• West Pomerania province – a regional leader in renewable energy resources
• Electricity as the backbone of the economy
• Accelerated energy transformation
• Poland's first undergraduate course on offshore wind energy
• Research and academic support
• MUS expert in the Ministry of Climate and Environment Council
• Science for the Sea” project
• Not only education and research
• Hydrogen Valley
• Why do we need hydrogen technologies?
• An example from the near future - a renewable energy storage system
• Green, decarbonised economy ahead

West Pomerania province – a regional leader in renewable energy resources

In the beginning, it is worth paying a bit of attention to the region in which the Maritime University of Szczecin is located which turns out to be incredibly interesting in terms of renewable energy resources (RES). The share of electrical energy generated from renewable resources in the West Pomeranian region is approximately 70%, which makes the region one of the European front-runners. Nationally, this figure is only around 20%. Several elements contribute to this regional success:

• environmental factors (strong winds and high - by Polish standards - insolation)
• regional policy
• resilient entrepreneurial activity,
• efficient use of financial instruments (EU funds).

All of the above factors have led to the building of dozens of wind power plants, several biogas plants, and a few large-scale photovoltaic farms with relatively unfavourable legislation. We cannot forget the engagement of ordinary citizens, who, taking advantage of the very favourable - in this case - legislation in this area, have massively installed solar panels on their roofs, significantly relieving the burden on major electricity suppliers.
The Maritime University of Szczecin is in an excellent place regarding the development of RES. Thus, many years ago, it was a natural step for the University to get involved in developing this sector of the economy. This commitment is still rock-solid, and involvement is multi-dimensional and has many aspects and levels.

Electricity as the backbone of the economy

Let us move for a moment from the regional to the EU-wide scale. Although the shift away from fossil fuels had long been established in the European Union's policy guidelines, a critical turning point, particularly for Poland, was Russia's armed invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. The sanctions that have hit the aggressor - Europe's main producer and supplier of oil and gas - have presented European countries with the difficult problem of replacing supplies from Russia.
The Polish economy has coped relatively well with the switch to new gas suppliers. Ship deliveries to the Świnoujście gas terminal were increased and the new Baltic Pipe gas pipeline was opened giving access to the Danish and Norwegian gas supplies.
Unfortunately, the problem of replacing the huge quantities of coal imported from Russia before the war, which was used in power plants and thermal power plants, has been exacerbated. The consequences of years of neglect in the field of the development of Polish renewable energy resources have hit hard. Energy security has become a very frequent topic of public debate and has become a very common concern.

Accelerated energy transformation

The war undermined not only political relations but perhaps, more importantly, the economic stability of the continent. Unprecedentedly high prices for fuel, electricity and heat have started to frighten not only politicians, and the administration, but mainly ordinary citizens. The need to import millions of tonnes of coal from abroad and its later retail price was one of the elements which made Polish people realise that there must be a rapid change in thinking about energy resources.
Energy transformation regulations became somewhat more favourable even before the outbreak of war in Ukraine. In 2021 the guidelines of the Polish Energy Policy until 2040 were adopted by the government, to which amendments were passed in March 2022, including the cut-off of imports from Russia, strengthening the low-carbon energy policy through the development of renewable energy resources and the implementation of nuclear energy.
Also in 2021, the President of Poland signed the Polish Act on the Promotion of Electricity Generation in Offshore Wind Farms, but it was not until mid-2022 that legally binding contracts were signed for the construction of the first two wind farms in the Polish Exclusive Economic Zone in the Baltic Sea. Their total targeted power output is expected to be 3.5 GW. In the future, according to energy policy plans, the total output of Polish wind farms in the Baltic Sea is expected to reach 11 GW.

There will also be a facility in Świnoujscie port, which will be a site for the construction, assembling and re-loading of wind turbine components.
Further regulations are awaiting their turn to be enacted. They would facilitate the decarbonisation of the energy industry and allow the establishment of small local power plants on rivers and small wind turbines for individual households.
A major challenge, as yet without any final decisions, is the construction of a Polish nuclear power plant.
All these measures should, hopefully as soon as possible, come into effect and create a dispersed, flexible, secure and, as far as possible, 'green' energy system.

Poland's first undergraduate course on offshore wind energy

Around 150,000 wind energy specialists will be needed in Europe by 2030. The consistent engagement of MUS in developing Poland's renewable energy sector resulted in the launching of the first in the country OWF-related, 4-year undergraduate degree course. Industrial Engineering and Offshore Wind Turbines course graduates are the specialists that all RES companies are seeking to employ. With many of these companies (manufacturing, installation, service and training), the MUS Faculty of Marine Engineering, where this course of study was launched, is in close day-to-day cooperation.
Professionals from these businesses (including RWE, Siemens Gamesa, Windhunter) contribute to the development of the course curriculum. The result is an excellent match between employers' expectations and graduates' knowledge and skills. The same companies very often take on MUS students for internships, which often results in later regular full employment.

The  Faculty has installed on its premises a wind turbine nacelle on a 20-metre tower. It gives the students an opportunity to get trained in authentic conditions. It is worth pointing out that, although the name of the course includes 'offshore' wind turbines, graduates are also proficient in onshore wind turbine issues and other related engineering issues.

