Types of energy traditional energy in Belarus. Use of alternative energy sources in Belarus. Republic of Belarus and its fuel and energy complex

The problem of growing shortages of energy resources today reaches the level of the problem of climate change, and, as we know, the history of mankind is the history of the struggle for energy resources. A similar situation is observed in the 21st century (for example, wars in the Middle East for oil). But there is a more worthy way to solve the problem of the growing shortage of energy resources - alternative energy sources. In Belarus, this issue is very relevant and is being studied by government agencies.

Renewable energy sources in the Republic of Belarus

United Nations (UN) terminology defines the concept of “renewable energy” and its sources. Sources of renewable energy include the sun, air masses, water, heat from the earth's interior, biomass, wood, and peat.

Since Belarus is provided with less than 20% of its own traditional energy resources, naturally, there is a need for such sources in order to somehow compensate for the lack of its own energy resources.

Meanwhile, the issue of renewable energy sources (RES) is dealt with not only by countries with For example, countries such as Germany, Sweden, France (more than twenty countries in total) have created the International Solar Energy Society.

According to expert forecasts, by 2040, global energy production from non-traditional renewable energy sources will account for 82 percent of global energy consumption. The global trend has contributed to the development of non-traditional (alternative) energy sources in Belarus.

Research has shown that solar energy is the most appropriate in the republic, since more than half of the year there is partly cloudy weather, and only one hundred and fifty days (on average) are cloudy. The greatest efficiency of the luminary is observed in the period from April to September.

Alternative energy sources are...

These are understood as sources that do not pollute the environment, as happens with the use of well-known and widespread energy sources today: oil, coal, nuclear fuel.

First of all, it is the sun and the wind. The sun is the most reliable and environmentally friendly source of energy, because our star will exist for many millions of years. Its energy can be stored in devices called solar panels.

Wind as an energy source is used quite widely, as it is very profitable. Wind energy is widespread mainly in countries that have limited classical energy resources and advocate for a clean environment. Such countries include the Republic of Belarus.

A significant role is played by the state's significant timber reserves, the cost of which is four times less than exported hydrocarbons.

Republic of Belarus and its fuel and energy complex

The fuel and energy complex of Belarus (FEC) does not have the required amount of its own energy resources. In connection with this, the state is pursuing an energy saving policy, expressed in the development of both local energy resources and alternative energy.

The regulator of the fuel and energy complex is the Ministry of Energy of Belarus. It is a relatively young governing body in the republic (created at the end of 2002). During this time, targeted state programs aimed at increasing the efficiency of the country's energy sector were adopted and implemented.

As stated by the Minister of Energy of Belarus Vladimir Potupchik, since 2014 the republic has been saving more than $200 million annually due to a reduction in the consumption of fuel energy resources, which account for about 70% of energy costs.

In the near future, the Ministry of Energy of Belarus intends to tackle an important task - creating a completely new base for the development of the fuel and energy complex, efficient and environmentally acceptable in modern conditions. These plans are recorded in the “Main Directions of the Energy Policy of the Republic of Belarus for the Period until 2020.”

In particular, the document provides for the following principles of operation of the country’s fuel and energy complex:

• increased energy saving;
• environmental cleanliness;
• strengthening scientific work on alternative energy issues and implementing its results;
• development of small-scale energy;

Energy resources of the Republic of Belarus

The fuel and energy resources of Belarus are not very diverse: they include peat (fuel), oil, firewood, etc. Over nine thousand peat deposits have been found in the republic. Currently, only a quarter of all proven reserves of this fuel have been used.

The fact is that the lion's share of peat deposits is located in areas occupied by agriculture or environmental protection, which makes wider use of the deposits unrealistic.

There are deposits of oil and associated gas in the Pripyat depression. The deposits were discovered in 1956. The extraction of these resources is carried out by the Belneftekhim concern. However, according to experts, these deposits will last only 30-35 years. True, the prospect of oil and gas production in the Orsha and Brest depressions is being considered, but it is quite remote.

The wealth of forests allows Belarus to carry out centralized procurement of firewood and lumber waste. But the volumes of these resources are so small that the republic’s energy needs are met by less than 15%. The rest is replenished by energy imports, which makes it very vulnerable. In such a situation, the republic is forced not only to comply with the energy saving regime, but also to intensively search for possible alternative energy sources.

Non-traditional energy

Alternative energy appeared much earlier than people were forced to talk about it everywhere. People, including Belarusians, have been using solar energy, water energy, and wind energy for their energy-consuming needs more than two hundred years ago. But then these sources were not considered something special. Humanity lived in complete harmony with nature, without disturbing its balance. The use of coal was as natural as wind power, water to run mills, sawmills to cut timber, thresh crops, and even to produce textiles.

