BayWa r.e. Polska was a partner of the first conference fully dedicated to agrivoltaic delopment in Poland.
Stakeholders from the renewable agriculture sector and government representatives gathered recently in Warsaw to hear more and discuss country’s potential for Agri-PV projects.
The event was opened by former Prime Minister of Poland and Polish Senator Waldemar Pawlak, who highlighted the importance of joining food production and energy safety.
Our Polish team, together with Jochen Hauff, Director of Corporate Strategy, Energy Policy & Sustainability gave an introductory presentation. “Agri-PV is more than a form of energy. It is a way to protect & support livelihoods in rural communities in a changing climate,” said Jochen during his speech.
The presentation was very well received and served as a prelude to the series of interesting debates at this conference. Talks covered topics such as the potential for cooperation between the agricultural sector and the renewable energy sector, combining Poland’s transformation of agriculture with the energy transition, and finally the regulatory environment for Agri-PV in Poland and Europe.
Artur Marchewka, Managing Director at BayWa r.e. Polska commented: „We are pleased to participate in the first edition of the conference devoted entirely to such an important topic as the development of Agri-PV projects in Poland. We hope that the government's interest in those solutions will finally allow our country to determine the legal framework for Agri-PV and its rapid development in Poland.”
During the conference, an on-site event was also organized - a short webinar for journalists covering topics like agriculture and renewable energy. Magdalena Mosio, our Polish Agri-PV expert, talked about Agri-PV technology, our realized installations and answered journalists' questions. The idea of the webinar was to explain the differences between ground-mounted PV and Agri-PV and talk about the benefits for the farmers.
The conference resulted in a clear conclusion: The solutions and applications are already available, now is the time to start acting in Poland. We need to think first about the land and farmers, then about energy generation, which should be another benefit and positive tool for effective, modern farming.
The event was organized by the Polish Photovoltaic Association, which actively promotes new PV solutions among farmers. A few months ago, the association published an Agri-PV report with us as the main partner on the project, providing important knowledge about Agri-PV development.