Renewable Energy Development in Russia

Renewable energy development in Russia is growing so fast due to the global demand for power sources and the limited availability of fossil fuels. The renewable capacity of Russia is 60000 MW. Russia is rich in oil, gas, and coal, which are not renewable.

The important types of renewable energy sources in Russia are hydroelectric energy, wind energy, solar energy, geothermal energy, biomass energy, tidal energy, and biofuel energy.

Most of Russia’s renewable energy sources are new and have grown in the past few years. The development of the renewable energy sector is expected to improve human resources, including improving energy infrastructure, supplying energy goods and services at socially reasonable prices, providing sustainable training for highly qualified individuals, and raising the standard of living for people everywhere.

In this article, we will discuss renewable energy development in Russia in detail, along with renewable energy policies.

Renewable Energy

Nowadays, renewable energy is the energy source that is growing the fastest around the globe in terms of percentage.

Renewable energy can assist in solutions to energy security and environmental concerns. This idea has encouraged many organizations for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to provide advantages and other policy support.

This causes renewable energy costs to drop and markets to grow. Therefore, under ideal conditions, renewable energy can be very affordable compared to traditional energy sources, especially when environmental advantages are considered.

History of Renewable Energy

• Most of Russia’s renewable energy sources have experienced growth in recent years.
• Russia had early leadership in renewable energy technologies, but interest waned over time except for large hydropower.
• Hydroelectric power has a long history in Russia, dating back to the Soviet era.
• The rapid expansion of hydroelectric power in the Soviet Union began in 1930.
• By the time of the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1990, it had a total installed capacity of 65 GWh.
• Large dams in Russia, including the Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam, were built in the 1950s and 1960s.
• From the 1970s to 2000, the focus shifted to traditional power sources such as thermal, hydro, and nuclear power.
• In 1986, the Soviet government announced new energy goals, including further hydroelectric plant construction and the beginning of small-scale solar and wind energy production.
• However, Soviet energy policy primarily prioritized nuclear and thermal power, with renewable energy being somewhat neglected.
• The dissolution of the Soviet Union hindered the fulfillment of renewable energy goals.
• In the 1990s, with the formation of the Russian Federation, construction of large dams decreased, and infrastructure suffered due to the post-Soviet recession.
• Oil and gas took precedence for energy use, and renewable energy was largely ignored until 2008.
• In 2008, Medvedev announced energy policy reforms to focus more on renewable energy.
• Since then, there has been rapid development in new renewable energy sources in Russia.

Russia Renewable Energy Development Association (RREDA)

Russia Renewable Energy Development Association (RREDA) is a non-profit organization representing the interests of participants in the renewable energy sector in Russia and leading activities to stimulate investment and popularize the use of renewable energy sources and low-carbon hydrogen technologies in the Russian Federation.

It brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including generating companies, renewable energy project developers, equipment manufacturers and suppliers, research centers, and financial institutions, to jointly ensure the formation of a reliable institutional environment and an effective infrastructure for investment in the renewable energy sector.

The main objectives of the RREDA are to work to extend the measures of state support for RES from 2025 to 2035; Russia’s renewable energy (RES) sector includes wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass, and solar energy. Russia’s government aims to increase the share of RES in its total installed capacity to 10% by 2040.

Check: List of Top 10 Countries Producing Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy Development in Russia

Renewable energy development in Russia is slowly picking up. The government is starting to support it more, aiming to use more sources like wind, water, and sun for power. So far, hydropower, which uses water, has been the main renewable energy source.

Wind farms are being built, especially in places like Siberia and the Far East. Solar energy isn’t as common due to Russia’s northern location, but some projects are happening.

There’s also potential for using biomass (like farm waste) and geothermal energy (heat from the Earth). Despite these efforts, there are still challenges like rules and lack of investment. But as the world focuses more on clean energy, Russia is gradually moving towards using more renewables for its power needs.

Check: Non-Conventional Energy Sources

Renewable Energy Development in Russia – Key Developments in the Past Years

Renewable energy development in Russia is discussed as follows:

Year	Renewable Energy Capacity (MW)	Main Renewable Sources	Key Developments
2015	55,000	Hydropower, Wind	Introduction of renewable energy support systems.
2017	57,400	Hydropower, wind, and solar	Approval of the Paris Accord.
2020	55,800	Hydropower, wind, and solar	Adoption of a national strategy for the growth of renewable energy.
2022	60,000	Hydropower, wind, and solar	Continuous work to boost the capability of renewable energy.

Hydroelectric Energy in Russia

The most popular renewable energy source in Russia is hydropower and there is a lot of demand for increased use of hydropower. The biggest hydroelectric producer in the world, as well as the largest in Russia, is called RusHydro.

