Not so long ago, in Russian realities, it was revealed that the use of distributed generation contributes to the improvement of industrial productivity. Therefore, this industry is gaining momentum in the country's economy.
About the current situation
At the moment, the energy sector is in a difficult position. According to official data, the depreciation of transmission lines in the EU was 25%, and substations - 45%. 40% of heating networks are in need of repair, and 15% are in extremely poor condition.
In Russia
Energy saving in the Russian Federation is distinguished by new areas of activity. And first of all, this is expressed in the increasingly frequently used sources of distributed generation. This concept refers to small energy facilities less than 25 MW. Distributed generation installations cope with the tasks of local power supply for individual buildings and areas. In addition to standard energy sources (coal, fuel oil, gas), this also includes alternative types.
New Features
Distributed generationelectricity is relevant in a wide variety of organizations. It is also used in the service sector (in hotels, sanatoriums), and at agricultural facilities. At the moment, legal entities in the country are trying to mobilize the resources they have, while minimizing costs. And electricity is a fairly large expense item. The development of distributed generation is an excellent way out for enterprises. This is especially true for the largest industrial enterprises. From the point of view of specialists, distributed generation facilities are saving many industrialists in the course of changing the situation in the energy sector of the provinces.
However, at the moment they make up only a share of 8% in the power industry of the state. The niche of distributed energy generation is beginning to form. Positive examples of its development are rare. One of the brightest objects is the point of small distributed generation in the Sredneuralsky copper smelter.
Projects for its construction were implemented using funds raised from investors. Further, the owner implemented the operation of the distributed generation facility on the basis of an energy service contract. An important condition for a positive future of the electric power industry is the saving of the resource base. When the energy service contract ends, the distributed generation facility becomes the property of the organization. This happens after 9 years, and then the organization itself uses the object. Such a scheme serves as an excellent tool for innovative support of distributed generation. It should be used throughoutRussian Federation.
About green sources
Opening sources of distributed generation through the signing of such agreements leads to the fact that the organization practically does not spend its resources. In addition, the interest of investors lies in the fact that the source works efficiently. This conclusion is confirmed by the experience of the Sredneuralsk copper smelter. At the moment, the station is loaded by 92% on average per year. And when the agreement expires, the organization will own its own mini-CHP, which will operate for at least 20 years. Increasing popularity is evidenced by the increasing frequency of distributed generation-related LLCs. So, one such society appeared in Rostov. Distributed Generation LLC is engaged in the transmission and distribution of steam and hot water, as well as 102 other areas of activity.
In cases where, after the expiration of the agreement with the investor, the company cannot use the source of distributed generation, the agreement is extended. And she continues to save on energy resources.
Design of distributed generation is carried out in such a way that during the transfer of the product, energy is lost in minimal quantities. Also, the efficiency of modern power plants is more than 90%. Mini-CHPs remain more environmentally friendly. Designing distributed generation allows you to achieve a minimum of noise during the operation of objects. Harmful substances are practically not emitted. This is due to the associateddistributed trend generation.
For block-modular variation does not require a large area. It is combined with a minimum of construction work. Distributed generation in Russia is increasingly represented by installations of this type. Block-modular objects are considered the most reliable.
New technological order
Given the difficulties associated with raising funds for the construction of large power plants, the construction of a mini-CHP seems to be an increasingly attractive and effective action. Eurosibenergo-Distributed Generation LLC is very popular. This organization is engaged in the distribution of steam and hot water, and also operates in 20 areas. Eurosibenergo-Distributed Generation LLC has two branches - in Krasnoyarsk and Nizhny Novgorod.
At the moment, the company directs purchases to satisfy its divisions, including subsidiaries. EuroSibEnergo-Distributed Generation LLC (Nizhny Novgorod and Krasnoyarsk branches) is interested in mutually beneficial relations with partners. In order for the work on this aspect to be fruitful, a page on tenders was published on the official website of the enterprise. Eurosibenergo-Distributed Generation LLC announces its purchases throughout the year, publishing them in the appropriate section on the website.
And this is not the only large company operating in this area. LLC Inter RAO - Distributed Generation is a large holding engaged in increasing economic activity in the Russian Federation. He is actively contributing todevelopment of new energy. LLC "Inter RAO - Distributed Generation" has gone from an intermediary to the largest energy company.
Difficulties
However, there are several difficulties in introducing mini-CHP. Often, the relationship between large and distributed energy comes to a standstill. This was expressed at the II All-Russian conference "Development of small distributed energy in Russia". The thing is that the cost of electricity has become unprofitable, it is growing. Large energy does not attract much investment, and the bulk of the money comes from the state - about 85%. And most importantly, there is no launch of competition, since there is a centralized energy sector. If you do not change the number of intermediaries, then it will not appear. The conference participants came to the conclusion that this issue is resolved by distributed generation. It is she who grows at the expense of private initiatives, and sells the final product at a real price.