In Belarus, the production of such “windmills” and “water pumps” was even established, which could be both stationary and mobile. They did not require special dams, that is, no harm was done to nature. And “windmills” could be installed anywhere, as long as there was wind. Such energy sources even constituted the “export” of Belarus, the consumers of which were Russia and Ukraine.

Modern Belarus has only a dozen small hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) from alternative energy sources. Belarusian scientists who have been studying since the times of the Soviet Union have not created anything competitive. This can be confirmed by Vetromash in Zaslavl, where wind turbines similar to Western developments half a century ago, which have long been morally obsolete, are demonstrated.

Meanwhile, non-traditional energy has been subject to some restrictions from the state: since August 19, 2015, the Decree of the President of Belarus has provided for quotas for installations with alternative sources of electricity. The restrictions apply to the total electrical power of installations located on the territory of Belarus. The norms apply to everyone wishing to engage in alternative energy, including foreign companies.

Energy of Belarusian water resources

The changing situation in the fuel and energy complex of Belarus (the high cost of fossil energy resources, environmental deterioration, which forced the state to take on certain obligations to reduce harmful emissions into the atmosphere, etc.) has entailed the need to revise views on the industries that make up the energy balance of the republic. One of these areas was hydropower. As you know, in Belarus there are the Dnieper and Neman rivers. They flow across the plain, but in some places they are surrounded by high banks and have rapids. All this accompanies the construction of hydroelectric power stations, which, given the existing shortage of oil, coal, and gas, provides an important chance to reduce it. Alternative energy has come to the forefront in the fuel and energy complex of Belarus.

Based on this, the Cabinet of Ministers of Belarus approved the state program for the construction of hydroelectric power stations. According to this document, it was planned to build hydroelectric power stations on the Neman (above and below the city of Grodno), Western Dvina (Verkhnedvinskaya, Beshenkovichi, Vitebsk and Polotsk).

The Dnieper, as the slowest river, was considered last for the construction of a hydroelectric power station. By 2020, it is planned to build four low-power hydroelectric power stations, including Orsha, Shklovskaya, Rechitskaya and Mogilevskaya.

Undeservedly forgotten

In total, more than twenty thousand small rivers flow in the Republic of Belarus, the length of which is 90 thousand km. And this huge water-energy potential is used only by 3%.

This resource began to be developed in the 50s. Small hydroelectric power stations began to be built in the republic. The first one was built in 1954, the Osipovichi hydroelectric power station on the Svisloch River. Its power was only 2.25 MW. By the way, the hydroelectric power station is still in operation.

However, by the 60s, small hydropower faded into the background due to the emergence of state-owned energy systems. The rural consumer was transferred to new powerful systems, and the need for small hydroelectric power plants disappeared by itself.

In this regard, most of the built small hydroelectric power stations were decommissioned, since the cost of the facilities turned out to be too high. As a result, by the end of the 80s, only six hydroelectric power stations remained in Belarus, which generated a little more than 18 million kW per year.

But subsequent life again turned energy workers to small ones. At the same time, such alternative energy sources in Belarus turned out to be possible by restoring previously decommissioned ones, as well as through the construction of new small hydroelectric power stations. This did not require flooding of agricultural land.

It is also possible to use reservoirs for other, non-energy purposes, which are available on small rivers. Here it is quite appropriate to build a small hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 6 thousand kW, while its payback period is five to six years.

Representatives of the “greens” confirm the absence of any load from the SHPP on the surrounding environment.

The Belarusian authorities plan to double the total capacity of such hydroelectric power plants by 2020. In this regard, foreign investors are showing a certain interest in the construction of small hydroelectric power plants in the country, who take on 78.4% of the costs of constructing small-scale energy facilities.

The wind continues to serve man

Wind energy in Belarus helps solve many issues of power supply to small facilities in hard-to-reach places. Therefore, the issue of using the energy of air masses remains relevant for the fuel and energy complex of the republic.

In recent years, about 1,840 places have been identified throughout the country where a wind turbine or wind power plant can be installed. These are mainly hills up to 80 m high, on the top of which the wind speed reaches five or more meters per second.

Currently, such systems are located in the Minsk, Grodno, Mogilev and Vitebsk regions. The most powerful wind turbine (1.5 MW) serves residents of the village of Grabniki (Grodno region). The regional center of Novogrudok in the same region provides electricity with a wind turbine owned by the state (the only one of its kind). It is planned to install five more wind generators.

