The third National Conference of RAWI «Present Status of Wind Energy in Russia» was held on the 11th of November, 2011, in Moscow
President of RAWI Igor Bryzgunov presented impressive facts and figures about the current status of wind energy.
Today the wind energy is:
- One of the largest industries with over €90 billion annual turnover.
- Successful employment, thanks to production of turbines and components.
In 2008 400 thousand jobs (so-called “green collars”) were created in the wind industry. It is equal to over 1000 jobs a day! And under the GWEC scenario, by 2020 annual investments into wind energy will have reached €149.4 billion, and 2.2 million jobs will have been created. - The most advanced materials. Carbon fibre reinforced plastic used in production of multi-MW wind turbines is the same as in fighter aircrafts of the 5th generation.
- The most advanced technologies. The most perfect energy production and control forecasting systems, transforming, and installation technologies are applied in the wind industry. To install a modern 3 MW turbine they use 750 t and 500 t cranes which used to be a deficit in some countries. However, now their production and rent are rapidly growing profitable businesses.
- An available resource and predicted costs. Any amount of wind – which is the main energy source for the industry – is available in almost any country. Wind is capable to become the foundation for energy security in every developed country. Unlike gas, oil, coal, and nuclear fuel, the cost of the wind energy source is known for the whole operation cycle of the turbine, and it is zero. However, the fuel costs are an essential risk factor for traditional energy resources and vary from $50 to $150 for a year only.
- Implementation of “the freedom dream”. Freedom of choice: today any person or company can buy and use a wind generator to meet the energy demand. Freedom of use: any person or company can buy the generator and gain profit by selling the electricity to consumers, or even to the grid if the legislation allows. Almost any region in any country can choose wind energy systems as the main energy source or at least an important one.
- A chance to preserve valuable natural resources for future generations. Thanks to the renewable sources, the humanity will preserve fossils for more reasonable and effective use than just burning up wastefully.
“We are on the junk of fossil fuels. Ladies and gentlemen, we are junkers! And we must say to ourselves: “We want to see and use the most advanced and clean energy technologies of the future, we want to save our valuable fossils for the next generations, we don’t want the resource-based economy!” This calling message from Igor Bryzgunov was welcomed by all the participants of the conference.
What is happening to the Russian wind industry while the world industry is developing rapidly? In Russia the developments have some new characteristics:
- plans for production of wind generators of total capacity 2000-3000 MW;
- expanded implementation of wind generators of low capacity (200-300 kW) in small industries and farms;
- industrial use of renovated wind turbines after reconstruction;
- development of sites for future wind parks;
- development of innovative technical solutions for wind generators, including combinations with other energy sources and accumulators;
- geographical expansion: involvement of Orenburg, Sakhalin and Kamchatka regions;
- increase in capacity of wind generators in the Orenburg Region by 1 MW.
For Russia it means a 20% increase in actual wind generation capacity. Experiences of other countries, for example, the neighbouring Ukraine, show in practice that:
- wind energy encourages development of new technologies in energy and relevant industries and businesses: R&D, energy machinery production, engineering of energy projects;
- wind energy “revitalizes” the electricity market by pushing out high marginal power plants that are the oldest and the least effective usually. As a result, average market prices fall down;
- wind energy easies the environmental load by replacement of fossil fuels;
- wind energy creates new jobs in a highly technological economic sector;
- wind energy adds to federal and local fiscal duties;
- wind energy creates a lot of maintenance services and businesses, mainly in small and medium forms.
In nearest future about 2000-2500 MW in total are to be installed (there are wind projects at later stages). By 2020 total capacity of Russian wind parks may reach up to 10,000-25,000 MW.
Vice President of RAWI Anatoly Kopylov believes that further boosted development of wind energy requires adoption of the full set of bylaws for support of the renewables, first of all:
- feed-in tariff or the capacity-based scheme;
- purchase procedure for the grid companies or the wholesale electricity market;
- enhancement of procedures of technical connection of wind parks to the grid;
- reimbursement of the expenses for the technical connection of generators with capacity up to 25 MW from the national budget.
As estimated by RAWI, the feed-in tariff added to the wholesale price is 1.595-2.068 Rub/kWh.
“We don’t need any special governmental programs. Just create the necessary conditions. After the required bylaws had been adopted in Ukraine, about 90 MW (wind turbines) were installed by private enterprises in 2010-2011. This is the same as in the framework of governmental programs for the previous 14 years” – Anatoly Kopylov says.
