is used
mainly for heating space and also for
recreation and healing. Other uses are
for instance: heating greenhouses,
crops, grounds, water breeding, drying
Did you know that:
geothermal energy is
one of the purest forms
of energy, as it releases
minimum amounts of
carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere (only a fraction
of what is released in fossil
fuels combustion)? It also
does not produce any other
gases such as nitro or
sulphur oxide.
Baths in Jaszczurówka, 1904. Archival materials, courtesy of Tatra National Park .
4
YEARS
Geothermal Podhale
The interest in using geothermal wells in Podhale started already in the middle of
19th century. The warm springs in Jaszczurówka near Zakopane were very popular.
Their existence is connected to the phenomenon of infiltration, that is movement
of rain water to great depths underground. The water is heated there and rises to
surface again along tectonic ruptures – the average temperature of water in the
swimming pool was 18o C.
Warmer thermal waters were elicited several dozen years later, in 1963, from the
borehole in Zakopane (in the slope of Antałówka) which is 3000m deep. These waters were initially used in swimming pools, now they are used in aqua park. The real
breakthrough for Polish geothermy was starting the borewhole Bańska IG-1 in 1981
and subsequently opening the first Polish geothermal plant.
Did you know that:
Reykjavik, the capitol of
Iceland, is heated solely by
geothermal energy coming
from North Atlantic ridge?
At the moment Iceland
is the biggest producer
of electrical energy per
capita and most of it is
coming from water sources.
Reykjavik is one of the
cleanest cities in the world.
Old thermal pool in Jaszczurówka.
Archival materials, courtesy of Tatra National Park.
From scientific to practical use
The progenitor of obtaining energy from the inside of Earth was the Institute for Mineral and
Energy Resources of Polish Academy of Sciences
(PAN). The PAN experimental Geothermal Plant
in Bańska Niżna was created between 1989-1993.
The production of heat was based on wells Bańska
IG-1 and Biały Dunajec PAN-1. Several first buildings were attached to geothermal heat network.
In the next stage the scientific project was transformed into commercial undertaking. In 1994 pilot
heat installation was put into operation and subsequently expanded later. Nowadays the producer
and distributor is PEC Geotermia Podhalańska S.A.
and it systematically connects to the heat system
new customers from the Zakopane, Szaflary, Poronin and Biały Dunajec communities. The company provides for 35% of heat needs in Zakopane.
Thermal pool in Polana Szymoszkowa.
5
GEOTERMIA MAGAZINE
Geothermal energy –
ecological way of heating
For ages humanity has used various natural resources, mainly fossil resources such as coal, earth oil
and natural gas for heating and later for producing energy as well. Nowadays the rise of ecological
awareness and search for non-exhaustible energy resources make the geothermy healthy and
reasonable choice.
Every year PEC Geotermia Podhalańska S.A. connects dozens
of new recipients to geothermal heating network. In such a
way – in cooperation with the inhabitants as well as companies
and institutions choosing this way of space heating – it contributes to lowering the amount of gases and ashes emission,
that usually accompany burning of fossil resources. Therefore,
much less substances harmful for the environment and human
health such as of carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and suspended dust are released into the atmosphere. Using renewable
energy from the geothermal wells is a very ecological solution, which is very important especially in the Podhale region,
which is one of the most beautiful in Poland and where four
National Parks Tatras, Gorczanski, Babia Góra and Pieniny are
located. Podhale is very attractive for tourism, for which clear
air and water as well as unchanged natural environment are of
utmost importance.
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Burning of coal is the main basis of energy and heat production in Poland. The industrial production is subject to strict
ecological regulations, but in private heating stoves and local coal boiler houses the burning is very often less effective.
Cheap solid fuels of low quality and energetic value contribute
to air pollution in big extent. In the same time, the emission of
carbon dioxide contributes to the rise of Earth temperature
and global warming.
Connecting new clients to geothermal heating network fosters
eliminating the local sources of CO2 emission and increasing
the ecological effect. Using geothermal energy in Podhale
region enabled to lower the amount of carbon dioxide
emission by 300 thousand tons during last 20 years and the
The condition of air systematically improves
thanks to connecting new recipients to
geothermal heating system.