A whole park of wind turbines is planned to be built in Luzhishche, a village in the Oshmyany district. Construction is being funded by investors and will continue until 2020.

Eco-friendly house

In this concept, humanity includes a structure whose energy supply is provided only by non-traditional energy sources.

Alternative energy for the home can be obtained from the flow of sunlight, wind, as a result of the operation of micro-hydroelectric power stations and the processing of biomass to produce biogas.

The use of solar energy is of particular interest for creating an environmentally friendly home, but some factors make serious changes to the plans of the owner of such real estate. First of all, these are costs: solar collectors, installation of equipment, control system and maintenance will cost a substantial amount (a 3 kW solar battery for an average home will cost 15 thousand euros).

Still, houses built using a method called “solar architecture” are of some interest. Its essence is that the house must have a roof, the area of ​​the southern part of which is at least 100 m2. In this case, the house must be located at the latitude of the capital of Belarus. This is quite enough even for heating rooms in winter.

However, such use of solar energy has not received due attention in Belarus. At this time, only one building has been built on this principle - the German International Educational Center. Meanwhile, the construction of such structures could reduce heat consumption to 80 kW/m2 per year.

Using wind turbines gives a home a similar chance to achieve green status. But we should not forget that in Belarus the average wind speed is no more than 5 m/s, and for normal operation modern systems require speeds of up to 10 m/s. Therefore, according to experts, a wind turbine installed in this country will pay for itself only in forty years.

However, this all relates to electricity, but renewable solar energy can easily be used in a private home in the form of a solar water heater. The system is very effective and does not depend on weather and climatic conditions. With its help you can even partially heat the room. In addition, it consumes no more than 45 W and costs 3.8 thousand euros (with installation). Its payback period is no more than four years.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, alternative energy sources in Belarus (and not only there) today and in the near foreseeable future will not be able to fully replace traditional energy sources.

Solar energy is not capable of becoming such a source on an industrial scale for a simple reason - the low density of solar energy flux. Taking into account the fact that only a third of the year in Belarus is sunny, calculations show that more than 30% of the republic’s territory must be given over to solar power plants in order to satisfy its need for electricity. But even if this condition is met, we should not forget that these calculations were made taking into account the efficiency of the stations, which is 100%. In fact, today this figure is at the level of ten to fifteen percent.

It turns out that in reality the area of ​​the entire Belarus and part of the territories of its neighboring states will be required. In addition, the construction and operation of solar power stations will require enormous costs.

A similar situation is observed with the use of wind energy, rivers, and geothermal sources.

Those who believe that natural energy is free are deeply mistaken. Almost all equipment comes to us from abroad and goes through a long chain of markups. Customs duties, VAT, a surcharge from the supplier, and the company that will undertake the installation are added to the cost. As a result, any installation, be it a wind turbine or a solar panel, will cost a Belarusian consumer much more than a European.

But this does not mean that renewable energy for private consumers in Belarus can be given up. There are cases when it is almost impossible to do without alternative sources.

Heating from a well

The most popular type of alternative energy among private home owners is geothermal. To obtain it, a well is drilled and a heat pump is installed. The system only needs to pump liquid from the depths with a temperature of only about ten degrees, and special heat pumps can take energy from it and heat the water in the house to a temperature of 50-60 degrees. When explaining the operating principle of heat pumps, experts often use the expression “refrigerator in reverse.” The water pumped from the depths is cooled by several degrees, and the released energy is used to heat the cottage or heat the water in the tap.

According to expert estimates, several hundred heat pumps have been installed in the private sector of Belarus. Their owners heat their homes and get hot water without using gas, wood or other fuel. The only resource they have to expend is electricity to operate the equipment. One kilowatt is enough to extract 4-5 kilowatts of thermal energy from underground.

Finding a company willing to install such equipment will not be difficult. Some of them work with clients in all regions of the country. The difficulty will most likely arise with the price. Geothermal heating for a cottage with an area of ​​150 square meters with the installation of German equipment will cost approximately 20-25 thousand euros. The service life of the equipment is more than 30 years. But at current energy prices, the payback period will be approximately the same.

“Interest in the use of renewable energy in Belarus is very high, but we urge our clients to look at things realistically and not chase European fashion,” says Vladimir Poteshchenko, deputy director of one of the Minsk companies that supply energy-saving equipment to our market, including thermal pumps and solar collectors. — Economically, renewable sources are justified only if there are no gas pipelines or electrical networks nearby. We receive only five percent of the total number of such orders.

