CONFERENCES FOCUSES ON RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

An international round-table titled “Legislation and practices of supporting the development of renewable sources of energy: national and foreign experience” was held in Tashkent.

It was organized by the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan jointly with the national and foreign partners, including the OSCE project coordinator in Uzbekistan, representative office of the World Bank in our country and others. Taking part in the event were deputies and senators of the Oliy Majlis, experts fr om Austria, Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, Russia and other countries, staff members of diplomatic representative offices and international organizations accredited in Uzbekistan, ministries and departments and NGOs.

The forum participants visited the Parkent district of the Tashkent region, wh ere they were able to acquaint themselves with the activities of the scientific-experimental center under the “Physics of the Sun” Scientific-Production Association. The International Institute of Solar Energy had been set up on the basis of the center jointly with the Asian Development Bank in 2013, which was turned into a regional center for conducting research activities with the objective of elaborating promising technologies on the utilization of solar energy.

The round-table in Tashkent set the platform for pooling experience and the best practices in the field of designing different types of renewable sources of energy (RSE), utilization of new technologies and involvement of civil society institutions in the elaboration and discussion of draft normative and legal acts regulating the utilization of renewable sources of energy and ensuring scientific and financial management in the process of implementation of such projects in this sphere.

The conference participants stressed that under the current level of energy consumption of energy resources the world oil reserves would hardly last for more than 45 years, those of gas – 70 years, and coal – 160 years. There have emerged global energy problems during the last decade on account of mass utilization of traditional hydrocarbon resources of the planet – climate change, destruction of ozone layer, etc. Other sources of alternative energy and, in the first place, the RES acquire greater significance under these conditions. Their utilization turns into an important factor of innovative development. Specifically, they increase energy efficiency, create new jobs and improve the quality of life.

The round-table participants admitted that Uzbekistan undertakes all necessary activities to join the ranks of leading countries, which develop the alternative energy sources. The large-scale utilization of RSE is one of the major priorities on the road of transition of the Republic’s economy on to the innovation track and the ecologically clean technologies.

Such renewable sources of energy as resources of the Sun, wind, minor hydropower stations, biomass and geothermal energy are key ones for our country. According to expert opinion, the possibilities for utilization of RSE in the Republic are equivalent to 51 billion tons of oil. The currently existing technologies provide an opportunity to generate energy equivalent to 179 million tons of oil, which exceeds three times over the volume of fuel extracted in the country.

A solid normative-legal foundation has been set up for the development of power energy during the years of independence. More than 20 normative-legal acts have been passed in this sphere and program of action is being implemented for the years 2015-2019. It was noted at the same time at the “round-table” discussion that the legislative and legal basis in the sphere of RSE requires its further advancement, preparation and adoption of special legislative acts, which should reflect economic, financial and management-administrative support mechanisms with the utilization of renewable sources of energy. And the legal acts too should contain a system of motivating factors for the introduction of new resource-saving, ecologically pure technologies and modern equipment, as well as high culture of energy-consumption bоth in the manufacturing sphere and in the sphere of daily household consumption.

With this aim in view the Republic is in the process of elaborating a draft Law “On the renewable sources of energy”, which will turn into a legal foundation for regulating relations in this sphere, will enable to concretize the basic principles of the State policy, and, on top of that, will regulate the mechanism for stimulating the utilization of RSE, and will specify the forms of citizens’ self-government bodies’ and the NGOs involvement in the activities on their utilizations.

A significant number of solar photovoltaic stations, low power wind-solar electric power plants and hot water solar production systems have been commissioned in the Republic in recent years. For example, a mobile autonomous solar power stations with a capacity of 1.2 MWt was turned over for operation in Bukhara region, which is sufficient for stable supply of a small township with a population of several thousand people. A pilot project is in progress in the Samarkand region jointly with the Asian Development Bank on the construction of a 100 MWt capacity photovoltaic plant.

The wind-energy resource potential of the Republic makes up more than 520 GWt according to specialists, which in the perspective will promote the satisfaction of the country’s demand in electric energy.

The Republic has set up a technological base for the manufacture of and servicing the RSE equipment. Currently about 50 economically active entities possess technologies for their manufacture.

The civil society institutions are being actively involved in the process of implementing the State policy on the development of renewable sources of energy. Dozens of projects have been realized by them in recent years on the creation of pilot installations for generation of renewable sources of energy in the protected natural reserves and social facilities in different regions of the county.

Foreign experts speaking at the round-table discussion spoke about the experiences of their respective countries on the introduction of renewable energy technologies, their utilization and rendered support.

“The issues of utilization of renewable sources of energy have moved from the field of scientific research and experimental developments into the sphere of their practical application in our Republic, while the solar power generation and such other types of RES should become quite competitive ones and the cleanest way for power generation,” said deputy speaker of the lower chamber of parliament Boriy Alikhonov. “The recently held “round-table” discussion will give an impetus to the development of RSE in our country, expand knowledge in this field and facilitate the delivery of the national experience to the broad circles of the public in the country and overseas.”

“Uzbekistan displays tremendous attention to renewable energy,” noted senior advisor of the OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan Hans Ulrich Im. “The bright example of this is a construction of several photovoltaic plants in the Republic. The OSCE does support this important initiative. For example, we had organized a number of study and training visits of your country’s specialists to the states with the highly advanced level of renewable energy development. A successful implementation of two joint projects is going on currently in this sphere. Hopefully, our cooperation will be continued.”

“Your country possesses tremendous potential in the utilization f renewable energy,” stressed staff member of the Energy Charter secretariat (Belgium) Marat Terterov. “And, if the “shale revolution has resulted in a boom in hydrocarbon production in the USA, then why not the “solar revolution” to happen in Uzbekistan? But for this Uzbekistan needs the support of its International partners for attracting investments and new technologies for the utilization of solar energy.”

UZBEKISTAN TODAY