Biodiversity in Polenergia Group’s ESG Strategy

With the end of the 2024/2025 school year, the third edition of Polenergia’s educational program Play Green with Us! ^® has also come to an end. Over 80 primary schools and kindergartens located where Polenergia develops its projects have organized over 3,000 hours of eco-activities. Over 15,000 students participated in eco-lessons Play Green with Us! ^® in the third edition of the program.

Around 80 students from local primary schools took part in Bee Day organized by the Polenergia Group at the Sulechów Photovoltaic Farm. This event, combining education and fun, provided an opportunity to learn more about these ecologically beneficial insects, as well as to deepen knowledge about biodiversity and green energy. The day was filled with attractions, including workshops on entomology, renewable energy sources, and beekeeping. Bee Day in Sulechów is part of the Play Green with Us!^® educational program aimed at schools and kindergartens—a unique Polenergia initiative designed to raise climate awareness among students.

Two azalea greenhouses have been opened at schools in the Nowa Sarzyna municipality, where seedlings of the unique yellow rhododendron (Rhododendron luteum, also known as Pontic azalea) were planted. This initiative is the result of cooperation between local primary schools implementing Polenergia’s educational program Play Green with Us!^®.

Polenergia has published its second sustainability report prepared in accordance with the CSRD directive, the EU regulation establishing ESG reporting standards. While this requirement will formally apply to the company starting next year or even 2028 if new EU regulations are implemented, Polenergia is already in compliance. The company’s 2024 report has been positively assessed by an independent auditor.

More than 70 educational institutions located near Polenergia Group’s projects worked for the climate during the first semester of the 2024/2025 school year. Teachers engaged over 2,000 students, who spent nearly 400 hours exploring ecological topics.

The Polenergia Group and the University of Zielona Góra have jointly published a scientific paper on the environmental impact of photovoltaic farms. The book entitled ’Green potential. Photovoltaics as an example of renewable energy supporting biodiversity’ is the result of research conducted by scientists from the University of Zielona Góra and the League of Natural Protection on the premises of the Farm Complex in Sulechów, which belongs to Polenergia. It is a source of natural information for specialists and laypeople, but also provides knowledge about the photovoltaic farms themselves.

Taking initiatives for environmental protection is crucial for maintaining the balance of ecosystems and biodiversity. In 2024, the Polenergia Group continued its commitment to actions aimed at making a positive impact and minimizing the negative effects on nature.

The 2024 season of the Active Meadow Harrier Protection Programme, run by Polenergia’s Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development Department, marked another success in conservation efforts for this unique species.

On June 4th, Polenergia organized “Bee Day” at one of the Group’s photovoltaic farms located in the Sulechów municipality. The event was held for the second time in celebration of International Bee Day.

Polenergia Group, as part of its commitment to sustainable development and active protection of the environment, has taken more actions to increase biodiversity.

Our large-scale photovoltaic farm projects are not only about increasing renewable energy capacity in the Polish power system.

Aware of the importance of biodiversity as the foundation of life and an important factor in the well-being of people, the environment and the climate, Polenergia is actively involved in protecting ecosystems and enhancing biodiversity. For another year, we have taken action under the Re:Generation program, which is a direct response of UNEP/GRID-Warsaw to the Decade of Ecosystem Restoration announced by the UN from 2021 to 2030.

Polenergia Group, being a leader in the green energy transition, is actively involved in sustainable development. Our ambition is to continuously reduce the negative impact on the environment, primarily by reducing CO₂ emissions while increasing biodiversity, not only on our investment sites.

For several years, Polenergia has been actively involved in campaigns dedicated to the environment. In 2020, we launched the Group Development Strategy, where the issue of climate change is indicated as the basis for the Group’s development.

In September and October 2023, educational sessions led by a nature expert took place in five elementary schools on Polenergia Group’s initiative. The focal theme of this year’s edition was “Protecting Biodiversity – Cavity-Nesting Birds,” directing attention to a crucial aspect of ecosystems. Teaching methods were tailored to the participants’ age, creating an interactive and engaging educational space.

On September 16th, the second nature walk organized by Polenergia took place, with employees and their families in attendance. The walk provided a perfect opportunity for everyone to relax amidst nature and explore the unique natural beauty of the wetlands located closest to Warsaw’s national park.

On May 20th, we celebrated World Bee Day. It was an excellent opportunity to talk to children about the importance of bees and other insects for the natural environment and economy, as well as to promote ecological attitudes.

Polenergia is initiating a collaboration with the University of Zielona Góra to conduct comprehensive biodiversity monitoring of the Photovoltaic Farm Complex in Sulechów.

In addition to the long-term greenery planting program, which has been implemented in all the wind farm projects being developed, several other activities supporting biodiversity have been undertaken.

Polenergia Group has been supporting the Meadow Harrier Conservation Program since 2014, thus implementing the Sustainable Development Goals and the EU Biodiversity Strategy. As part of the protection measures, ornithologists in consultation with Polenergia establish, among other: fencing around harrier nests so that they are not destroyed during harvesting or other agricultural works. Since the beginning of the Program’s implementation, 106 young birds have been saved.

Polenergia has responsibility to local communities and the environment. This is why, both during the construction and operation of facilities, it takes responsibility for conservation of the environment and biodiversity of the areas and minimizes its negative impact.

We share with you the “electric” honey from the Photovoltaic Farms of Polenergia Group in Sulechów. It is the third year of operation of our apiary and another honey harvest. The apiary consists of ten hives. Each bee colony consists of as many as 50,000 bees, which collect nectar and pollen from the flowers growing on the farms and from other honey plants in the area.

Does energy production on photovoltaic farms involve negative impacts on the natural environment? No, on the contrary! Nature monitoring carried out on large-scale photovoltaic farms belonging to the Polenergia Group shows that the areas that have been covered with solar panels are characterized by higher natural richness than before. The measures we are taking further enrich the biodiversity of the area around the photovoltaic installations and strengthen the ecosystem services of the multi-hectare acreages.

• Play Green with Us! website
• Employee volunteering
• Play Green with Us! in the schools

In accordance with the highest standards of financial institutions, Polenergia publishes an annual Environmental, Social, Health and Safety (ESHS) report.