Assessment of the effectiveness of the introduction of renewable energy facilities as part of the transition to an energy-efficient economy in the agrarian regions of the Russian Federation

Summary. The legislative and investment initiatives of agrarian regions of the Russian Federation occupying the top lines of the investment rating in the field of renewable energy were analyzed to select the practices that should be adopted by less successful regions.

Introduction. The introduction of renewable energy power plants into regional energy systems is an important stage in the implementation of Russian energy strategy for the period until 2030, however, not all regions are successful in this task. Some of Russian agricultural regions are more successful than others at integrating renewable energy into their energy system. Agrarian regions that have rich climatic potential but that are not included in the lists of leaders in the field of renewable energy sources, such as, for example, the Krasnodar region, can borrow successful experience in introduction of regional economic programs to support renewable energy sources and in their legal support. In order to adopt the experience and best practices of the regions of the Russian Federation most successful in introduction of installations based on renewable energy sources into their energy balance it is necessary to determine in which aspects of the introduction of renewable energy sources into their energy balance these regions have succeeded.

Object. Renewable energy power plants as an element of the regional energy system.

Materials and methods. Methods of statistical processing, fundamentals of electrical engineering and energetics were used when conducting research and making calculations. For the purposes of the study, seven agricultural regions occupying the top lines of the RREDA ranking were selected, namely Krasnodar region, Rostov region, Stavropol region, Astrakhan region, Republic of Kalmykia, Volgograd region and Orenburg region. To borrow the experience and best practices of the regions of the Russian Federation that most successfully implement installations based on renewable energy sources into their energy balance, the following assessment criteria were identified: renewable energy potential of the region, installed capacity of renewable energy equipment, share of renewable energy sources in fulfillment of regional demand, energy generated per 1 MW of installed capacity.

Results and conclusions. Based on the criteria chosen in the methodology, we should highlight Republic of Kalmykia, in which it was possible to use the high potential of renewable energy resources to bring the region from a deep energy deficiency to energy neutrality, and Stavropol region, in which, under less favorable climatic conditions, it was possible to achieve high energy generation per 1 MW of installed capacity and the largest energy production from renewable energy installations among the regions.

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