According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the share of green generation in the global electricity production will increase from 26% to 30% in prospect until 2024. About 1,200-1,500 GW of new renewable energy stations will be introduced in the world, and their capacity will increase by 50–88%. While possessing the richest resources of fossil fuels, Russia also follows global trends in the development of energy and, since 2013, has supported the development of alternative generation through the mechanism of capacity supply agreements (CDM RES). The introduction of additional 5.5 GW of renewable energy capacities planned by 2024 will allow Russia to increase the share of renewable energy to 1%.
Michael Graetzel, the Global Energy Prize laureate 2017 , professor at the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne (Switzerland) in his comment on the opening of the solar power station in Bashkiria noted that according to the study by Shell Corporation in order to achieve the goals of the Paris climate agreement (to keep global growth average temperature below 2° C) it is necessary to increase photoelectric generation by 200 times. He said: ‘A lot of effort is required to confront the climate crisis. The opening of a solar power station in Bashkiria contributes to this task. I would like to congratulate everyone who worked on the implementation of this impressive project’.
The global trend of transition to the green generation is dictated by the factors of fossil fuels depletion and need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. But Sergey Alekseenko, the 2018 Global Energy Prize laureate, head of the Laboratory of Heat and Mass Transfer Problems, Institute of Thermophysics SB RAS considers that situation in Russia is different: ‘In Russia, fossil fuels will remain the main source of energy for many years to come. However, we should not stay away from global trends. In particular, due to the Government Decision to stimulate the use of renewable energy, over the past 5 years there has been a sharp increase in launching solar power stations. Today, their total capacity reaches 1420 MW. This is a decent figure, although it is not much in percentage terms, only 0.55% of the total capacity of the Unified Energy System. Therefore, it is very good that new projects are being developed with a high-quality equipment. If we estimate the generation of electric energy per 1 kW of installed capacity at the solar power station, which was created in Bashkiria, then this figure is 1250 kW per hour. It corresponds to the best indicators in Central and Southern Europe, where solar energy has received very good development’, added Sergey Alekseenko.
Expanding his opinion, Frede Blaabjerg, the Global Energy Prize laureate 2019, Head of the Aalborg University Center of reliable power electronics, highlighted that solar energy has become the only source of sustainable and clean energy for remote areas. Therefore, the launch of solar power station in Bashkiria is an important project that will produce reliable energy supply to the region.
As noted by the President of the Global Energy Association Sergey Brilev: ‘Russia, of course, remains a great hydrocarbon power, and the Republic of Bashkortostan is one of the flagships of the industry, which the whole country is rightfully proud of. But, as we know, there are remote areas where it is impossible and pointless to pull power lines or pipelines. Solving problems with sustainable energy supply in such areas is a task that is important not only for economic development, but also is a priority for improving the quality of life. We hope that the experience of Bashkiria in the use of new technologies will be an example for other similar regions of the country. Moreover, that perfectly corresponds to the UN sustainable development goals that include low-cost and clean energy’.
