Historic Shift: Poland’s Renewables Surge Past Coal, Ending Century-Long Dominance

While Poland once proudly called itself a coal country, the times are changing—fast. The nation that ran on over 90% coal-generated electricity in 1990 has watched that number plummet to around 60% today. It’s been quite the fall from grace for the sooty fossil fuel that built modern Poland.

Numbers don’t lie. Coal’s grip on Poland’s primary energy has slipped from a commanding 75% to less than half that. Meanwhile, renewables have crashed the party, going from practically zero to 13% of the energy mix. Not bad for the new kids on the block.

Coal’s downfall is renewables’ opportunity—Poland’s energy revolution by the numbers.

Wind turbines are spinning, solar panels are soaking up rays, and biomass facilities are chomping through organic matter. Together they’re pushing renewables to nearly 30% of electricity generation. Not only that, Poland added an impressive 4 GW of capacity from photovoltaic installations in 2024 alone. Solar deployment in particular has been booming—among the fastest in the EU. Take that, cloudy stereotype!

The alteration wasn’t accidental. EU climate commitments have Poland’s feet to the fire. Decarbonization targets loom large, and the country has reluctantly accepted its coal-powered days are numbered. Though political musical chairs hasn’t helped establish consistency. Can somebody please keep a government in place long enough to finish a policy?

Economics sealed coal’s fate. The aging plants are expensive to maintain, domestic coal reserves are dwindling, and imports are up. Not exactly a recipe for energy security. Meanwhile, renewables keep getting cheaper. Do the math.

Poland’s also finally getting serious about nuclear power—fashionably late to that party by only a few decades. Better late than never when you’re trying to keep the lights on without cooking the planet. The plummeting solar costs since 2010 have made the economic arguments against fossil fuels increasingly difficult to maintain.

The environmental payoff is already evident. Emissions are down, and air quality is improving. Turns out people enjoy breathing. Who knew?

For a country that built its industrial identity on coal, this change represents more than an energy shift—it’s a national reinvention. The transition has created new opportunities with heat pump sales surging to over 203,000 units in 2022 alone. Poland might not be a coal country anymore, but maybe that’s not such a bad thing after all.