A Study of Natural and Functional Conditions of Poland in the view of the Geothermal Resources Applications in Agriculture

Abstract The agriculture and related sectors present one of the most prospective areas for geothermal energy applications. In many countries they have already been introduced, and new investments in this sector have been also observed. Also Poland has the appropriate resources’ potential – in a wide range of temperatures, for different crops, as well as in the types of applications related to agriculture. The use of this green energy can contribute to sustainable development of agriculture.To achieve this when planning and designing geothermal installations for agriculture, they should be considered from the energy and agricultural points of view, as well as appropriate locations for them shall be selected so that they would be harmoniously incorporated, among others, into existing systems of valuable natural areas (which already play various important functions in the natural environment) and would not interfere with other underground resources of strategic economic importance.The main aspects of such an approach to the sustainable development of the geothermal energy applications in agriculture and related sectors in Poland, as well as natural circumstances, are presented in this article. Also included are basic energy parameters (based on the results of calculations) and technical and economic parameters for greenhouse facilities in one of the selected prospective locations in the Polish Lowlands, which could be supplied by local geothermal resources, contributing to sustainable development of agriculture.