6
YEARS
amount increases systematically: in 1999 as a result of new
connections the emission of CO2 was reduced by 4,9 tons,
whereas in 2012 by 36,38 tons – over seven times more!
Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
Probably everybody has heard of „acid rains”, which are the
result of the sulphur dioxide combining with water steam
and lead to the destruction of greenery and degradation of
soil. High concentration of SO2 in the air is very harmful to humans, especially people suffering from asthma and chronic
lung diseases. Sulphur dioxide is the product of combustion
of fossil resources containing sulphur and its emission into
The CO2 reduction resulting from new
connections (in thousand tons of CO2
per year)
18,9
22,1
atmosphere is connected with using coal for heating, which
is still very popular. Hence, similarly as with the carbon dioxide – using geothermal energy is better for ecology and
human health.
Between 1994-98, that is before the commencement of geothermal project, the average yearly concentration of SO2
equaled 32,6 μg/m3. Thanks to connecting new customers to
geothermal heating network the condition of air systematically improves: between 2004–2010 the concentration of SO2
was three times lower, that is about 8–13 μg/m3.
29,3
23,5
24,6
25,2
2004
2005
2006
30,9
32,45
33,53
2009
2010
35,54 36,38
12,7
4,9
5,2
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2007
2008
2011
2012
7
GEOTERMIA MAGAZINE
Heat circulation –
technical solutions
Przedsiębiorstwo Energetyki Cieplnej Geotermia Podhalańska S.A. is the
biggest producer of heat using ecological energy of thermal water in Poland.
The heating system of PEC
Geotermia Podhalańska is
divided into three circuits:
1.
Geothermal system
At present the geothermal system consists in two wells doublets: Bańska PGP1, Biały Dunajec PGP-2 and Bańska IG-1,
Biały Dunajec PAN-1, the geothermal
pumping system and ventilator cooling system. The thermal water is being brought up from the aquifers via
boreholes, and then it passes through
board heat exchangers and heats the
water in the system. The heat is used
to heat buildings, pools as well as to
prepare hot usage water. After receiving the thermal energy, the thermal water is partly injected back into the well,
and partly cooled and pumped into the
surface stream. Some amount of the returning water is directed to the recreational area Termy Szaflary, where it is
used not only for heating buildings but
also – after treatment – in pool basins.
8
YEARS
The elements of heating
network
2.
• heating bus-bar,
• pumping station for municipal water in Base Load Plant Bańska – Biały
Dunajec,
• three pumping stations Pozawodzie
703 m ASL., Poronin 732 m ASL., Ustup
762 m ASL) with the pressure reduction systems,
• pumping plant for municipal water
with pressure reduction system in
Peak Load Plant,
• Peak Load Plant,
• pumping stations for municipal water
(Szymoszkowa 860 m ASL and Bristol
883 m ASL),
• distributory network and heating
links.
The whole system is steered by two
working stations in Base Load Plant and
Peak Load Plant.
Heating network
The heating network PEC Geotermia
Podhalańska S.A. was made from preinsulated pipes only and its joint length
is 100 km. The water system is made for
nominal pressure of 16 bars. Because of
huge differences in ordinates of the terrain, the system was divided into four
pressure parts..
3.
Inside
installations
at recipients’
buildings
The recipients of the heat are equipped
with compact heat modules consisting
in board heat exchangers, among other things. They are also equipped with
automatic weather system, allowing to
program many functions such as lowering the temperature at night or reacting to wind or outside temperature
changes.
The board heat exchangers are small in
relation to the area of heat exchange
and have high coefficient of heat conductivity. They are resilient, corrosionproof and easy to use.
9
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-1
GEOTERMIA MAGAZINE
Awarded for development
The satisfaction of customers is the most important award for a company. But PEC Geotermia Podhalańska
S.A. is also very proud of the prestigious awards that it has won during past couple of years:

economy
award of President
of Republic of
Poland Xi edition
2013 in the
category “green
economy” for
contribution to
modernization
and development
of economy.
It’s one of the
most prestigious
economical
awards in Poland, sometimes
called “Polish Economy Nobel Prize”.
