Symposium on Energy Transformation at the Silesian University of Technology
The objectives of the energy transformation and the planned ways of achieving them, energy storage underground and the impact of post-mining infrastructure on the development of regions undergoing economic transformation – these are the issues raised during the Energy Transition Symposium at the Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering of the Silesian University of Technology. The event took place as part of the European City of Science Katowice 2024 celebrations.
The symposium was a series of lectures prepared by scientists of the Silesian University of Technology.
- These were three presentations prepared by scientists representing their generation, from professor to doctoral student. The first speaker was Prof. Andrzej Rusin, who talked about the current energy situation in Poland. The second presentation was prepared by our younger colleague Prof. Marcin Lutyński, and it concerned energy storage in post-mine shafts. The third speaker was PhD student Konrad Kołodziej, who raised the issue of using post-mine infrastructure for energy transformation - said the lecturer Prof. Sławomir Dykas.
The first paper entitled “Energy transformation – from utopia to implementation,” was delivered by prof Andrzej Rusin from the Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering.
"Many proposals, opinions or studies on the energy transition, in my opinion, contain utopian content. They look beautiful on paper, but they are impossible to implement in practice. However, if we were to implement them, it could lead to a drama for the Polish economy and simply a lack of energy. Therefore, it is necessary to slightly correct these plans and move to realism, that is, to propose the structure of this system so that it is efficient at any moment. This, of course, requires some unpopular moves. Under our conditions, Renewable Energy sources are not enough to provide enough energy. We need to use stable sources, such as nuclear power plants, which we do not have. Therefore, in our case, there is no other solution than to leave some of the coal-burning blocks, at least until other sources of energy are created and started to operate,” said Prof. Andrzej Rusin.
The next lecture entitled: “How to store energy underground?” was delivered by Prof. Marcin Lutyński from Department of Geoengineering and Resource Exploitation at the Faculty of Mining, Safety Engineering, and Industrial Automation of the University of Technology.
"The seminar focused mainly on underground energy storage methods such as hydrogen, natural gas, compressed air storage, and prospects and limitations in this area," said Prof. Lutyński.
The scientist also discussed geological structures that are suitable for this purpose and the possibility of using post-mining infrastructure.
The Symposium of Energy Transformation ended with a lecture by PhD student Konrad Kołodziej from the Faculty of Mining, Safety Engineering, and Industrial Automation on the subject of post-mining infrastructure in municipalities.
- My lecture concerned the social consequences of the energy transition and the move away from coal mining. The transformation is necessary, necessary, and certain, but it depends on us what direction we choose and how it will take place – said Konrad Kołodziej.
The recording of the Energy Transformation Symposium can be viewed on the YouTube channel of the European City of Science Katowice 2024: https://youtube.com/live/KlGrg2kUgxU?feature=share.