Solar arithmetic

Our country has an average of 51 clear days a year. And one square meter of land receives approximately a thousand kilowatts of solar energy per year, which is equivalent to 100 liters of diesel fuel or 100 cubic meters of natural gas. However, solar panels on the roofs of our houses are rarely seen. But you can install them if you wish. The price of a system consisting of two batteries, accumulators and a European-made control unit reaches 30 thousand euros. Only single orders are received for solar panels. But public and private enterprises began to actively use the energy of the luminary in places where there are no power grids.

Among private consumers, solar collectors for heating water are more common. The accumulated energy is accumulated in special boilers, so you can use warm water even at night. Collectors are effective in the summer and off-season. Moreover, they capture solar heat even in cloudy weather, but with less efficiency.

For a small private house, two solar installations are enough. They are mounted on the roof and can provide up to 70 percent of the hot water needs of a family of 3-4 people. Collectors cost 12-16 million rubles. According to experts, this is the most affordable and fastest-paying option for using renewable energy in our country.

“We decided to heat water from the sun quite by accident after watching a video on Euronews,” Dmitry Barbarchik, the owner of a cottage in the private sector of Brest, shares his experience. — We have long wanted to contribute to the development of the “green” direction, and two years ago two German-made solar collectors appeared on our roof. The seller promised that they could be used to heat water in winter, but in practice this was not confirmed. In cold cloudy weather, the electric boiler automatically turns on, so there is always hot water in the house. But almost all summer we use solar energy, which I personally am very proud of.

Towards the wind

In countries such as Denmark, Germany, Austria, “wind turbines” have become part of the local landscape. In our private sector, they can only be found in homemade versions. But the situation may soon change - for two good reasons. Firstly, a plant in the city of Baran (Orsha region) produced a prototype of a domestic wind turbine to provide electricity to private cottages. It is being tested and should go on sale this year. And secondly, Europe is updating its wind farms and used units have begun to arrive on our market. Their price is significantly lower than new ones. One kilowatt of installed power costs approximately 1000-1200 euros. To provide a private home with electricity from wind, you will have to spend at least 10 thousand euros.

“We are often contacted by people who bought a wind turbine or solar battery abroad, but they practically do not work in our conditions,” said Vladimir Nistyuk, executive director of the Renewable Energy Association. “Therefore, before installing equipment, it is necessary to study the features of the area and consult with experienced specialists, otherwise the expenses will be pointless. In general, first you need to insulate the walls with modern materials and purchase energy-efficient household appliances. It makes no sense to provide a cottage with renewable energy sources if its walls freeze and “Ilyich light bulbs” are used.

In the future, Belarus will be able to obtain 25-30 percent of its energy from renewable sources, the specialist is sure, but without government support it is impossible to achieve such a high figure. For example, in European countries, subsidies, interest-free loans, and tax breaks are provided for the purchase of equipment for the use of renewable energy. In this way, the state invests in its energy security and ensures sustainable development. Unfortunately, our situation is currently the opposite. For example, heat pumps are subject to a fifteen percent customs duty, and VAT is also waived in full. And the owners of the cottages hide the fact that they use geothermal energy, fearing that Energonadzor will increase their tariff several times, considering that the house is heated with electricity.

We can only hope that over time the situation will change and, in addition to environmental ones, there will also be significant economic incentives to use renewable energy sources. At the beginning of their appearance, brick-sized mobile phones cost more than a thousand dollars. In just a couple of years they have fallen in price tenfold. It can be assumed that the same price collapse will occur in “green” energy, and within five years an ordinary Belarusian will be able to look at a heat pump or solar battery as a consumer.

The Republic of Belarus does not have its own raw material fuel and energy resources in sufficient quantities to meet the country's needs. In this regard, the basis of energy fuel consumption in Belarus is natural gas imported from the Russian Federation. The majority of thermal power plants in the republic operate on natural gas; it is consumed by industrial enterprises as technological raw materials and fuel, the municipal sector and the population for heating and cooking needs. This structure of the fuel balance developed back in Soviet times, when the use of natural gas was the most economically feasible and environmentally “clean” compared to other types of organic fuel (coal, peat, fuel oil).

At the same time, in recent decades, the use of renewable energy sources (hydro, wind and solar energy, biogas) and local fuels - firewood and wood waste, peat - has been constantly increasing in the fuel and energy balance of the republic.

Natural gas

Natural gas comes to the Republic of Belarus from the northwestern Siberian regions of the Russian Federation through gas trunklines. Annual volumes of its consumption in the country vary between 19-21 billion cubic meters. In terms of consumption, the Republic of Belarus is among the top ten natural gas exporting countries in the world.

