Goal 15 – Life on land

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!^®.

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.

From May 2024, we can watch the stork nest near the Primary School in Bierkowo live! This school is located in Słupsk County, where the Strzelino Photovoltaic Farm project is situated.

On April 22nd – as every year – we celebrated Earth Day. Observing this day is very important because it emphasizes concern for the environment and promotes ecological awareness. Through various activities and events, people are encouraged to reflect on the impact of their actions on the planet.

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.

Actions aimed at local communities play an incredibly important role in the activities of the Polenergia Group. Our responsibility goes beyond just business; it extends to caring for the community and the environment. As part of our employee volunteering program, on October 7th, over 30 employees, along with their families, gathered in the Praga district of Warsaw to support the Otwarte Drzwi Association.

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.

As part of the “Graj z nami w zielone!” initiative, a series of 12 nature lessons were conducted to familiarize children with the importance of biodiversity conservation. The classes took place in the vicinity of the Polenergia Wind Farms in Kostomłoty and Dębsk.

In 2023, World Environment Day celebrates its 50th anniversary. Since 1973, this day has been organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and observed annually on June 5th, becoming one of the largest global platforms for environmental protection, engaging millions of people worldwide in the conservation of our planet.

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.

Polenergia supports nature conservation efforts and actively engages in increasing its employees knowledge about the importance of biodiversity conservation.

Polenergia Group has been supporting the Montagu’s harrier conservation programme since 2014, thus implementing the Sustainable Development Goals and the EU biodiversity strategy.

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.

Does energy production on photovoltaic farms involve negative impacts on the natural environment? No, on the contrary!