The head of the Crimea, S. Aksenov, admitted that it is possible to develop alternative energy in the region only with state support, as the construction and maintenance of solar and wind power plants costs a pretty penny.
The head of the Crimea, S. Aksenov, admitted that it is possible to develop alternative energy in the region only with state support, as the construction and maintenance of solar and wind power plants costs a pretty penny.
S. Aksyonov told journalists about this on May 16, 2016, holding a kind of press conference on the remnants of the former glory of Ukraine - in the village of Chernomorskoye in the area of the Tarkhankut wind farm (WPP)
It was here that back in the days (as the Crimeans say) of Ukraine, the Tarkhankut wind farm was built, on which wind turbines of various capacities were used - from 100 kW to 2.5 MW.
S. Aksyonov admitted that the WPP does not work, since wind energy is the most expensive thing in the world today.
So far, there is no need to talk about a breakthrough in the wind energy of the Crimea.
Wind power is still one of the most expensive in production.
Even during the blackout, we could not use it,” S. Aksyonov explained and added that with the current tariffs, the development of wind energy in Crimea is possible only with the support of state programs.
During the limitation of electricity supply in the Crimea since November 2015, power engineers tried, in addition to traditional sources, to use the existing capacities of solar and wind energy.
However, it was almost impossible to do this due to the instability of the alternative generation.
We add that today there are several wind farms in Crimea, of which the largest are Tarkhankutskaya, Donuzlavskaya, Sakskaya and Sudakskaya.
It would not be superfluous to recall that the problem with alternative energy in Crimea arose long ago.
Exactly one year ago - in May 2015 officials were deciding what to do with solar power plants (SPS), which had accumulated debts of 40 billion rubles.
Then officials from the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation shrugged their shoulders - there are 6 solar power plants in Crimea with a total capacity of 407 MW, which have debts.
After the return of Crimea to Russia, SES electricity tariffs decreased from the green tariff of 26.8 rubles / kWh to the usual tariff of 3.4 rubles / kWh, and subsidies were not introduced.
This made the activities of the SES unprofitable.
Moreover, in May 2014, S Aksenov accused the Austrian Activ Solar, the owner of the solar power plant, of fraud.
Offended, Activ Solar then stopped the work of the solar power plant.
In 2015, a hopeless situation developed on the peninsula - solar power plant operators could not pay installments on loans for the construction of solar power plant.
The total debt of the Crimean SES to VTB, Sberbank and VEB as of May 2015 amounted to 45 billion rubles.
Then the officials were looking for different ways out of the delicate situation - to subsidize the new tariff or write off debts.
It should be noted that the fate of the solar power plant in Crimea still resonates with pain in the hearts of officials from the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation.
Meanwhile, back in 2016, A. Novak stated that the development of green energy using renewable sources (RES) would require investments in the amount of 561 billion rubles by 2020.
It was supposed to increase the power of RES from 0.9 to 2.5% per 6 GW of total generation.
However, if in Russia alternative energy is not yet encouraging with indicators, then in other countries there are such indicators.
Wind power is considered 2nd most attractive on investments among RES after solar.
Investments in wind energy in the world in 2015 amounted to 110 million US dollars against 161 billion US dollars invested in solar energy.
According to the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), Germany (45 GW), Spain (23 GW), the UK (13.6 GW) and France (10.4 GW) had the largest wind power capacity in 2015.
Oil was still cheap, and renewable energy had not yet become the favorite toy of Western society, when the first Soviet solar power plant (SPP) was opened in Crimea in 1986.
The Crimean SPP was built as a backup source of electricity for the Crimean NPP. It was a choice for the future, because there was enough coal, oil and gas in the USSR.
The prospect disappeared along with the closure of the Crimean NPP project and the death of the Union.
In the early 90s, the Crimean SES was closed, having managed to generate about 2 million kWh of electricity. To date, the ruins of the tower and a huge field with fragments of mirrors and installations have remained from the SES.
The revival of solar energy in Crimea happened unexpectedly. In 2010, Activ Solar began construction of several SPPs on the peninsula. The surprise was associated with the perfect economic unprofitability of SES at the present stage of technology development. SES is, on the one hand, a tribute to the environmental movement, on the other hand, an attempt to work out the technologies of the future, when the price of fossil fuels will increase many times over. In this regard, the leading countries of the world strive to gain experience in the construction and operation of solar power plants. But for poor Ukraine, and even more so for Crimea, the idea of building a solar power plant is more than strange. In 2010, Crimea was included in the unified energy system of Ukraine and received cheap electricity from the southeast, which was generated at coal-fired TPPs. Electricity was supplied to the peninsula without interruption, it was enough for the needs of the population and economy of the Crimea. There was no need to create a large-scale economically untenable project.