Next, natural gas is transported through a system of gas distribution pipelines, which is operated by theMinistry of Energy of the Republic of Belarus , the state production association for fuel and gasification Beltopgaz, is supplied to all consumers in the country. To date, all 118 out of 118 districts in Belarus have been gasified. Natural gas is provided to 113 out of 113 cities, as well as 80 out of 81 urban villages, 7 out of 8 workers’ villages and 2,770 out of 23,468 rural settlements (11.8%). The length of natural gas networks in Belarus is about 55.1 thousand km, including more than 30.2 thousand km in rural areas, liquefied gas networks - 217.1 km, including 213.5 km in rural areas, or 98.3%. More than 2.7 million apartments are gasified with natural gas, and more than 1.0 million apartments with liquefied gas. The share of apartments supplied with natural gas is 72.1% of the total number of gasified apartments. Thus, Belarus is among the advanced countries in terms of gasification level.

Peat

Today Belarus is the third country in the world in terms of production of this mineral. Its deposits are distributed almost everywhere in the republic. According to information from the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, there are about 9 thousand peat deposits in the republic, with a total area of ​​2.4 million hectares. The total geological reserves of peat in the republic are estimated at 4 billion tons. However, not all of them, based on economic and environmental feasibility, can be used for industrial peat extraction. In order to streamline the use of agricultural lands, forest lands, as well as resolve issues of the use of peat deposits, the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Energy are currently carrying out an inventory of peat deposits with determination of the direction of their further use. Based on the materials of the inventory, a strategy for the conservation and use of peat deposits will be prepared.

The peat industry of the republic has a centuries-old history. The first industrial development of peat in Belarus began in 1896. Until 1960, peat in Belarus remained the main type of fuel on which most power plants operated. The construction and commissioning of briquette factories in the 60s made it possible to increase the volume of briquette production in 1974 to 2.412 million tons, which is a record figure in the entire history of the peat industry of the republic. The maximum peat extraction was achieved in 1974 - 16.8 million tons, of which 9.1 million tons of fuel peat and 7.7 million tons of peat for agricultural needs.

Since the late 70s, there has been a gradual reorientation of energy facilities and the population of the republic, with the use of peat replaced by other types of fuel - gas and fuel oil. Peat fuel is systematically excluded from the thermal power industry and by 1986 its combustion at power plants and thermal power plants ceases. As a result, there is a reduction in peat extraction and briquette production. Thus, in 2001 these figures were 2.0 and 1.1 million tons, respectively.

Organizations of the peat industry of the Ministry of Energy are developing 44 peat deposits. 17.2 thousand hectares of peat deposit areas have been allocated (0.72% of the total area of ​​peat deposits) with peat reserves in the amount of 33.2 million tons (0.84% ​​of the total peat reserves in the republic).

Peat is one of the few local fuel and energy resources of the Republic of Belarus. Its share in the total volume of local fuel and energy resources is about 15 percent. The share of peat in the energy balance of the republic is 2-3 percent. The use of peat allows the republic's economy to annually replace up to 590 million m3 of imported natural gas worth $107.7 million. It should be noted that, compared to imported natural gas, local peat fuel has a significantly lower cost. Thus, in terms of 1 ton of equivalent fuel, peat briquettes are 2.6 times cheaper than natural gas, and fuel milled peat is 4 times cheaper. In addition, fuel briquettes produced from peat are a socially significant product, as they are used as municipal fuel at social facilities and in more than 200 thousand households in small towns and rural settlements of the republic. In general, about 1 million residents of our country are provided with heat and electricity from peat. The Ministry of Energy is constantly working to increase the volume of peat use in the republic and search for alternative directions for the export of peat products.

State cadastre of renewable energy sources (RES)

Created in Belarus (RES), which provides information on assessing the “alternative” energy potential of the territory of the republic and increasing the efficiency of using RES.

The cadastre allows legal entities and individual entrepreneurs (renewable energy sources owners) to enter and update information about their existing sites and installations for the use of renewable energy sources, as well as receive an electronic certificate confirming the origin of energy.

According to the information contained in the cadastre, there are currently 232 renewable energy installations operating in the republic, with an installed capacity of 288.9 MW. A significant part of the facilities - 156 - operate on the energy of wood fuel and other types of biomass, as well as on the energy of the natural movement of water flows (38).

Among the renewable energy sources used in the republic, 14 objects use solar energy, 14 use biogas energy, 7 objects use wind energy and 3 objects use earth’s heat energy.

Existing renewable energy facilities are capable of saving more than 313,602.552 standard fuel per year.

