Rusatom Service and NovaWind have held a roundtable discussion on ‘Diversification of Solutions for the ‘Green’ Energy Transition’ as part of the ATOMEXPO 2022 International Forum in Sochi, Russia.
The speakers included E. Salkov, General Director, Rusatom Service; G. Nazarov, General Director, NovaWind; as well as D. Klyapovsky, Acting Director, Department of Machine Building and Investment Engineering, Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade; D. Klyapovsky, Acting Director of the Fuel and Energy Machinery Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation; M. Gubanov, Head of the Energy, Housing and Public Utilities Sector, Department of Industry Evaluation, Corporation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic; A. Zhikharev, Director of the Association for the Development of Renewable Energy; A. Konyukhov, General Director, Power Machines; J. Nutt, Managing Director, Delph Engineering Consulting (South Africa); Hoang Nguyen, Energy Investment Director, Saigon Asset Management (Vietnam) and others.
Irina Gaida, an expert at the Center for Energy Transition and ESG, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, was the moderator of the roundtable discussion.
The participants discussed prominent issues of the green energy transition such as the rapid development of renewable energy and the growth of its proportion in the energy mix of countries in the light of combating climate change; the future of renewable energy against a backdrop of a shortage of generation capacities; transition risks in a time of green energy stagnation; and opportunities for evading the energy crisis altogether.
“We are viewing manufacturers of hydropower generators for small hydropower plants, power electronics, and software as a window of opportunity: for instance, we have our competencies in small HPP equipment, which opens horizons for filling a new niche,” said Evgeny Salkov, General Director of Rusatom Service, in his address.
“Redistribution of export-import traffic unlocks major opportunities for the export of Russian technology. Markets, where RES potential is not yet utilized to the fullest, can view NovaWind as a reliable partner with strong competencies in project development, which has in-house manufacturing and operation capacities,” said Grigory Nazarov, General Director of NovaWind.
“We are making progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving a reasonably balanced power mix.
“However, work in this area must be adjusted to achieve greater import substitution of equipment and look for new partners in markets outside Europe,” noted Alexey Zhikharev, Director of the Association for the Development of Renewable Energy.
“Development of RES-based distributed generation in remote and isolated regions in the Far East and the Arctic can become a key area of diversification for green energy transition solutions in our country.
“This vector is laid down in all industry and macro-regional documents on strategic planning, and it sparked vivid interest in the business community.
“FEDC aids in implementing investment projects in the local energy sector and is actively involved in developing additional government incentives for this industry,” commented Maksim Gubanov, Head of the Energy, Housing and Public Utilities Sector, Department of Industry Evaluation, Corporation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic.
John Nutt, Managing Director of Delph Engineering Consulting, noted: “Many African countries, including South Africa, face power shortages, and power supply is often unstable due to system faults (power failures) and scheduled rolling blackouts.
“A transition to RES may become a vector of power system development.”
Aleksandr Konyukhov, General Director of Power Machines, said: “Power Machines are ready to fill the niche of a technologically independent manufacturer of wind turbines with up to 5 MW capacity, which was left empty after pseudo-localised European manufacturers left the market.
“This is a complementary product for Power Machines, a power machinery company, and we can rapidly launch its production. We are currently evaluating demand and considering possible partners for implementing this project.”
Roundtable participants evaluated the proportion of low-carbon power by 2030-2035 and discussed current barriers to the development of green power.
Based on this discussion, key factors limiting the development of green power include long payback periods, fierce competition and “expensive” money for investors.
An online survey showed that in the audience’s opinion, the share of RES in the global energy mix will experience substantial growth in the next 10-15 years.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