However, in 2012, the Council of Ministers of Crimea allocated 538.8 hectares of land free of charge to firms associated with Activ Solar, which allowed the installation of plants with a total capacity of about 270 MW.
The Activ Solar project, which has no economic justification, could be considered in two aspects - corruption and image.
The world media called the actual owner of the Activ Solar company, registered in Austria, the ex-Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Andriy Klyuev. Activ Solar itself received significant cheap loans from state-owned banks in Ukraine.
Another side of the Activ Solar project could be related to the positioning of Ukraine in Europe. For Ukraine, which aspired to the EU, it was important to show that it corresponds to many concepts of Europeans, in particular, it develops renewable energy.
In Crimea, Activ Solar built 4 solar power plants in Rodnikovo, Okhotnikovo, Perovo and Mityaevo. Two of them - in Okhotnikovo / with a capacity of 82.65 MW / and Perovo / 105.56 MW / - are among the ten largest solar power plants in the world.
Solar power plant near the village. Okhotnikovo with a power of 80 megawatts has become the 7th power station in the world. In the spring of 2014 in the Crimea, it was planned to launch an even stronger station near the village. Perov.
In Crimea, Activ Solar built and operated 407 MW of solar power plants (of which 227.3 MW are connected to the grid).
The peninsula has a truly unique combination of conditions for the development of solar energy. A large number of sunny days a year, but a fairly high payment of the population and industrial enterprises. Therefore, unlike the deserts of Arizona or the Sahara, there is no need to transmit electricity over hundreds and thousands of kilometers - the consumer of Crimean solar electricity is nearby. But unlike densely populated Europe, Crimea has enough free space for fields of solar panels. There are especially many areas suitable for solar energy in the central steppe part of the peninsula.
The lack of solar energy in Crimea is one, it is identical to the lack of all the "green" energy of our time - high price, low profitability of solar power plants.
Modern alternative energy is cost-effective at energy prices over $100-$110 per barrel of oil.
In Europe, green energy providers receive subsidies from governments as part of the EU's 20-20 energy development programme. SES of Crimea also received certain subsidies.
The work of the Crimean solar power plants was ensured by increased payments from the energy market of Ukraine - the "green tariff". It was introduced in Ukraine in 2009, for solar power plants it was 0.446 euros per kWh, which was already 8.64 times the retail price for Ukrainian consumers (0.054 euros per kWh). The "green tariff" was 5 times higher than the average selling price for the population and tens of times the cost of electricity generated by nuclear power plants.
In modern realities, the "feed-in tariff" is an order of magnitude higher than the current price on the Russian wholesale energy market.
The accession of Crimea to Russia changed the situation in the republic, and already on April 1, Activ Solar stopped the operation of all its SPPs in the territory of Crimea.
Formally, the stations are turned off due to the uncertain political and economic situation. In fact, they were turned off because consumers refused to purchase expensive solar energy.
It soon turned out that Activ Solar owed about $300 million only to Russian state-owned banks (Sberbank, VTB and Vnesheconombank). The debts of Activ Solar to the banks of Ukraine and the EU are unknown.
As of August 2014, Activ Solar is likely to become the property of creditors - state-owned banks in Russia. However, the absence of a "green tariff" for electricity makes the operation of the Crimean SPP unprofitable.
According to Acting Head of the Republic of Crimea Sergey Aksyonov a, Crimea does not intend to introduce a "feed-in tariff", since "it is more profitable to invest in traditional power plants operating on fuel oil, on gas." Moreover, Aksyonov described the Activ Solar project as fraudulent and harmful to the republic.
Federal officials agree with the acting head of the Crimea. Moscow says that it is counting on the supply of electricity from Ukraine, but if Ukrainian producers refuse to supply, then the peninsula's power generation will be based on medium-capacity oil-fired power plants.
In theory, the development of solar energy in Crimea is very promising, but it should be economically feasible.
The development of solar energy on the peninsula has two main directions.
Industrial, associated with the construction of powerful power plants.
Household - the operation of solar in an individual household. This direction allows you to significantly reduce the cost of electricity and water supply for specific apartments and houses. This type of solar energy is widespread in the Middle East. So in far from poor Israel, water heating tanks are on all houses.
It is possible to start developing individual energy production in the short term. This requires explanatory work by the authorities of the republic on the importance and economic efficiency of solar panels and solar boilers for the home. It is also necessary to build demonstration sites with solar panels and boilers.
But the industrial production of electricity in the Crimea is hardly possible. Solar power plants are not economically viable; Crimean industrialists have at their disposal cheaper and more reliable sources of electricity - supplies from the Donbass, the development of thermal energy using local Crimean gas or imported fuel oil. In Russia, there is no federal program for the development of solar energy, so government subsidies to producers of "green" energy should not be expected.
