Wind energy in Russia: state and development prospects

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The ever-increasing demand for electricity generation forces us to look for new means of generating energy. It is not the first year in the largest countries of the world that technologies for the development of alternative energy sources are being considered, and in some areas they are being developed in practice and implemented. A special place in this direction is occupied by wind energy. In Russia, this industry is still not sufficiently developed to provide a significant share of energy consumption, but the industrial potential, with the proper level of technological support, can fundamentally improve this situation.

The position of wind energy in the world market

Instability in oil prices and the challenges of improving energy security cause the rapid development of wind turbines as one of the most efficient sources of alternative energy. According to various estimates, wind turbines operate around the world with a total capacity of150-170 GW, and this is about 1.5-2% of the total energy consumption in the world. However, it is worth emphasizing that we are talking about electricity, as the most acceptable form of energy for accumulation and transformation. Moreover, in some countries this figure is increasing at a very active pace. For example, wind farms in Dani already provide more than 20% of the needs of consumers of electricity, in Spain and Germany - at the level of 10%. In Russia, the state and prospects of wind energy are largely determined by government support and market incentives. But, again, unlike European countries that are successfully mastering this method of energy generation, the domestic industry is noticeably behind in terms of technology. At least, this concerns the directions of development of industrial energy on alternative sources.

Technical complex of domestic wind turbines

At the moment, several large-scale projects are being implemented that should ensure the energy independence of individual regions in Chukotka, Bashkortostan, Karelia, etc. The existing stations mainly perform the functions of emergency power supply and are only rarely used as a way to optimize electricity costs. The fixed assets of the wind energy complex in Russia include generator sets with a capacity of 0.1-2 MW. Especially popular are multicomponent systems, including several small generators of 250-550 kW. On average, these capacities produce about 0.4 million kWh per year.

Characterizes the current state of wind energy in Russia and the spread of individual generators. These are small installations that are able to cover the energy needs of private households - at the level of 1-5 kW. However, the popularization of low-power windmills is also facing problems, most of which are financial difficulties in the process of design, installation and purchase of components.

Total capacity of generated wind energy in Russia

The total capacity of all domestic wind turbines is about 20 MW. Of the total electricity generating capacity in the country (220 GW), this is a share of about 0.008%. According to experts, the potential for the development of the industry in the form of finished electricity can reach 40 billion kWh. But this is possible only if the average annual wind speed is at the level of 6 m/s. And this is another difficulty in the redistribution of produced resources. At the moment, wind energy in Russia is based on facilities located in coastal and island zones. For example, in Kamchatka, in the regions of the Caspian, Barents and Okhotsk Seas, as well as on Baikal. At the same time, the most demanding facilities for electrical and thermal energy are located in the central and European parts of the country.

Obstacles to industry development

Even if we do not take into account the already mentioned technical problems of improving and building up wind energy potential, there are still many social and economicnegative factors. Among them are the following:

• Mostly, the development of the industry is hindered by the already existing and quite efficient traditional energy complex. Moreover, it is supported by large reserves of resources, which in 30-40 years may lose their relevance. Therefore, even the possibility of financial savings does not stimulate wind energy in Russia as much as it happens in the same European countries.
• High risks. Another factor that does not allow interested players in the energy market to make significant investments in the industry.
• Insufficient information and general misconceptions about the capabilities of wind turbines.
• Also, in addition, one can note the backwardness of energy equipment and yet not the most suitable climatic conditions for the use of windmills.

Arguments in favor of the development of Russian wind energy

Despite the obstacles to the development of wind energy, existing and planned projects have been largely able to come to life thanks to the following positive aspects of the use of this kind of systems:

• The concept of wind turbines completely eliminates environmental damage to the environment.
• The unfavorable climate factor has already been noted in terms of the use of wind energy, but in many areas with active flows up to 6-7 m / s, private installations justify themselves as the only option for providing electricity.
• Availability of construction. This is a conditional factor, but if we compare the implementation of such generators with the same traditional stations, then the savings will be significant.

The above aspects can be attributed to natural ones, but there is also an effective stimulation tool in the form of support from the authorities. The Russian government, assessing the prospects for wind energy in Russia until 2020, has set the task of increasing the share of generated energy in the total volume to 4.5%. On this basis, a number of regulations were developed aimed at creating comfortable conditions for the development of generating facilities.

Future direction of the industry

To date, several possible scenarios for the development of wind energy in the domestic space are proposed:

• Focus on Western technology, including equipment and consumables.
• Cooperation with foreign companies to build experience and acquire the same technologies.
• Work to improve the investment attractiveness of projects that will solve specific problems at the federal level or within the regions.

To a large extent, the prospects for wind energy depend on tax laws. The manufacturing, maintenance and service processes are very sensitive for units powered by alternative energy sources, so any facilitation of production and operational operations will benefit the industry.

Prospects for developmentRussian wind power industry

The current situation in the areas that develop ideas for energy storage from alternative sources cannot be called actively developing and even stable. Despite this, experts see a rethinking of wind energy in the near future, taking into account Russian conditions. In particular, much is associated with the planned construction of large wind farms - a project aimed at 2024 and supported at the ministerial level. Also, one cannot discount the fact that the country has the largest technical potential in the world. This factor also makes it possible to count on significant dividends from the development of wind energy in Russia, even within the framework of individual large-scale projects.

New wind energy technologies

As already noted, the lack of a high-tech base limits the possibilities of a fairly powerful industrial potential. And yet, some promising developments appear in this niche. For example, a universal wind energy infrastructure in Russia can be formed on the basis of modern blade-type generators that actively operate at air flow speeds from 2 to 6 m/s. Conversely, peak wind loads of 25 m/s dominate in some regions. And in this case, you can not do without specialized materials. Russian companies offer installations based on combined cylinders instead of blades for such purposes. They are not only able to withstand powerful currents, but also thanks to aerodynamic self-launching witheffective regulation of operating parameters accumulate many times large amounts of energy.

Production of components for wind turbines

Russian industry today covers the full range of elements that are used in the assembly of wind turbines. If we talk about the prospects for the development of wind energy in Russia for mass consumption, then such enterprises as Electrosila, Togliatti Transformer, Ruselprom, IZ-KARTEX, etc. will come to the fore. for example, they produce windmill control devices, frame structures, blades with towers, hubs and other station components.

Russian Wind Energy Communities

The largest and most influential organization in the industry is the Wind Industry Association. This is a non-commercial structure that has existed since 2004 and sets support for the wind energy market among its first tasks. Employees of the organization provide a number of specialized services for equipment customers and other market participants. In particular, the Russian Wind Energy Association calculates the economic indicators of wind farms, evaluates power characteristics, conducts technical audits of projects, etc.

Conclusion

In some European countries, the first technologies for using wind power at an industrial level appeared long before power lines. But even today it cannot be said that this direction is optimal and universal forapplications in any field dependent on electricity. Also in Russia, the state and prospects for the development of wind energy are determined by a wide range of technical and operational indicators of the final product. Of course, the wind turbine as such has a lot of advantages in the form of environmental friendliness and free energy generation. But the cost of maintaining such stations can only pay off with careful calculations and the use of the latest technologies that will minimize the operational shortcomings of the equipment.