Determinants of Energy Cooperatives’ Development in Rural Areas—Evidence from Poland

The strategies, plans and legislation on energy market development decarbonization in the European Union (EU) developed recent years, such as directives implementing package “Clean for all Europeans”, aim at promoting not only renewable sources, but also new institutions that involve of local markets a greater role citizens managing their own generation. At same time, Poland remains economy most dependent coal one largest air polluters EU. In order to minimize this problem meet direction EU, decided establish, among other things, an cooperative. It is intended fill gap civil dimension scale time improve efficiency use potential sources rural areas. authors paper seek verify extent which institution, part idea community, driving forces implementation objectives directions “clean energy” set by has chance develop. research took into account characteristics producers consumers areas, economic preferences provided law, relating functioning cooperative existing alternative solutions dedicated prosumers. A mathematical model mixed integer programming technology was used optimize cooperative, more than 5000 simulations were carried out, with typical optimization task performed about 50,000 variables. conclusions make it possible confirm thesis profitable cooperatives can be established objective minimizing sum purchases from distribution network losses deposit (virtual storage) (the (or deposit) should understood introduced grid during generation surpluses its subsequent consumption, taking discount factor).