Selected aspects and analysis of risks for the process of acquiring electricity from biomass

Abstract

The article presents selected aspects and analysis of risks for the process of acquiring electricity from biomass. International commitments forced an increase in the share of renewable sources in the national energy balance. Although in Poland in 2016 the share of renewable energy was around 13.4% and has been steadily growing for several years, it is lower than in other EU countries such as Austria or Denmark. Poland is encouraged to increase this share to 20% by 2021. In line with the EU's requirements in recent years, several biomass combustion installations for energy purposes have been launched in Poland, an example of which is „Green Unit” in Połaniec, which is the largest thermal boiler in the world fired completely with biomass. The development of renewable energy in Poland, however, faces smaller financial support than in other EU countries, hence the aspect of appropriate risk management in the process is extremely important. The article reviews selected risks associated with each stage of the process of acquiring electricity from biomass. Internal risks for a company dealing with biomass combustion as well as those related to biomass storage, generation and storage of hazardous waste or technological risks that may even lead to the immobilization of the fluidized boiler are discussed. This paper also presents external risks (which the company has no direct influence on) such as weather risk, logistics risk related to the supply of raw materials or risks within socio-environmental dimension. All identified risks should be the basis for developing an effective mechanism for their mitigation, which will allow for more effective protection of the process of obtaining electricity from biomass.