The aim of this reward is to promote
positive models and companies
that are successful both nationally
and internationally. It allows to
honor companies and scientific
teams which contribute to economic
development in Poland and create
positive image of Polish economy.
12
 Małopolska economy award 2012
in category “Small and medium
entrepreneur”, given by the chapter
of the prize, consisting in group of
experts in economy and science.
The award is founded by the
authorities of the voivodeship.
The award is confirmation of our
input in economic development
of Małopolska voivodeship
and promoting it. It is proof of
appreciation of high quality of our
service and technological solutions
as well as good financial condition
and the direction of development of
the company. The geothermal heating
system introduced by the company
is innovative in the European scale
and the implementation of project
of using geothermal energy in
Podhale has become the beginning of
geothermy development in Poland.
 Leader of innovation on the
Market 2013 – Quality, Creativity,
effectiveness. The title awarded by
the board of „Economy sphere”, the
Dziennik Gazeta Prawna’s insert.
 6th place in 2012 in Polish Ranking
of Best Companies in energy
and Heating Branch published by
Dziennik Gazeta Prawna (7th place
in 2011).
 Business gazelle 2011 – the title
awarded by the editors of „Puls
Biznesu” for small and medium
companies which develop
most dynamically and are
successful on the national
market.
The award given to a company – and
hence to its employees – for high
quality of services provides motivation to accomplish even more and it
also rises the self-esteem and sense
of belonging to a successful team.
YEARS
Economy Prize
of President of
Republic of Poland
In 2013 PEC Geotermia Podhalańska S.A. received highest
prize in its history, the Economy Prize of President of Republic
of Poland. The CEO of the company, Czesław Ślimak, received the
statue from President Bronisław Komorowski during official gala.
New borehole
Bańska PGP-3
In May 2013 the drilling of new borehole Bańska
PGP-3 was finished. The borewhole is 3400 m
(TVD) deep, as planned. After conducting hydrogeological research it will be connected
to existing heating system of PEC Geotermia
Podhalańska S.A. with a pipeline.
The finalists were chosen by the chapter of the prize, consisting of professors,
economists and journalists, chaired by Wiesław Rozłucki (cofounder of Warsaw
Stock Exchange and its first CEO). In order to receive the prize, the company must
be appreciated by the specialist as well as meet clear and strict criteria pertaining
to the entirety of their enterprise – from economical results to the protection of
environment.
The CEO of PEC Geotermia Podhalańska receives the award from President Bronisław
Komorowski.
This prize is sometimes called „Polish Economy Nobel Prize”. It is awarded as an expression of gratitude for the prizewinners’ contribution to economic development
of the country and promoting model business solutions and behaviors that led to
economic success. The prize is for companies which are successful both nationally
and internationally and which create new workplaces and apply to business code
of ethics.
– For us it’s a big distinction and reason to be proud. Geotermia Podhalańska is an
example of a company using modern technologies for the good of local community and in the same time caring for natural environment – says Czesław Ślimak,
company’s CEO. – We are happy that our work has been appreciated. In the same
time this is an impulse for us to work even harder to develop geothermy in Poland.
The official Gala of XI Economy Prize took place on 5th July 2013 in new Congress
and Conference Centre in Poznań. Apart from PEC Geotermia Podhalańska, companies such as Zakłady Farmaceutyczne Polpharma, KGHM Polska Miedź and Powszechna Kasa Oszczędności Bank Polski S.A. were also awarded.
The drilling of new deep geothermal borehole Bańska PGP-3 began in December 2012 in
Bańska Niżna, next to borehole Bańska PGP-1
from 1997. The latter provides heating energy
for buildings in Zakopane, Szaflary, Biały Dunajec and Poronin. As new clients are interested in
getting connected to geothermal network, it is
necessary to increase the power of geothermal
wells. The borehole Bańska PGP-1, although
most efficient in Poland (550 m3/h), is not sufficient to satisfy the needs of new clients, therefore the company took this strategically important decision which would allow to increase the
efficiency of the whole geothermal system.
After conducting research the borehole will
be connected to existing heating network. The
heat from the new well will be received by the
clients during heating season 2013/2014.
