SOLAR ENERGY SECTOR’S POSSIBILITIES

A round table conversation has been held by the Commerce and Industry Chamber of Uzbekistan in the capital city on prospects for the development of the solar energy sector of Uzbekistan. The event was attended by representatives of the relevant ministries and departments as well as business entities and scientists.

A.Shaykhov, the chairman of the Commerce and Industry Chamber of Uzbekistan, and others have said that the rational and efficient use of energy resources and the development of renewable energy sources are important factors in the steady development of the country’s economy and in the ensuring of the population’s prosperity.

The presidential decree dated 5 May 2015 “On reducing energy intensiveness in the economy’s branches and the social sphere and a programme of measures for the introduction of energy-saving technologies in the years 2015-2019” is an important programme document in this area.

Decreasing the use of energy in the production of goods, quickly developing alternative energy sources, widening the production of modern energy-saving machine tools, equipment and materials and ensuring energy efficiency in the construction of new buildings and in the reconstruction of existing buildings are the main areas of work here.

In terms of geographic location and weather Uzbekistan has uniquely favourable conditions. This country is ahead of many other countries of the world for the number of sunny days per year. Moreover, this country has a substantial scientific-technical base for solar energy development and highly qualified technical personnel.

Special attention is being paid in the country to replacing physically and morally obsolete production facilities by modern energy-saving technologies and to widely popularizing the use of alternative energy sources in implementing new projects.

Work is in progress on the development of alternative energy sources such as sunlight, wind and water and on the further expansion of integrated solar-thermal electric power stations.

The Commerce and Industry Chamber of Uzbekistan arranged a number of conferences and training seminars with the attraction of international experts on this area, and systemic work is being carried out on studying advanced international experience in the introduction of alternative energy sources and the use of energy-saving technologies.

During the round-table conversation, the necessity of more effectively using existing possibilities in the development of alternative energy sources and further strengthening relations between science sector and business representatives was noted.

UzA