Worldwide
In many countries there is a trend towards the use of distributed energy sources. The Russian Federation has just embarked on this path, but in its most remote areas it is distributed generation that will become the point of growth for the energy industry. At the moment, issues are being resolved about using it in public utilities to compensate for production costs.
Properly applied distributed energy will unlock the country's energy potential and have the most positive impact on the Russian economy. Now, if in the world the share of small generationwas 10-20%, then in Russia it took 1.5%.
About laws
For the development of this area, legislative norms are needed that would regulate this area. The development of distributed generation in the Russian Federation is characterized by spontaneity, and this does not affect the efficiency for the better. The actions of consumers and suppliers are not coordinated.
In order for the process to be regulated by legislation, one of two options must be implemented. The first assumes that it is necessary to make adjustments to the current legislation by creating a section on distributed generation. And the second provides for the creation of a new Federal Law so that it will reflect all the necessary terms and norms.
It is important that the law regulate the modes of operation of small thermal power plants, the nuances in their activities, and so on. To date, about 50,000 sources of small-scale energy are operating in the country, and their number is steadily growing. Consumers form demand for them, which leads to diversification in this industry. When a law regulating the activities of mini-CHPs is developed, a number of packages from the Government of the Russian Federation and federal authorities will be needed. All these documents will determine prices, stimulate the development of distributed generation.
About platforms
The transition to distributed energy is hardly tracked by the state. There are no official statistics, and without these data, policy making is impossible. There is only the most general information that mini-CHPs are underdeveloped. Therefore, at the confederation, the general director of APBE CJSC emphasized that, first of all, everyoneit is necessary to fill this industry, and only then introduce large generation facilities to ensure that demand is covered. Russian realities are different in that centralization in the energy sector has manifested itself in them to a much more vivid extent than in other states. At the same time, the country has great potential in the field of large energy. The territorial feature of the state is a real field for the use of local energy facilities. At the moment, the country has a technological platform, which is characterized by a large number of participants - 168 organizations. In addition, new clusters have appeared in this area. In Russia, there are many examples of successful distributed generation projects. For example, these are the projects of the Altenergo enterprise, the complexes of Kuzbass, Yaroslavl, and so on.
As for APBE, it has formed its own scheme for mini-CHP, which provides that large energy and public utilities will be implemented in one facility. This is a direct path to the latest prospects for increased productivity in the energy sector. The existing balance is filled with a new way of generating electricity. Standard boilers are being replaced by cogeneration units.
This procedure has the most positive impact on the industry as a whole. First, it saves fuel. Secondly, the situation related to energy is improving in the province, where there are mainly boiler houses, but there is no cogeneration. But at the moment, the law prohibits combining the network business with generation. Requiredcancellation of this provision, an amendment is needed in relation to mini-CHP. It is also important that legislation promotes competition between large and small power generation. To do this, you need to deal with pricing. It is important that sales companies purchase electricity from small facilities, but at a cost that does not exceed the price on the wholesale market. It is necessary that the purchase be carried out at the wholesale price plus the network component. All this will lead to the fact that the mechanism of serious competition between small and large energy facilities will be launched. This whole process will lead to opportunities to sell electricity to consumers at a retail price. This will be done through surplus production. At the moment, consumers do not have such opportunities.
Mikhail Kozlov, director of innovation and renewable energy at JSC RusHydro, said that he had the feeling that the time for using renewable energy sources in the country had not yet come. There is only a reference to the states of Europe, in which this issue has become urgent. He also noted that there are difficulties in official support, it is necessary to reserve capacities. And this is possible when a sufficient level of electricity production in renewable facilities is achieved.
There is no logic in importing the necessary equipment. It is necessary to develop the Russian technological base. RES tariffs are growing due to inflation and other economic factors. At the moment, the documentation, which is being prepared in the Russian Federation, notes the state support for tariffing, so that efficiency for the investor is ensured. This is importantmoment for Russia, as this will form a strategic reserve.
At the moment, investments have become necessary in order to get a reduction in the prices of renewable energy sources in ten or twelve years. For example, RusHydro in Kamchatka has three stations - one in a remote area, and two - in the central part, and they provide Petropavlovsk with thirty percent of the total electricity. Previously, stations running on fuel oil provided a larger volume, but now they have been switched to gas. Previously, the station tariffs were six rubles for industrialists and three rubles for the population. The rest is government subsidies. The fuel part of the stations was 2.3 rubles, and in the GeoPP - 1.8 rubles. The tariffs provided by geothermal stations were lower than the fuel part of neighboring standard stations. This situation is unique, since only imported fuel is available in this region. But, according to calculations, by 2020, taking into account the implementation of state programs, tariffs for the population should not exceed two percent. In remote areas of the country, energy is always distributed. There are no large-scale sources in the plans, and there is a development of wind energy, geothermal, mini-CHP, solar projects. There are a large number of plans, and there are points at which their implementation will occur without government intervention. But, nevertheless, this will not be enough, since the generation will be about 1 GW, and this will not be enough for the development of industry in the region. In this case, an adequate market will not be formed, although about two manufacturers will be found who, with given volumes, will be able tobuild factories. For this reason, renewable energy should be developed not only in remote areas.