• Russia ranks fifth in the world for hydropower generation, with 102 hydropower facilities having capacities of more than 100 MW.
• In terms of hydroelectric power in Russia, it ranks second in the world, but only 20% of it has been achieved. Nine percent of the world’s hydroelectric resources are found in Russia, primarily in Siberia.
• The World Energy Council estimates that Russia has a potential annual production of 2,295 TWh from its hydroelectric resources, of which 852 TWh are economically achievable.
• In Russia, some of the biggest dams include the 6,400 MW Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam, the 6,000 MW Krasnoyarsk Dam, the 4,500 MW Bratsk Dam, the 4,320 MW Ust-Ilimsk Dam, and the 1,330 MW Zeya Dam.
• The Irganai (800 MW), Boguchany (1920 MW), Zelenchuk (320 MW), Zaramag (352 MW), and Nizhne-Chereksky (60 MW) dams are the most recent dam projects.

Wind Energy in Russia

Wind power in Russia has been in use for a long time, but large-scale commercial wind energy production is a relatively new development for the country.

• Most of its existing wind energy output is found in rural, agricultural areas with minimal populations, where it is hard to link to the main energy system.
• The absence of an established electrical infrastructure due to the low population density hampers the development of these resources.
• According to the Russian Wind Energy Association, the new wind energy projects in Russia will have a 7 GW total wind capacity if they meet its target of 4.5% renewable energy by 2024.
• Russia has been estimated to have 80,000 TWh/year of wind energy potential, of which 6,218 TWh/year is economically achievable. Although the population density in many of these regions is less than one person per square kilometre, the majority of this potential is found on Russia’s seacoasts and southern grasslands.

Solar Energy In Russia

Solar energy in Russia was almost nonexistent before 2016, even though it has huge potential. In November 2010, the first solar facility in Russia opened its doors in Belgorod Oblast.

• Solar energy has the most potential in southern Russia, particularly in the North Caucasus. The biggest company in Russia that develops solar energy technologies and makes solar energy-generating items is called Nitol Solar.
• The prospect of collaborating to make silicon wafers for solar cells is currently under consideration by Russia and India. A Podolsk-based PV manufacturer named Solar Silica Technologies LLC created and constructed four solar plants with a combined power of 130 MW between 2017 and 2019.
• Russia installed 150 MW of solar capacity in total in 2020. The new solar energy projects on the Black Sea, built by Rusnano and Renova, have a capacity of 12.3 MW.
• A facility being constructed by Solar Wind LLC and Rusnano will manufacture double-sided solar panels with the capacity to gather solar energy from both sides, with a yearly manufacturing capacity of 30 MW.

Check: Russian Energy Sector – Oil, Gas, and Renewable Resources

Geothermal Energy in Russia

Geothermal energy is Russia’s second most used source of renewable energy but represents less than 1% of total energy production.

• With a 5 MW capacity, the first geothermal power station in Russia was constructed in Pauzhetka, Kamchatka, in 1966.
• In 2005, there were 79 MW of installed geothermal capacity, of which 50 MW came from a Verkhne-Mutnovsky plant. Russia presently has two more plants, one 50 MW facility in Kaliningrad and one 100 MW plant at Mutnovsky.
• Currently, the majority of geothermal resources are used to heat Kamchatka and the North Caucasus.
• One-third of the geothermal energy produced is used to heat greenhouses, 13% is used for industrial processes, and half of it is used to heat homes and businesses.

Biomass Energy in Russia

Biomass is already used in some parts of Russia to supply a total of 1%, or 9 TWh/year, of Russia’s total energy.

• The majority of this potential is located in northwest Russia, where a well-established paper and pulp sector can supply waste made of wood, which can be used to produce biomass energy.
• Throughout the Soviet Union, peat was widely used to produce energy; consumption reached its peak in 1965 and then began to decline.
• Peat provided more than 40% of the Soviet Union’s electricity in 1929; by 1980, that percentage had decreased to 1%. Presently, Russia produces 17% of global peat production, with 1.5 million metric tonnes, or 20% of that total, going towards energy generation.
• However, Russia has a total biomass technological potential of 431 TWh/year, of which 285 TWh/year is economically achievable because of its extensive forest and peat resources. The two biggest peat power plants in the world are Shatura Power Station in Moscow Oblast and Kirov Power Station in Kirov Region.

Tidal Energy in Russia

Russia has many tidal energy resources at its doorstep, although they are currently underdeveloped as well.