The state renewable energy cadastre database also contains information on:

• sites for possible placement of installations for the use of renewable energy sources with a capacity of more than 200 kW (based on information taken from existing government programs);
• sites for the actual location of installations for the use of renewable energy sources;
• producers of energy from renewable energy sources (in the context of administrative-territorial units of the Republic of Belarus);
• the types of renewable energy sources used and the maximum possible amount of energy produced during the year at the installations;
• capacity of installations and annual supply of thermal and electrical energy from them.

Investments in renewable energy in Belarus

According to legislative documents, energy producers from renewable energy sources have the right to:

• guaranteed connection to state energy networks of installations using renewable energy sources;
• guaranteed purchase by state energy supply organizations of all offered energy produced from renewable energy sources, as well as its payment at incentive tariffs (in terms of payment for electricity);
• protection from unfair competition, including from legal entities that occupy a dominant position in the field of energy production;
• expansion (reconstruction, modernization) of installations for the use of renewable energy sources;
• independent identification of sites for possible placement of installations for the use of renewable energy sources.

Significant benefits and preferences are provided for investors, including

• Exemption of installations for the use of renewable energy sources from VAT when imported into the territory of the Republic of Belarus.
• Exemption from land tax of land plots occupied by facilities and installations for the use of renewable energy sources.

Favorable factors for investment in the industry include a high level of coverage of the country by state energy networks, as well as a significant base of energy consumers - heavy industry enterprises.

Producing energy from renewable sources is a fairly young direction in our country. However, it has already managed to prove its point. Nevertheless, the future of domestic alternative energy is vague: after the Belarusian nuclear power plant is commissioned, our country will begin to produce much more electricity than it can consume.

In his speech, which opened a press conference on the use of renewable energy sources, Deputy Minister of Energy of the Republic of Belarus Olga Prudnikova made it clear that at the state level they are aware that the problem exists and it will have to be solved somehow. Today, energy consumption in Belarus is not growing at the rate predicted when the decision to build the Belarusian NPP was made. According to experts, by 2020 it should have reached the level of 47 billion kWh. In this case, both the nuclear power plant and renewable energy sources could harmoniously fit into the overall picture of energy consumption. Today it is at the level of 36.8 billion. To increase this figure, it was decided to massively introduce powerful electric boilers that will be used to generate thermal energy. However, Olga Prudnikova admitted that this would not be enough.

Another issue that she paid attention to in her speech was tariffs for the purchase of electricity produced using renewable sources. Today, the average price paid by the government is close to 22 cents per kWh. Moreover, its cost ranges from 2 to 4 cents. When using traditional fuels, this figure reaches 5 cents.

As a result, consumers cover the difference. Olga Prudnikova believes that taking into account the improvement of technologies that have made it possible to reduce the cost of energy produced, it makes sense to reduce the purchase price. This would provide equal conditions for competition in the electricity market, which is planned to be created in Belarus in the near future. This opinion was supported by the head of the department for regulating impacts on atmospheric air and the ozone layer of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus Andrey Pilipchuk. According to him, the need for subsidies has disappeared, since the cost of energy obtained from renewable sources has become noticeably lower. In this regard, the purchase price of 7.9-8.9 cents per kWh was fair for all market participants.

Andrei Pilipchuk also noted that alternative energy supplies Belarus with 700 million kWh annually. According to the Energy Security Concept, by 2035 this figure should increase to 2.7 billion kWh. To make this possible, it is necessary to gradually replace high-carbon fuels (coal, fuel oil and peat) with the help of renewable energy sources, whose share in the energy balance of our country today is about 1.5 billion kWh. This would also make it possible to fulfill the obligations undertaken by our country within the framework of the Paris Agreement: to balance emissions and absorption of greenhouse gases (55% of their total volume comes from the energy industry)

The ideal ratio between electricity sources, calculated by international experts, is as follows: 25% should come from nuclear power plants, 25% from natural gas, 25% from waste recycling and 25% from renewable sources. Countries that achieve this balance will ensure their energy security. Andrey Pilipuchk noted that in this regard we have something to work on. Thus, the share of renewable energy sources and waste is approximately one percent each. 95% comes from natural gas, which is an expensive imported fuel.

In his speech Deputy Director of the Energy Efficiency Department Vladimir Komashko paid much attention to the use of woody biomass as a renewable energy source. The natural conditions and traditions of Belarus indicate that this type of fuel is very promising. Continuing this topic, Vladimir Komashko called for developing the energy system based on the realities that have developed in a particular country, and not blindly adopting the experience of other countries, no matter how successful it may seem at first glance.