The value of the investment is about 20 mln. PLN.
13
GEOTERMIA MAGAZINE
Geothermy from
different perspectives
Jan Ochalik
the operator and dispatcher of geothermal
devices
Jan Ochalik has been working for PEC Geotermia Podhalańska
S.A. for 13 years, starting from May 2000. At the beginning,
only Bańska Niżna and first households in Biały Dunajec were
heated and the heat exchangers were leased: We didn’t have
As a system operator he works shifts. His duty is to control
the work of geothermal network: during his shift he drives
through the area every 4 hours to see if everything is working properly. He begins from pumping station in Biały Dunajec. He checks the exploitation and injection well heads, the
sealing of the network, repairs the damages. He writes everything down in exploitation records, such as the pressure of
water, the temperature of pumping and temperature in the
network. He also makes sure everything is in order, as Geotermia Podhalańska is visited by many visitors and tours.
Jan Ochalik lives in Szaflary. Similarly to many of his neighbors, he also looks forwards to the date when new well is attached to heating network. – This network requires almost no
service, it is failure-proof, you don’t need to buy and warehouse
the coal, you don’t need to worry what to do with the waste from
the furnace. And definitely the pollution is smaller than it used to
be. In the beginning people were not convinced that geothermy is
a good solution, but now they are really satisfied with it.
Marek Dziedzic
director in FWP Sp. z o.o., ZDW Zakopane branch
the big pumping station back then, the water was injected directly
into the well. We only had small pumping station and needed to
control regularly whether it functions correctly and if there is no
corrosion. Since we have new pumping station and the whole system is steered by the computer, the work is much more comfortable and calmer – says Jan Ochalik.
14
– We’re using geothermal energy since 2000 in two of our buildings: Conference and Relaxation Centre “Hyrny” and Holiday
House “Sienkiewiczówka” in Zakopane. It is also used in holiday
house “Bristol”, which used to belong to FWP and then was given
away to Zakopane City Council. Before they were heated by gas
or coal. Geothermal heating is much more convenient – when we
used to have boiler houses, we needed to hire stokers, bring coal,
it was dirty from dust. Now, when we have exchangers, it is clean.
Definitely it is more ecological solution. We also take care to make
savings: therefore we have regulators on the radiators, as well as
solar panels.
YEARS
I’m the director of this branch of FWP since 2001 so I can tell
that the cooperation with Geotermia Podhalańska is great. We’re
satisfied, everything goes smoothly and the fact that FWP uses
geothermal energy for more than a decade only confirms that.
dr, engineer Wiesław Bujakowski
Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute,
Polish Academy of Sciences
– We cannot forget that between 1989-1993 professors Roman Ney
and Julian Sokołowski, knowing the maxim of Stanisław Jerzy Lec:
“In order to reach the spring, you need to go against the current”,
dared to begin pioneer research. Thanks to their attitude and determination in 1993 we were successful and managed to put into
operation the first geothermal installation in Podhale and in Poland.
How important and how difficult that was is only visible from the
perspective of time, especially for us – their successors and students
who try to develop geothermy further.
Małgorzata Mrugała
WFOŚ CEO
Małgorzata Mrugała: The main task of WFOŚ (The Provincial
Foundation for Environmental Protection and Water Management) is to finance investments and other actions undertaken
in order to protect the environment as well as creating optimal
conditions for the realization of those tasks in the Małopolska
voivodeship. We support searching for geothermal aquifers, especially those which can be used for producing energy. Popularizing
geothermal energy is an important element of natural environment protection.
The last 20 year of investing into geothermy proves that it is possible and worth-while to change our habits and invest into renewable energy. Those investments pay off. The Podhale region,
which is a true treasure of nature and is one of the most beautiful
places in Poland, has cleaner air now. Thanks to geothermal energy the emission of carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide has lowered considerably. The condition of natural environment improves
systematically, we can protect its natural and tourist qualities.
This is beneficial not only for tourist but also for the inhabitants.
