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Energy supply to remote and isolated regions of Russia can be improved through the development of distributed generation, i.e. compact and mobile energy sources of different types that provide heat and electricity to local areas and send the surplus to the grid. This was the conclusion reached by the State Council Commission on Energy.
About 73% of Russia's territory is occupied by remote and isolated regions. According to Alexei Chekunkov, Russian Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, the main problem is their high dependence on diesel power plants that run on imported fuel. Among the consequences of using an outdated energy-saving system, he named rapid wear and tear of equipment, high electricity costs and environmental damage.
According to Chekunkov, the solution may be the introduction of hybrid energy complexes. They combine diesel generators, renewable energy sources (RES) and energy storage systems. Six such energy complexes have been built in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation and are already successfully operating in Yakutia.
As part of the programme to upgrade local generation facilities, it is planned to upgrade 270 facilities with a total capacity of 400-700 MW, the minister said. This will save up to 65,000 tonnes of diesel fuel per year, equivalent to 5 billion rubles.
‘In remote and isolated areas, 347 MW of distributed generation facilities have already been commissioned. Thus, the increment of modern, efficient capacity is about 264,’ Deputy Energy Minister Yevgeny Grabchak said. In addition to diesel and gas piston power plants, solutions based on renewable energy sources are also being actively implemented.
According to Chekunkov, significant investments are required for large-scale development of distributed generation. This will require subsidising capital investments (at least 30%) and preferential lending. The total financing of the programme until 2035 is estimated at 133 billion rubles.
According to Russia's draft energy strategy until 2035, the share of distributed generation should be at least 15% of the total installed capacity.
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Source: Russian newspaper