The housing sector, especially with respect to energy generation to provide heating and domestic hot water, has been identified, after transport, as contributing the most to air pollution and the occurrence of low emissions in Poland. In particular, this applies to areas where there is a lack of heating and gas networks. This paper presents the results of calculations relating to the emission of atmospheric pollutants (TSP—total suspended particles as particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5, SO_x—sulphur dioxide, NO_x—nitrogen dioxide, CO—carbon monoxide) from individual sources of heat. The fact that a commune that does not have the network infrastructure, noted above, was taken into consideration, and the structure of heat generation was estimated on the basis of coal, fuel oil and biomass. The analysis was carried out taking into account the variable heat generation structure in households depending on the fuels used, including the heating values of fuels and the efficiency of heating devices. Based on the calculations carried out, an ecological effect was obtained by assuming the replacement of heat sources by devices with higher efficiency and also by considering the possibility of using heat pumps as a zero-emission solution in the households. This article attempts to answer the question posed by municipal authorities on how to limit the negative impact on the environment of individual heating devices in order to achieve sustainable development, including the specific conditions resulting from limited infrastructural opportunities.

The article presents an assessment of the potential for using low temperature geothermal water from the C-PIG-1 well (Małopolskie Voivodship, southern Poland) for electricity generation, as the first stage in a geothermal cascade system. The C-PIG-1 well is characterised by a temperature of geothermal water of 82 °C and a maximum flow rate of 51.22 kg/s. Geothermal water is currently only utilised for recreation purposes in swimming pools. In such locations, with the potential to use renewable energy for energetic purposes, the possibility of comprehensive management of the geothermal waters extracted should be considered both in the first stage of the cascade and after recreational use. Thermodynamic calculations were conducted assuming the use of the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) or Kalina Cycle. Two variants were analysed—the use of the maximum flow rate of geothermal waters and partial use with an assumption of a priority for recreational/heating purposes. The analysis and calculations indicate that the gross capacity in the most optimistic variant will not exceed 250 kW for the ORC and 440 kW for the Kalina Cycle. As far as the gross electricity generation is concerned, for ORC this will not exceed 1.9 GWh/year and for the Kalina Cycle it will not exceed 3.5 GWh/year.

The article presents an assessment of the potential for using low enthalpy geothermal resources for electricity generation on the basis of the Małopolskie Voivodeship (southern Poland). Identification the locations providing the best prospects with the highest efficiency and possible gross power output. Thermodynamic calculations of power plants were based on data from several geothermal wells: the Bańska PGP-1, Bańska IG-1, Bańska PGP-3 and Chochołów PIG-1 which are working wells located in one of the best geothermal reservoirs in Poland. As the temperature of geothermal waters from the wells does not exceed 86 °C, considerations include the use of binary technologies—the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and Kalina Cycle. The potential gross capacity calculated for existing geothermal wells will not exceed 900 kW for ORC and 1.6 MW for Kalina Cycle. In the case of gross electricity, the total production will not exceed 3.3 GWh/year using the ORC, and will not exceed 6.3 GWh/year for the Kalina Cycle.