In terms of the training of staff involved in the construction and operation of offshore wind farms, we should also mention the Maritime University of Szczecin Training Centre MUSTC. It includes a broad and unique range of facilities, e.g. access to the Oder basin, fire training ground, freefall lifeboat tower, and storm waves generator pool.
The range of training courses is tailored to meet current demand arising from the rapidly growing offshore industry this includes safety and rescue courses for crews working on offshore wind turbines. The Centre trains both MUS students - as part of their study programme - and also commercially - those wishing to start or continue employment in the offshore industry, which requires a package of mandatory training, courses and certificates.

Research and academic support

MUS's activities on offshore wind energy are wide-ranging and are not limited to the education and training of professionals. In October 2022, the MUS Faculty of Marine Engineering hosted a conference on "Offshore Wind Energy - Environment, Education, Business and Work". A large number of guests were invited, including experts from companies involved in offshore wind farms, researchers dealing with various aspects of the issue, and representatives from local and national administrations, institutions and NGOs active in the field of wind energy. Almost all the major players in the OWE market in Poland were present at the conference. (Conference information pack)
The conference has become a platform for exchanging views, knowledge and presenting research results and industry forecasts to a wider audience. Many direct relations between the business and academic environment have been established.

MUS Rector opens OWE conference at MUS

MUS expert in the Ministry of Climate and Environment Council

At the beginning of 2022, the Offshore Wind Energy Coordinating Council was established under the Ministry of Climate and Environment. The MUS Vice-Rector for Maritime Affairs Arkadiusz Tomczak, PhD, Eng., Master Mariner, became one of the Council members.
The Council is a platform for cooperation between government,  local authorities, investors, offshore wind farm operators, representatives of service and supply chain companies, research units and financial and insurance sector institutions.

“Science for the Sea” project

The Maritime University of Szczecin is also part of the "Science for the Sea" agreement aimed at the development of offshore wind energy signed by Pomeranian universities which have pledged to provide all possible assistance to companies in the offshore wind energy sector. The declaration of the academic community assumes joint action in the field of consultancy, scientific supervision of projects, construction and operation of the new investments. 

Not only education and research

One more important MUS initiative regarding RES should not be overlooked. "MEWy -Trends and Visions for Offshore Wind Energy Development" Competition - with its 3rd edition in 2023.
The competition, co-organised by the Marshal's Office of the West Pomerania Province, is aimed at two groups of young people: secondary school pupils and all university-level students. Participants are invited to present their ideas, concepts, and proposals for technological solutions that would improve and increase the efficiency of renewable energy production, with a particular focus on offshore wind turbines.
Thanks to attractive prizes and a convenient formula for participants, the competition is very popular, and young people's ideas very often impress and amaze the professionals who sit on the jury. The competition's partners include some of the most important companies and associations in the wind energy sector. One of the additional prizes in the Competition is a trip to the Arkona wind farm in the Baltic Sea.
Arkona wind farm station with wind turbines in the background, photo: Jakub Kutyła, winner of the 1st edition of MEWy Competiton

Hydrogen Valley

Another indication that the MUS is a leader in terms of its level of commitment to RES and sustainability is its participation in the West Pomeranian Hydrogen Valley initiative. The project is at the Memorandum of Understanding stage (2023), but the whole region is looking forward to the rapid delivery of more detailed plans and projects that will proceed into development in the near future.

Why do we need hydrogen technologies?

The use of hydrogen as an energy resource and methods of its storage is currently one of the hottest topics in the renewables debate. Hydrogen is often seen as the missing link between RES and energy security. Besides being an alternative fuel for vehicle and maritime transport - it can be used as a storage of electricity.
Research into industrial-scale hydrogen use has accelerated significantly in recent years. Today, we have safe ways of using hydrogen technologies. After extensive testing, several types of impenetrable hydrogen tanks have been developed, including for use in cars, yachts and hydrogen-cell-powered locomotives.
Innovative solutions for high-volume hydrogen storage are also now available. It can be stored in several ways: as a gas, as a liquid gas, in the form of hydrides or organic compounds, and in ammonia. Every type of storage has a different purpose: a tank in a car, a backyard tank, a container in a refinery or in a fertiliser plant have different designs and safety features. Hydrogen has another advantage as an energy resource - it can be transported quite easily by cisterns or pipelines.

An example from the near future - a renewable energy storage system

To demonstrate the potential of using hydrogen in the energy supply chain, let us use an example that will hopefully soon be taking place in the Polish power grid.
Offshore wind farms produce variable volumes of electricity depending on wind power and therefore are considered to be unstable resources of energy. At very windy times of the year, offshore wind turbines generate so much electricity that the grid is unable to absorb and consume it.
The problem is the storage of large volumes of energy. The solution may lie in the use of hydrogen. It can be produced from the surplus power, then stored and - at any time - a reverse process can be done. This results in some losses - estimated at around 40%, but in the face of a total loss of excess energy supply (the turbine is cut off from the power generator and spins 'idle') the implementation of such a solution seems to be as cost-effective as possible. Especially in the context of dispersing the energy system and maintaining permanent strategic energy supplies. Similar losses are witnessed in pumped storage power plants, and they are considered an excellent addition to the Polish power grid.

Green, decarbonised economy ahead

An emerging offshore wind energy sector will be an important part of the Polish economy development in the next decade. One of the key factors of the coming changes will be the involvement of research and education institutions - including the Maritime University of Szczecin. The long-awaited goodwill of the government administration, changing legislation, improvement in technologies and the arrival of international RES businesses into the Polish market should also allow the Polish economy to enter the green track of development.