The WFOŚ supports companies and institutions which want to
do something useful for the environment and the inhabitants but
lack financial resources to do so. We can give PEC Geotermia Podhalanska as an example, as the company needed to create the
whole system from scratch. At first it was really costly, but during
last couple of years their profit increases. Recently Geotermia fi nanced new borehole with the loan from WFOŚ given on concessionary terms.
15
GEOTERMIA MAGAZINE
For the community
of Podhale and
ecology
Modern responsible business cannot exist without its
environment. Nurturing relationships with local community
and sense of belonging to the region result in advantages for
everybody: company, its employees and local citizens.
Supporting local initiatives has always
been important for PEC Geotermia
Podhalańska S.A. The company engages in lots of regional enterprises
connected with promoting the culture
of Podhale, sport traditions and high
mountain activities.
Science on geothermy
Geotermia Podhalańska is a member of
Polish Geothermal Society in Cracow,
works in close relation with The Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute of Polish Academy of Sciences.
Locally for culture and sport
In 2011 the company founded the Foundation for The Podhale State Higher
Vocational School in Nowy Targ, whose
task it to promote the school and facilitate its functioning. Thus the company supports the scientific activities
of the students, such as writing diplomas, bachelor and master papers, as
well as organizes vocational training
for the students. Promoting ecological
education is a very important aspect
of Geotermia Podhalańska’s activities.
It takes part in all the initiatives aiming
at spreading information on geothermy
and popularizing its ecological use.
The Educational and Informational
Centre, located within company’s headquarters is a place of meetings and conferences during which the new achievements in using geothermal energy as
well as the advantages connected with
it are presented. It allows to spread the
knowledge on geothermy in Podhale
and popularize the application of geothermy in heating, recreation and healing. The example of such undertaking
was visit of delegates from Ukraine –
among them scientists of Technical University of Gas and Oil in Iwano-Frakowsk
and the members of self-government
from Zakarpacki Oblast. The meeting,
financed by Polish Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, took place as a part of project
aiming at instructing Ukrainian self-governments in modern communal service
management.
Geotermia Podhalańska is a partner in many charity and cultural events which are related to cultural heritage of the Podhale region. The company
supports many non-governmental organizations
and associations as well as events such as:
 high mountain movie festival “Spotkanie z filmem
górskim” in Zakopane,
 charity event “Companies from Podhale for children”
 International Chamber Music Festival “Muzyka
na szczytach” organized by Mieczysław Karłowicz
Association in Zakopane,
 Concert “Mountain Landscape” by Jerzy Gruszczyński,
composer and electronical music performer,
 Memorial of Piotr Malinowski – competition in high
mountain skiing devoted to the memory of Tatra
mountains lifeguard, alpinist and climber.
16
The company also supports many social initiatives
and organizations which want to protect the
environment, develop culture and satisfy the needs of
inhabitants. Among its beneficiaries are, among others:
 Andrzej Brandstatter Foundation PRO ARTIS, which helps
disabled children and youth from Podhale as well as other
regions of Poland. Their common passion is singing, folk
music, culture and high mountain folklore.
 Polish Association of Pensioners and Retired People,
 TOPR Foundation,
 The Association of Jan Kasprowicz work Lovers.
YEARS
Dreams come true
Social worker and regional activist, great supporter of the idea of using geothermal energy, secretary
of Social Committee for Heating Bańska Niżna, and one of the first people to join new heating network
– Jan Antoł refers his experiences with geothermy.
I got first interested in geothermy already in the 60’s of 20th century, when
professor Stanisław Sokołowski was
conducting research in Podhale. I met
him thanks to doctor Stanisław Bafia,
who lived in Zakopane in “Ornak” villa
in the house of Sokołowski family. During the drilling in Antałówka professor
Sokołowski also lived there. I witnessed
the first geothermal water spring out,
not so hot yet. We dreamed of using it
in thermal pools, so we could swim in
such a pool in Równia Krupowa… but
it was too soon for that – we only had
a huge tank, into which a few people
could go at once, but that was all.