Most likely, the modern Crimean SES will suffer the fate of their predecessor Shchelkovo SES. They will be closed due to unprofitability, and their equipment will be sold. This is how this environmental scam ends.
Photo: ITAR-TASS / Valery Sharifulin.
Many people ask me questions, you have probably already looked at all the hydroelectric power stations and thermal power plants, they are all the same, how are you not tired of it yet? But I still can’t calm down, already, like an energy-consuming, collecting stations in its own way, and again, and again I beg to visit them, fortunately, there is still where to roam. So this summer, to the detriment of my vacation in the Crimea, I asked for another power plant, and not a simple one, but a solar one (SPP), by the way, I was also at this type of station for the first time. I am very happy for the Crimeans that on December 2 the first line of the energy bridge to the Crimea was launched, let the set pace continue and they will never have such energy crises again, and the entire energy system of the Republic of Crimea will work like clockwork. It is precisely in this system that solar power plants play an important role, so today I will show the very first large photovoltaic station on the peninsula - Rodnikovoe SPP.
SES "Rodnikovoe" is located in the Simferopol region, 3 km from Simferopol, near the village of Rodnikovoe in the Crimea. It provides electricity to nearby villages: Rodnikovo, Arkadyevka, Kubanskoye and Novy Mir. The total capacity of the station is 7.5 megawatts, it produces about 9,700 megawatt-hours of electricity per year.
The place for the construction of the SPP here was not chosen by chance. Here, the most optimal level of solar irradiation and the number of hours of sunshine per year, plus the necessary infrastructure, were observed, all this made it possible to launch the station in February 2011 (the first 2.5 MW were launched back in 2010). Due to its launch, carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere have been reduced to at least 7,842 tons per year. The Austrian company Activ Solar GmbH (Activ Solar GmbH) acted as the project operator. As I already said, this was the first pilot project, back then in Ukraine, after which this story began to scale.
SES "Rodnikovoe" occupies an area of 15 hectares, on which 32,600 such polycrystalline modules manufactured by Yingli Solar (China), stationary mounting are installed.
The principle of operation of the station is quite simple. All modules are directed strictly to the south, at an angle of 25 degrees. Solar radiation, falling on the module, undergoes a physical transformation through a diode bridge, where these rays are converted into direct current. Further, all this is summed up through the series-parallel circuits, getting 1000 volts DC to the inverter. Here he already converts this stream into 315 volts AC and 50 Hz. Then, with the help of a transformer, it is increased to 10,000 kV and then issued to the Krymenergo network.
8. This station is served by only three people.
10. All process dynamics online 
Many thanks to the press service of the Ministry of Fuel and Energy of the Republic of Crimea and personally to Ksenia Drygailo for organizing my visit.
More about energy in Crimea:
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Rostec failed to deliver power plants in Crimea worth 71 billion rubles on time. and for the third time proposed to postpone the launch of Balaklavskaya in Sevastopol and Tauride in Simferopol to the spring of 2019. The state corporation had problems with contractors and Rostekhnadzor. RBC was told about this by two people who are familiar with the top managers of Technopromexport, a subsidiary of Rostec and the construction contractor. The information was confirmed by a representative of the Ministry of Energy.
Photo: Alexey Malgavko / RIA Novosti
Balaklava and Tavricheskaya TPPs will consist of two blocks of 235 MW each (the total capacity of the two power plants is 940 MW), the first blocks of both stations were supposed to be launched on September 1, 2018, the second - on October 1 and November 1. However, the first units were launched a month late (October 1), and so far they are working in the commissioning mode. The units will be put into operation after the paperwork is completed, a spokesman for the Ministry of Energy said. Most likely, this will happen in the 20th of December, said a source close to Technopromexport. In October-November, power units were loaded when there was such an opportunity, and sometimes they did not give out power to the network at all, says a source close to one of the relevant departments.
The “daughter” of “Rostec” will be able to launch the second two power units of the Crimean power plants only in the spring of next year, most likely in March, two people who are familiar with the top managers of Technopromexport told RBC, and a source close to this company confirmed.
The government is aware of the delays in the commissioning of power units and the postponement of the launch to next year, Ilya Dzhus, a representative of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak (in charge of energy issues), told RBC. He added that so far the schedule for the implementation of the measures of the federal target program for the development of Crimea has not changed, but its adjustment is possible.
