Polish scientific thought can make a major local and national contribution to the development of offshore wind energy in Poland. That is why PGE Baltica is in strong cooperation with scientific institutions.
On the one hand, this includes cooperation on projects related to offshore wind farms, and on the other hand, postgraduate studies and other educational projects that will allow us to train personnel crucial for developing the Polish offshore wind energy industry.
PGE Baltica has already had an almost year-long cooperation with Pomeranian universities in offshore studies. At the Gdynia Maritime University UMG, the first edition of a postgraduate course on risk management in the offshore industry and offshore energy was completed in February, with the next edition starting in March. At the Gdańsk University of Technology, PGE Baltica is involved in a postgraduate course in offshore wind energy. In both cases, PGE Baltica is the main partner of the studies. Specialists – experts from the company – have been involved in classes and are giving lectures at UMG. Irrespective of the postgraduate studies at the Gdańsk University of Technology, PGE Baltica financially supports a specialisation in the Master’s degree programme on the design and construction of offshore energy systems, and has awarded scholarships to students of this specialisation.
In addition to Pomeranian universities, PGE Group is also running a joint postgraduate course on management of preparation and implementation of investments in offshore wind farms at Łazarski University in Warsaw. First graduates will enter the labour market this year.
Educational projects related to offshore wind farms and career opportunities in offshore wind energy also reach secondary schools. PGE Baltica cooperates with secondary schools in Ustka and Malbork. Through meetings with students, lessons and presentations, the offshore industry, as well as its future employment opportunities and the offer of studies, are introduced, allowing all those interested to acquire specialist knowledge.
Involvement of Polish scientific units in the development of the offshore wind energy sector is no less important than preparing cadres. PGE Baltica has cooperated with the Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute at the stage of geological, geophysical and geotechnical research. Maritime University of Gdynia is one of the contractors for environmental studies for the Baltica 1 offshore wind farm, which PGE Baltica is building. The company also cooperates with institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences based in Gdańsk. The Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery of the Polish Academy of Sciences conducted research into the so-called wind blockage effect, i.e. the blocking of wind flow by large offshore wind farms. The research was a breakthrough in cooperation between business and science, as no one had conducted such analyses in Poland before. They have developed an advanced model of air flow through a wind farm, which makes it easier to design placement of turbines at sea. In turn, the Institute of Hydro-Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences is carrying out analyses and technical reports related to the construction of an operations and maintenance base in Ustka.
Polish scientific institutions and universities have facilities and knowledge resources that can significantly contribute to the development of offshore wind energy in Poland. PGE Baltica intends to engage further partners from the scientific community, which is a very important link in the creation of the Polish and local supply chain for offshore wind projects.