Referring to the Far East, a representative of RusHydro mentioned that the company has RAO Energy Systems of the East, which supplies electricity to the population of this area. Sources are hybrid complexes, solar and wind diesel engines. Among the main projects implemented in the region, there are pilot capacities for solar stations - 10-30 kW, for generators - about 300 kW. In cold Yakutia, solar stations are the most efficient, since the climate itself requires a large amount of sunlight. For this reason, the examples implemented in the settlements of Yakutia demonstrate excellent results.
Another point of view, voiced at the conference, testified that there is no exact concept of distributed generation. There is a vast area of energy that has decentralized features. In fact, it is an autonomous energy. It gives consumers the choice of whether to use a centralized power supply system product or a distributed generation product, guided by the ideas of economy.
Another industry has also been widely developed in Western countries - individual generation. It involves the use of completely different types of technology. If cogeneration is used in distributed generation, then here we are talking about trigeneration. When the call for support for distributed generation is heard, a number of businessmen wonder why they shouldsupport someone's business? But with the development of their own technologies and the generation of added value, it turns out to be higher than given to those who are engaged in mini-CHP. Scientific and technological progress plays an important role in the development of distributed generation. Outdated equipment will not help in any way in new records. The development of cogeneration based on boilers will be effective only if the necessary equipment is available. The country's gas turbine engineering has the capacity to manufacture the products required in this process.
But there are other obstacles in the implementation of all these plans. It is not completely known what exactly cogeneration will give to the energy system, how the latter will react to the new phenomenon. It will require the creation of microgrids, systems that address a number of issues related to peak power and reliability. Such projects have already been implemented in Germany and Japan. And at the same time, about 40-50% of the cost of equipment in these facilities is subsidized by the official authorities.
To a large extent, the situation in Russian reality will not change until the energy sector focuses on increasing the number of gas and coal consumers. The only exceptions are areas that are isolated from the UES, where there is a field for choosing alternative development paths. There are objects of distributed energy. Increased prices for products accelerate the payback of similar projects in the regions of Krasnoyarsk, Altai and Buryatia.
Regulatory framework is developing too slowly to ensuredevelopment of alternative energy. Although several new acts were introduced back in 2010 that regulated special prices for contracts for the sale of renewable energy capacities, this did not have a particularly strong impact on the current situation.
Electricity that was generated from distributed generation sources is put up for sale in an extremely small amount. The thing is that the process of developing the electric power industry in the country is significantly hindered by the fact that it is difficult to sell electricity to the grid from alternative sources. In addition, there are dozens of enterprises in the country that produce equipment for generating energy using non-traditional methods. But the sales market in this area remains narrow. Most often, it is represented by private individuals who install the appropriate equipment in country houses. There are also organizations that are interested in raising their "green" status. The highest demand was for heat pumps and solar panels.
Vice-President for Work with State Bodies of OAO Fortum Sergey Chizhov noted that the most important task of OAO is the implementation of a major investment program. At the moment, the volume of investments is more than 2.5 billion euros. The organization continues to follow the strategic line. It has put into operation more than 600 MW out of 2400, which are indicated in the plans. The commissioning of the first capacity is expected at the Nyaganskaya GRES. The implementation of the investment program will lead to an increase in the initial capacity in terms of electricity to 5300 MW, which is 85% compared to 2007.
On this path, the company encountered a number of difficulties that reduced the interest of investors in the field of electricity. Often, the inconsistency of government decisions in this industry leads to uncertainty in the market. It is difficult to plan the integrity of the power industry development model without taking into account the global trend of developments regarding renewable fuel facilities, including Fortum. There are no effective mechanisms for the formation of the industry in the long term. For example, a policy aimed at increasing the profitability from the sale of gas while reducing income from the sale of electricity.
Special attention should be paid to the fact that there is no incentive for the formation of cogeneration. Practice has shown that investors have little interest in this area, since the market itself has a number of unattractive features. In the conditions of realities unregulated by law, the authorities are equipping new boiler houses, since they don’t see much point in saving fuel. And the legislation stimulates the "boiler house" of the state. For this reason, a mechanism is needed that would support cogeneration. A ban is needed on the construction of boiler houses in the largest areas of heat consumption.
Conclusion
Given the difficulties in investing in the construction of large power plants, the construction of distributed generation facilities seems to be effective and quite feasible. The time has come for an energy revolution in the country. There were many economic and consumer prerequisites for this. If savings are maderesources, the future of energy in Russia will be cloudless.