Regarding the quota system that exists in the field of alternative energy, he noted that this measure is used to regulate not so much energy as such, but business. Producers of renewable electricity view it as a commodity to be sold at a profit. The state, for its part, decides whether it needs this product or not.

Against the generally optimistic background of the press conference, the speech stood out Vladimir Nistyuk which is Executive Director of the Renewable Energy Association. He first of all complained that government agencies do not sufficiently involve specialists in the development of the regulatory framework in this area. According to Vladimir Nistyuk, changing the rules of the game every two years in such a complex area as energy means causing great damage to the investment climate.

He also cited as an example of existing problems the situation when the Belorusneft company (a state-owned enterprise that is not part of the Belenergo association) gets the opportunity to build a solar power plant with a capacity of 50 MW and sell electricity at preferential rates.

After the end of the press conference, I was left with the impression that big changes await alternative energy in Belarus, but even those who initiated them do not yet know how exactly this industry will develop.

ABOUT The bottom of the areas of work and services of the ENEKA ODO company is the field of non-traditional energy. This topic is energy safe and efficient for Belarus and, accordingly, is becoming increasingly relevant in the field of design. We try to keep up with the times, participating first in the implementation of energy efficient projects. In our news column, we try to inform about the projects of the ENEKA ODO company in the field of alternative energy, because We consider design experience in this area to be no less important than implementation and development potential.

Belarus is now one of the few countries in the post-Soviet space with such a wealth of knowledge. Despite the small potential for the development of renewable energy sources and the shortage of investment resources, mini-hydroelectric power stations have already been restored in our country, complexes using biogas and landfill gas are operating, and wind energy is actively developing.

The fact that the development of this direction is the right course in energy development policy not only for Belarus, but for any country, is also evidenced by the interest of the Russian Federation in this topic.
On October 25-28, the “Energy is Available” conference was held in Kislovodsk, dedicated to the development of non-traditional energy in Russia. Managing Director of ODO "ENEKA" Kuzmich G.V. was invited as an expert in the design of alternative energy facilities. On the experience and prospects for the construction of mini-CHPs using natural gas and wind turbines in Belarus, the manager of ENEKA ODO, Kuzmich G.V.:

Kuzmich G.V.: There are problems with energy supply even in such a country rich in natural resources as Russia. It is economically difficult for such a large country to provide each region with traditional energy facilities (boiler houses, electrical networks, transformers). This entails costs not only for the construction of new energy sources, but also for the laying of gas pipelines, organization of infrastructure (installation of waste storage facilities, access roads, etc.), and connection to energy networks. The solution to the issue of energy supply for each region can be in autonomous energy sources. Energy experts have long found a solution to this problem: alternative energy sources can become sources of electricity for rural households. Russia's biogas potential alone, according to preliminary estimates, is 81 million tons of fuel equivalent. This is enough to provide rural areas with electricity and heat. -Tell me, what issues did you cover at the conference for our Russian colleagues?

For Russia, the experience of introducing renewable energy sources is still new, while many CIS countries already have the practice of using them. As in any business, in the beginning it is very difficult to move from theory to facts. For the proper development of alternative energy, a developed legislative framework is required, the search for investments for such projects, design, installation and proper subsequent operation. In Belarus, the first steps in implementing projects of non-traditional energy sources were also not easy: there was a lack of practical knowledge, experience and technologies for producing biogas. Investors were not sufficiently interested in the implementation of such projects; everything rested only on the initiative of the government and was not always supported by the management of enterprises. Because For our country, this period has already passed; it was useful for our Russian colleagues to hear about our example.

What events have been organized by our government to develop alternative energy in Belarus?

Kuzmich G.V.: It is very important that, since the 90s, the state has contributed in every possible way to increasing energy efficiency and creating small-scale generation. Among the active actions taken by the government, it is worth noting:
. Creation of the Department of Energy Efficiency (initially the Energy Saving Committee). The department has carried out and is currently carrying out very important functions: it coordinates all activities in the field of energy efficiency, controls all departments and enterprises in matters of increasing energy efficiency, distributes the innovation fund for projects and, importantly, creates a counterbalance to the Ministry of Energy in matters of distributed generation. In Russia, one of the reasons for the weak development of small-scale and non-traditional energy is the strong lobby from the Ministry of Energy.

