N2 - Basing on the first and second law of thermodynamics the fundamental trends in the Polish energy policy are analysed, including the aspects of environmental protection. The thermodynamical improvement of real processes (reduction of exergy losses) is the main way leading to an improvement of the effectivity of energy consumption. If the exergy loss is economically not justified, we have to do with an error from the viewpoint of the second law analysis. The paper contains a thermodynamical analysis of the ratio of final and primary energy, as well as the analysis of the thermo-ecological cost and index of sustainable development concerning primary energy. Analyses of thermo-ecological costs concerning electricity and centralized heat production have been also carried out. The effect of increasing the share of high-efficiency cogeneration has been analyzed, too. Attention has been paid to an improved efficiency of the transmission and distribution of electricity, which is of special importance from the viewpoint of the second law analysis. The improvement of the energy effectivity in industry was analyzed on the example of physical recuperation, being of special importance from the point of view of exergy analysis. L1 - http://www.czasopisma.pan.pl/Content/94366/PDF/01_paper.pdf L2 - http://www.czasopisma.pan.pl/Content/94366 PY - 2012 IS - No 4 December EP - 21 DO - 10.2478/v10173-012-0025-9 KW - energy policy KW - Energy effectiveness KW - Cogeneration KW - Waste-heat recovery KW - Exergy KW - Thermo-ecological cost KW - Exergy losses A1 - Ziębik, Andrzej PB - The Committee of Thermodynamics and Combustion of the Polish Academy of Sciences and The Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery Polish Academy of Sciences DA - 2011 T1 - Thermodynamical motivation of the Polish energy policy SP - 3 UR - http://www.czasopisma.pan.pl/dlibra/publication/edition/94366 T2 - Archives of Thermodynamics