There are several reasons for the transfer of power units, one of them is Rostekhnadzor's claims to the construction of the first power units, one of RBC's interlocutors said. Rostekhnadzor found violations during the construction of "auxiliary buildings and structures included in the first launch complex", construction and installation work has not yet been completed, a representative of this department told RBC. Rostekhnadzor had comments on gas outlets and networks for the first units, Deputy Energy Minister Andrey Cherezov explained earlier.
Rostekhnadzor has no claims to the second phases of power plants, a representative of the agency said. But Krymenergo State Unitary Enterprise has not yet built a power distribution scheme for connecting second power units to the power grid, explains one of RBC's interlocutors. The main problem is with the networks for the Simferopol TPP, a source told RBC. The auction for the modernization of seven substations to connect these power units was announced by Krymenergo only in May 2018, Interfax reported with reference to the public procurement website. The term of work is up to 18 months, according to the technical documentation.
The Ministry of Energy has repeatedly offered Crimea to transfer the construction of both grid and gas infrastructure to the federal level, but the head of the region, Sergei Aksenov, refused, explaining that it was necessary to load local companies with contracts and provide jobs for Crimeans, two federal officials and one Crimean told RBC.
According to experts, Crimea can produce six gigawatts of electricity every year from renewable sources. However, the industry, which used to be actively developing, today is barely making ends meet. Investors say that without "green tariffs" it has become economically inexpedient to invest in such projects.
On the peninsula, out of 630 MW of total installed capacity of power plants, almost 500 are renewable energy. But these are long-term implemented projects, but there are no new ones.
The main problem of solar power plants today is low tariffs, says Crimean Fuel and Energy Minister Vadim Belik. - When the "green tariff" was in effect, one kilowatt of electricity generated by them cost 25-30 rubles, today Krymenergo buys electricity from solar stations at an average of 2.07 rubles.
At the end of 2013, we put into operation the only solar station in the region, in 2014 we re-registered the enterprise, and then we faced a lot of problems. Today, the station does not pay for itself, - Vladimir Gubanov, director of S.Energy-Sevastopol LLC, confirms the problem.
It is noteworthy that a small solar station itself usually consumes almost five percent of the generated energy. It seems to be not much, but she has to buy electricity at a price twice as expensive as selling the generated electricity: in the summer she supplied her goods to the network at 2.74 rubles per kilowatt-hour, in October - at 3.14, and for her needs she bought 5 .6 rubles. And it is impossible not to buy, because imported transformers and equipment need a certain frequency and direct current, while the station generates electricity only during daylight hours.
The project was an investment - we invested ten million dollars in the construction of the station, - says Gubanov. - It should have paid off in 6-7 years thanks to the "green tariff" (about 18 rubles). Now the tariff is 3.14 rubles, so investments at such prices will return in 30-40 years. So far, at best, we are working to zero. Naturally, there is no need to think about any development in such conditions, we do not buy new equipment, we only have enough money to pay salaries to employees and taxes.
Even a specially installed device for selecting maximum power and matching photovoltaic modules, developed at Sevastopol State University, did not help to make a profit. The device allows in late autumn, winter and early spring, when the stations operate in conditions of partial blackout, to receive 75 percent more electricity than usual at this time. Thanks to this installation, the efficiency of the solar station has increased by 60 percent.
The Department of Renewable Energy Sources, Electrical Systems and Networks was established 15 years ago, when alternative energy was actively developing in the Crimea, - said its head Vladimir Kuvshinov. - Our developments have always been in demand. The latest project we are working on is an offshore wind farm that generates electricity for a desalination plant. I hope it will be useful to investors if renewable energy in Crimea receives a second development. But this will happen if the problem with tariffs is solved. In Europe, for example, there is a tariff of almost 0.5 eurocents per kilowatt-hour (about 35 rubles), so there is a boom in the construction of solar power plants. If we introduced such a tariff, investors would build up all the free areas.
The renewable energy of the Crimea has good prospects, - says Rashid Artikov, a member of the Presidium of the Expert Council of the Working Group of the Federation Council. - Indeed, now the sphere is unprofitable for investment due to the lack of "green tariffs", but the working group on ecology under the government of the Russian Federation and the association of green standards are actively working to ensure that they are introduced. And not only for the Crimea, but for the whole of Russia.
By the way
2017 was a real breakthrough in the field of alternative energy. For example, Sungrow has opened the world's largest floating power plant in eastern China, which receives energy from the sun. In May, it was successfully connected to the power grids of the city of Huainan, 800 kilometers south of Beijing. The capacity of the power plant reaches 40 megawatts, which makes it the most powerful facility of its kind in the world. And in May, in Liverpool Bay, near the British Isles, the world's largest offshore wind farm, Burbo Bank, was launched. Its total capacity will exceed 350 megawatts. This will ensure a stable supply of electricity to 230,000 households in Foggy Albion.