. Good legal framework:
- Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Energy Saving” dated July 15, 1998;
- Directive of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 3 of June 14, 2007;
- Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Renewable Energy Sources” December 27, 2010, No. 204-3;
- State programs covering mini-CHP; facilities operating on MW, peat, biogas; wind turbines, etc.;
. Financing of energy efficiency measures through the investment fund of the Ministry of Energy, contributions to which are included in the electricity tariff;
. Obtaining loans from the World Bank under government guarantees for the implementation of energy efficiency measures;
. Application of various incentive mechanisms: benefits, tariffs and guarantees:
- Exemption from customs duties and import VAT on energy efficient equipment;
- Guaranteed connection to power grids with the possibility of selling electricity to the grid;
- In the case of renewable energy sources - connection at the nearest point without additional capital costs for upgrading existing networks and substations;
- Application of increasing coefficients when selling electricity to the system: for the first 10 years from the date of commissioning of equipment, increasing coefficients are set at 1.3 for renewable sources, and for mini-CHPs using natural gas, a coefficient of 0.85 is applied to the tariff of industrial consumers.

What fruits did such state policy bring?

Kuzmich G.V.: Thanks to the above-mentioned actions on the part of the state, Belarus has achieved good results over the past 15 years:
. Energy intensity of GDP decreased by 55%;
. In 2010, natural gas accounted for 73% in the structure of fuel and energy resources;
. A huge number of mini-CHPs using natural gas, boiler houses and mini-CHPs using biomass have been built. Only from 2006 to 2010. mini-CHP with a total capacity of 300 MW was introduced (without sources from the Ministry of Energy);
. Almost all boiler houses in district and partly in regional cities have been converted to use biomass. From 2006 to 2010 total installed 1125 MW 1508 pcs. such boilers.
What achievements in general, excluding our company’s projects, have been achieved in the field of renewable energy in Belarus?

Kuzmich G.V.: I’ll start in order:
. Hydropower: 40 - 50 mini-hydroelectric power stations from 0.1 to 1 MW have been restored. At the moment, the construction of the Grodno hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 17 MW is underway. It is planned to build 4-5 hydroelectric power stations with a capacity of 15-25 MW;
. Biogas from manure and food waste:
- 3 complexes were built using manure: cattle, pigs, poultry;
- 1 complex was built on post-alcohol stillage,
- about 15 bioenergy complexes are currently in the design and construction stage, including 4.8 MW in the Rassvet agricultural complex;
. Landfill gas:
- The Trostenets landfill gas utilization complex with an electrical capacity of 2 MW has been operating for 2 years.
- 8 landfill projects are in the design and construction stage (all projects are implemented through foreign investment);
- Since 2011, another foreign investor began its activities in Belarus - the Swedish company Vireo Energy. This company is constructing 4 facilities at solid waste landfills in Orsha (electric power - 0.6 MW), Novopolotsk (electric power - 1.5 MW), Vitebsk (electric power - 2 MW) and Gomel (electric power - 2 MW). Project documentation is also developed by ENEKA ODO. Vireo Energy has an interest in implementing projects in Russia, in particular in St. Petersburg;
. Wind power: 3 windmills were installed: power 0.25; 0.6 and 1.5 MW. It is planned to build 7 wind farms;
. In addition to all this, there are also pilot projects on solar and geothermal energy, but Belarus has little potential for these resources.
I can’t believe that all the projects were so successfully implemented. Traditional question: What were the difficulties that our country faced in implementing the path described above?
Kuzmich G.V.: Yes, there were difficulties, as in any business. I would highlight:

. The excesses of the planned approach, as a result of which the most effective technologies were not always selected. Sometimes there was a formal implementation of the task for reporting, incorrect selection of capacities (an approach without taking into account the characteristics of each object separately). A solution to this problem could be the introduction of quality indicators when planning and selecting technologies; high-quality pre-design work; . Insufficient efficiency due to lack of experience: biogas projects operate at 50-75% of nominal. The Trostenets landfill project produces an electrical capacity of 2 MW instead of the planned 3 MW. The solution to this problem for biogas projects may be the responsibility of technology and equipment suppliers, which should extend to the quantity and quality of the biogas produced. Further biological support of projects is very important; . Lack of strategic planning. In this case, a solution to the problem may be to involve third-party consulting companies for strategic planning. In turn, the Energy Efficiency Department must coordinate and control quality planning and decisions made. Currently, our country is faced with the fact that there are still many projects in the field of renewable energy, the necessary pre-investment work has been carried out on many, but there are not enough investment resources. Therefore, more and more conditions are being created in Belarus to attract foreign investors to renewable energy projects (mini-CHP using biogas from biomass, manure, food industry waste, etc., construction of wind farms).

Pleskach Anna Engineer 1st category ODO "ENEKA" Manager of ODO "ENEKA" Grigory Kuzmich