"ENERGY, but what kind?" – expert debate at Gdańsk University of Technology | Faculty of Chemistry at the Gdańsk University of Technology

On Monday, 14 November, the Fahrenheit Courtyard of Gdańsk University of Technology hosted an expert debate entitled "Energy, but what kind?". Among the guests of the debate were: Swiss Ambassador Fabrice Filliez, Mariusz Sadłowski - Director of the Energy Office of the City of Gdańsk, prof. Adriana Zaleska-Medynska – Director of the Daniel Fahrenheit Union of Universities in Gdańsk, Aleksandra Rutkowska, PhD, – head of the Department of Social Nursing and Health Promotion of the Medical University of Gdańsk, Krzysztof Szczepaniak, PhD, - Director of the Center for Sustainable Development of the University of Gdańsk and prof. Dariusz Mikielewicz – Vice-Rector for Organization and Development of Gdańsk University of Technology.

The debate was led by prof. Jarosław Guziński from the Faculty of Electrical and Control Engineering of Gdańsk Tech.

The first of the guests presented statistics, illustrating – as an example of solutions beneficial for consumers and the environment – the energy mix in Switzerland and the benefits of moving away from fossil fuels and nuclear energy in favor of renewable energy sources. The actions of the Swiss government are also aimed at improving energy efficiency and reducing the consumption of oil and gas in transport.

In the next part, the debate focused on the possibility of searching for solutions that would allow our country to move away from coal-based energy. The moderator posed the question: “Does Poland have a real chance of moving away from coal-fired energy in the next 30 years? Can gas still be treated as a transition fuel for the energy transformation?”.

Experts discussed the possibilities of using nuclear energy and energy based on renewable energy sources and our economic reality, comparing them to examples of solutions from other countries. The issues of the impact of energy production processes on human health and the natural environment, as well as the possibilities of energy transmission and storage were also discussed.

A large group of students from our Faculty took part in the debate.