• Tidal power plants in the Kola Bay and Sea of Okhotsk alone can generate 100 GW, and the country’s potential for tidal energy production may exceed present levels of energy production.
• With a capacity of 1.7 MW, the Kislaya Guba Tidal Generating Station is the largest tidal generating station in Russia and the fourth largest in the world.
• Russia also has an Arctic Sea tidal power facility with a capacity of 800 MW.
• The Penzhin Tidal Power Plant, the world’s largest power plant with an installed capacity of up to 87 GW and an annual production of 200 TWh, is one example of a likely long-term project.

Biofuel Energy in Russia

Bioenergy in Russia is relatively new, but it has developed quickly in recent years.

• Russia is one of the world’s top producers of grains, has a booming ethyl alcohol sector, and is seeing a rise in rapeseed production.
• These plants produce a biofuel called biobutanol, which is made from sawdust and woodchips, byproducts of the forestry industry.
• In November 2010, the Russian car manufacturer Lada produced its first vehicle that ran on biofuel. According to Russian enterprises, biofuel-powered helicopters are now being developed.
• According to the Biotechnology Corporation of the nation, Russia can export 40 million metric tonnes of biofuel each year.

Renewable Energy Policies in Russia

The renewable energy policies in Russia for the period up to 2030 mainly focus on the field of the electric energy industry, specifically electricity produced from renewable energy and sold on the wholesale market.

• By 2030, the policy aims to increase the amount of primary energy consumption from 11% to 13–14% from renewable energy sources, and the strategy aims to increase the percentage of electricity generated from renewable resources from 0.5 to 4.5%.
• Clean energy technology and green energy projects initiatives on energy conservation and development by introducing new energy technologies with the help of renewable resources.
• The aim of national renewable policies in Russia by 2030 is to support research institutions and the manufacturing sector by providing Russian machinery, parts, and modern technologies for the betterment of renewable energy sectors. This includes using technology transfer and localising the manufacture of parts for electric power plants that run on renewable energy.
• Renewable energy investment in Russia is estimated at 2.4–2.8 trillion US dollars from 2007, including investment for the fuel and energy complex, centralised heat supply, and other important parts of the energy sector for the development of renewable energy sources and to increase energy efficiency.

Conclusion- Renewable Energy Development in Russia

Renewable energy now appears to be receiving more attention for its potential in Russia. In the West, high energy prices have spurred global innovation in solar, fuel cell, tidal, geothermal, wind, biomass, and other technologies. Russia now has the financial and economic opportunities to advance the use of clean technology. Effective measures to promote renewable energy development in Russia include tax incentives and preferential project financing. They necessitate a more progressive approach to renewable energy development. Increasing energy and resource efficiency in the Russian economy and defining target indicators for renewable energy development are also imperative.

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Renewable Energy Development in Russia- FAQs

What has Russia done for renewable energy?

Russia’s first geothermal plant in Pauzhetka, Kamchatka (1966), had 5 MW capacity. By 2005, total geothermal capacity was 79 MW, with 50 MW from Verkhne-Mutnovsky. Presently, Russia develops 100 MW at Mutnovsky and 50 MW in Kaliningrad.

What is Russia’s future energy plan?

Russia aims to increase renewable energy tenfold by 2040, with investments totaling one trillion Rubles by 2035.

What 3 energy resources are prominent in Russia?

Three prominent energy resources in Russia are:

• Oil
• Natural Gas
• Coal

What is Russia’s most important natural resource?

Russia’s most important natural resource is oil.

What does Russia do for energy?

Russia ranks second globally in natural gas production and holds the largest reserves. As the world’s leading gas exporter, it produced 762 bcm in 2021 and exported approximately 210 bcm through pipelines.

What are 4 renewable resources in Russia?

Geothermal, hydro, solar, and wind are the main renewable resources in Russia.

What percentage of Russia is solar energy?

0.2% of Russia’s power comes from solar energy.

What is Russia’s abundant source of energy?

Russia’s abundant source of energy is natural gas.

How much of Russia energy is renewable?

8.4% of Russia’s power comes from renewable energy.

Does Russia have renewable energy?

Russia has many renewable energy resources like wind, hydro, solar, biomass, geothermal, etc.

Is Russia investing in renewable energy?

Yes, the Russian government is investing in renewable energy.

What is Russia’s most important natural resource?

Russia’s most important natural resource is fossil fuel.

How sustainable is Russia’s power?

Russia’s power is unsustainable because its main power resource is fossil fuel.

Who buys the most energy from Russia?

China buys the most energy from Russia.

Who controls natural resources in Russia?

Russia’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (Minpririty) controls natural resources in Russia.

What is Russia’s main natural resource?

Biomass, geothermal, hydro, solar, and wind are the main renewable resources in Russia.