Then I found out that in my village of origin, Bańska Niżna, there was a borehole
from which a very tall column of hot water sprang. It was supervised by professor Julian Sokołowski of PAN. Second
borehole was made no more than 2 km
away and hot water was pumped into
the ground with pipes. You could feel
with your hand how hot it was. We all
waited for the results. It was said that it
is the possibility to provide heating for
whole Podhale region, to eliminate low
emission and acid rains which kill the
forests. Professor got the Association
of the People from Podhale interested
in this subject and after the political
breakthrough of 1989 he started visiting local authorities to find someone
interested in cooperation. It is said that
one of then-governors said that sooner the hell will freeze than it would be
done! But finally prof. Sokołowski got
into Szaflary district and met governor
Stanisław Ślimak, who while he was still
governor in Nowy Targ, visited French
Évry and came across the subject of geothermal waters there. So Bańska Niżna
was picked for the experiment – mostly because the conditions are quite difficult there so it was possible to check
how the heating water might be distributed to clients.
Before Easter 1993 a meeting was called
in fire station in Bańska Niżna. Lots of
inhabitants were present – it was good
Jan Antoł, social worker and great advocate of geothermy.
time for such initiatives: people were curious and enthusiastic and president Lech
Wałęsa signed letter of intent concerning using geothermal waters. The meeting lasted a couple of hours: professor
and governor explained the technical issues, people were joining the community
partnership, with personal investments
of 10 thousand zlotys, which back then
was more or less equal to the value of
two healthy cows. We founded Social
Committee for Heating Bańska Niżna,
led by Stanisław Borkowski. Members
of the committee drove to nearby villages, talked to the owners of grounds
and decided how to lead pipes. It was really romantic burst, people were demolishing their fences, let the workers into
their gardens. In September we started
digging and on Christmas first six houses were already heated by geothermal
energy. It was huge celebration, after
mass cardinal Macharski blessed the
whole installation. I remember that the
first heating devices took lot of space,
almost whole bathroom!
In 1994 main part of digging was concluded and half the village, that is over
90 houses, were connected to the network. In next year the rest of the houses were connected. We also finally
built a thermal pool on the border of
Szaflary and Bańska Niżna. We are really happy that we were the first in Poland and that we managed to conduct
this initiative. Now, after the last boring, we hope that we would be able to
connect Szaflary and Nowy Targ to the
network. It would allow us to lower the
emission of dust and clear Nowy Targ
from fogs and air pollution, which is especially troublesome during winter.
From my own experience I can say that
using geothermal energy has many advantages. Firstly, ecology, but it is also
convenient and safe. You don’t need
to burn coal and you have access to
hot water for use at all times. During
the winter you can switch on heating,
if needed. No one has thought of anything better yet!
17
GEOTERMIA in numbers
550
5
m3/h – the efficiency of
biggest well Bańska PGP-1
number of geothermal wells
in operation for Geotermia
Podhalańska
300 000
tons – the reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2)
emission into atmosphere thanks to new
geothermal connections
383 738
GJ –the amount of heating energy
sold in 2012
57
megawatts – power
ordered by the PEC
Geotermia Podhalańska’s
clients
3 500 000
m3 the amount of geothermal
water extracted yearly from the
geothermal wells
18
YEARS
1
86
4
place of Geotermia
Podhalańska among the
heat producers using
the ecological energy of
geothermal waters
degrees Celsius is
the temperature of
geothermal water
the number of communities
in Podhale using geothermal
network: Szaflary, Biały Dunajec,
Poronin, Zakopane
100
km – the length of
heating pipelines
1383
the number of buildings connected to heating network,
in particular:
220
Other public
service buildings
Schools, kindergardens
30
Hotel, pensions,
holiday-houses
105
809
Single-family houses
Multi-family houses
219
19
PRZEDSIĘBIORSTWO ENERGETYKI CIEPLNEJ GEOTERMIA PODHALAŃSKA S.A.
34-500 Zakopane
ul. Nowotarska 35a
telephones +48 18 201 50 41,
+48 18 201 50 42,
+48 18 201 50 43
fax +48 18 201 50 44
[email protected]
www.geotermia.pl
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Products marked with an FSC certificate
are sourced from a forest managed with respect
towards nature and local communities
i.e. in line with the Good Forestry Practice.
Good energy for the last 20 years!