Catholic diocese builds solar power plant in Poland

The Catholic diocese of Płock in central Poland has opened a large new solar power plant that will produce enough green energy to meet the demand of over 1,200 households.

Announcing the news, the diocese began by quoting the late Polish Pope John Paul II, who spoke of the importance of using the natural environment “for the good of future generations”.

In that vein, the diocese in 2018 began preparing to construct a solar plant as part of a “sustainable development strategy”. The following year, the local bishop established a company, 100% owned by the diocese, to oversee the work.

After obtaining the necessary approvals and permits, construction began last year. However, the total cost of the investment, 17.5 million zloty (€3.9 million), was too high for the Płock diocese alone, and so the neighbouring diocese of Toruń was invited to join the project, taking shares in the company.

The solar farm has now opened. It features over 9,250 photovoltaic panels, covering an area of 8.5 hectares. A 3.5 kilometre transmission line transfers the electricity produced to the grid, with the diocese estimating that 5,100 MWh will be produced annually, enough for the needs of over 2,100 households.

“Investment in energy sources brings a double benefit,” says the diocese. First, “it contributes to the protection of the natural environment by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases produced with traditional methods of energy production”.

Second, it “brings tangible profits” that “will be used for works of the diocese”, including local Catholic schools, a youth centre and a care home.

The priest in charge of the diocese’s economic affairs, Roman Bagiński, who is also president of the firm overseeing the solar plant, told Catholic newspaper Niedziela that the latest development is just one part of a wider environmental strategy.

In cooperation with the national and provincial authorities, the diocese has also modernised insulation and heating at 50 of its facilities, helping reduce energy use and emissions.

In 2019, a priest in the small town of Pleszew drew international attention when he installed a cross made from solar panels on the front of his church, saying it would save the parish money while also helping the environment.

However, not all of Poland’s Catholic clergy have been so welcoming of such ideas, with the archbishop of Kraków warning in 2019 that “ecologism is a very dangerous phenomenon” and criticising environmental activist Greta Thunberg.

Poland has one of Europe’s most polluting energy sectors, with around 70% of its electricity coming from coal. However, in recent years the country has also seen a boom in renewable installations.

Last year, Poland installed the third-highest amount of new solar power capacity in the European Union. It has seen a particular boom in so-called micro-installations – especially home solar panels – which contributed more than twice as much power to the electricity network last year than in 2021.

In April this year, the government outlined plans for Poland to generate around three quarters of its electricity from zero-emissions sources by 2040, with 51% coming from renewables and almost 23% from nuclear.

Main image credit: Diecezja Płocka

Daniel Tilles

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.