Renewable Energy in Russia: Current State and Future Prospects
KEY CONCLUSIONS
Renewable energy will gradually
replace traditional energy
“In 2006, 45 countries had created their own renewable
energy support system. In 2018, there are more than 170 such countries, i.e.
basically the whole world [...] [In Russia], we did not have a country support
system in 2006. Today, as we all know, we do. The Russian Federation appears
very modest against this backdrop, so as not to use other words and terms”,
RUSNANO Corporation Chairman of the Executive Board Anatoly Chubais said.
“The basis for developing a strategy is network parity
[...] Since strategically we can already all see that renewable energy is
decreasing in price, and thermal energy is growing in price, getting to this
point is inevitable. Moreover, a number of countries have already passed it. In
the Russian Federation, we will pass this point at a later time for obvious
reasons, but it will also be passed”, Chubais said.
Russia has enormous potential for
solar and wind energy
“Russia is a cold country, but it’s not dark in every
sense of the word [...] In this sense, Russia’s natural potential in terms of
the sun is very significant. It is far from being confined solely to the
southern regions alone [...] [In Russia], not only Krasnodar or the southern
regions are higher [in latitude] than Berlin, but Chelyabinsk, Buryatia, Altai,
Saratov, and others are higher than Berlin. Like all of Germany, Berlin is the
world leader in solar energy [...] In terms of wind potential, the Russian
Federation is the number one country on the planet”, Chubais said.
Russia will introduce over 5,000 MW
of new power generation in 5 years
“By 2024, the Russian Federation will build if not
5,400, then 5,200 MW of new power generation facilities. I do not see any
insurmountable problems. The train is chugging along, rolling along the rails,
and will go where it needs to go. Everything has been built”, Chubais said.
“Solar, as the first of the three industries that was
launched, has passed through all three stages. The selection process has taken
place. The plant has been built. Not only our plant. The technology has been
upgraded. This year, Hevel made its first fairly successful exports abroad.
Wind is a little behind, but we’ll get through it, then the garbage will be
recycled. I would rate the overall picture at about 65% [readiness level]
today, keeping in mind that it will be brought to completion by 2024”, Chubais
said.
The RES sector has a huge investment
potential
“This project was created under investment demand of
RUB 700 billion. The numbers are quite serious [...] Everything that I have
said so far only applies to the wholesale electricity market. If we are talking
seriously, then in addition to the pillar called the wholesale market, there is
also the retail market and there are also isolated systems. There is still work
to do there”, Chubais said.
“Investment potential of RUB 1 trillion is a serious thing on a national scale. We have analysed its impact on GDP in the country. There are two groups of studies: the minimum estimate is 0.1% and the maximum is 0.5%”, Chubais said.
PROBLEMS
Russia is lagging behind other
countries in the use of RES
“We produce 60 million tonnes of garbage each year.
The country has total processing capacity of 800,000 tonnes. Unfortunately, it
so happens that none of these plants are included in the support system [...]
In America, 7% of garbage is processed into electricity, while in Sweden, it’s
as much as 50%. At any event, it is absolutely clear that our parameters are no
good here”, Chubais said.
SOLUTIONS
Creation of a new RES technology
cluster
“We
are proposing a basic category of clusters that include generation, production,
R&D, and education [...] In the Russian Federation, we need a holistic,
self-producing, balanced cluster with export potential by 2035”, Chubais said.
“In
order to maintain production and R&D, we need to get [power supply
agreements] in the amount of 10 GW for the second period in 2025–2035”,
Chubais said.
The use of new technologies in renewable energy
“Microgeneration
will take place in smart cities and in construction. There will be build-in
[technology]. This is the next stage of development of solar, when solar panels
will be built into the building. Another idea – transparable – involves a
window that does not darken and at the same time is a solar battery that
generates electricity. All these wonderful prospects that I have described are
not for 2018, but for 2020–2025”, Chubais said.
State support
“The basis for the whole renewable energy industry
that is emerging before our eyes is the complex, serious, and solid support
system that has been built in the country. Once again, I would like to stress
that the competitive nature of applications for power supply agreements is a fundamental advantage of the state support
system that has been created in the Russian Federation”, Chubais said.
“We are talking about dozens of government resolutions
and directives, a large number of documents from the Ministry of Industry, the
Ministry of Energy, etc. that were adopted and created the entire support
system”, Chubais said.
Expanding investment opportunities
“We are getting close to solving a fundamental problem
called letting Russian private pension funds join investment partnerships,
including in wind-renewable energy. We welcome the fact that there has been
progress”, Chubais said.
