Alternative energy sources in Belarus. Fuel and energy resources of Belarus

The problem of growing energy deficit is emerging today at the level of the problem of climate change, and, as is known, the history of mankind is the history of the struggle for energy resources. A similar situation is observed in the 21st century (for example, the Middle East war for oil). But there is a more worthy way to address the growing scarcity of energy resources - alternative energy sources. In Belarus, this issue is very relevant and is being worked out by state bodies.

Renewable energy sources in Belarus

The terminology of the United Nations (UN) defines the concept of "renewable energy" and its sources. The sources of renewable energy include the sun, air masses, water, heat of the earth's interior, biomass, wood, peat.

Since Belarus is provided with its own traditional energy sources by less than 20%, naturally, there is a need for such sources to somehow compensate for the lack of own energy resources.

Meanwhile, not only countries with energy problems are dealing with the issue of renewable energy sources (RES) . For example, countries such as Germany, Sweden, France (more than twenty states), have created the International Society of Solar Energy.

According to experts' forecasts, by 2040 world energy production from non-traditional renewable energy sources will make up 82 percent of world energy consumption. The global trend has contributed to the fact that non-traditional (alternative) energy sources in Belarus have also developed.

Studies have shown that solar energy is most suitable in the republic, since over half of the year there is variable cloudiness, and only one hundred and fifty days (on average) are overcast. The highest efficiency of the light is observed in the period from April to September.

Alternative energy sources are ...

These are sources that do not pollute the environment, as is the case with the use of known and common energy carriers: oil, coal, nuclear fuel.

First of all, it's the sun, the wind. The sun is the most reliable and environmentally friendly source of energy, because our star will exist for many millions of years. Its energy can be accumulated by devices called solar batteries.

The wind as a source of energy is used quite widely, since it is very profitable. Wind energy is prevalent mainly in countries that are limited in classical energy resources and advocate for the cleanliness of the environment. Such countries include the Republic of Belarus.

Significant role is played by significant timber reserves in the state, the cost of which is four times less than the exported hydrocarbons.

RB and its fuel and energy complex

The fuel and energy complex of Belarus (FEC) does not have its own energy resources in the right amount. In connection with this state, a policy of energy conservation is being implemented, which manifests itself in the development of both local energy sources and alternative energy.

The Fuel and Energy Regulator is the Ministry of Energy of Belarus. It is a relatively young government body in the republic (established in late 2002). During this time, targeted state programs aimed at improving the efficiency of the country's energy sector were adopted and implemented.

According to the Minister of Energy of Belarus Vladimir Potupchik, since 2014 the republic annually saves more than $ 200 million due to a reduction in consumption of fuel energy resources, which account for about 70% of energy costs.

In the near future, the Ministry of Energy of Belarus intends to tackle an important task - creating an entirely new basis for the development of the fuel and energy complex, which is effective and environmentally acceptable in modern conditions. These plans are fixed in the "Basic directions of the energy policy of the Republic of Belarus for the period until 2020".

In particular, the document provides the following principles for the operation of the country's fuel and energy complex:

• Strengthening of energy saving;
• Ecological cleanliness;
• Strengthening of scientific work on alternative energy issues and implementation of its results;
• Development of small-scale energy;

Energy Resources of the Republic of Belarus

The fuel and energy resources of Belarus are not very diverse: they include peat (fuel), oil, gas (associated), firewood, etc. Over 9,000 peat deposits have been found in the republic. Currently, only a quarter of all the proven reserves of this fuel are used.

The fact is that the lion's share of peat deposits is located in the territories occupied by agriculture or nature protection, which makes wider use of deposits unrealistic.

Deposits of oil and associated gas are available in the Pripyat Basin. The deposits were discovered in 1956. The extraction of these resources is carried out by the Belneftekhim Concern. However, according to experts' calculations, these deposits will last only 30-35 years. True, the prospect of oil and gas extraction in the Orsha and Brest basins is being considered, but it is rather remote.

The richness of forests allows Belarus to conduct centralized harvesting of firewood and waste from sawn timber. But the volumes of these resources are so small that the energy demand of the republic is provided by less than 15%. The rest is replenished by the import of energy resources, which makes the Belarusian economy very vulnerable. In such a situation, the republic is forced not only to comply with the energy saving regime, but also to seek intensively alternative sources of energy.

Alternative energy

Alternative energy appeared much earlier than it was compelled to talk about everywhere. People, including Belarusians, used solar energy, water and wind energy for their energy-consuming needs for more than two hundred years ago. But then these sources were not considered something special. Humanity lived in perfect harmony with nature, without violating its balance. The use of coal was as natural as wind energy, water for mills, sawmills for cutting timber, threshing crops and even for textile production.

In Belarus, even the production of such "windmills" and "vodka" was established, which could be either stationary or mobile. They did not need special dams, that is, nature was not harmed. And "windmills" could be put in any place, if only there was a wind. Such energy sources even amounted to "exports" of Belarus, consumers of which were Russia and Ukraine.

Modern Belarus from alternative energy sources has only a dozen small hydroelectric power stations (HPPs). Belarusian scientists, who have been engaged in wind power plants since the Soviet Union, have not created anything competitive. This confirmation can serve as "Vetromash" in Zaslavl, where wind turbines, similar to Western developments of half a century ago, are shown morally obsolete for a long time.

In the meantime, non-traditional energy has been subjected to some restrictions on the part of the state: since August 19, 2015, the presidential decree provides for quoting installations with alternative sources of electricity. The limitations relate to the total electrical capacity of facilities located on the territory of Belarus. The rules apply to all those wishing to engage in alternative energy, including foreign companies.

Energy of Belarusian water resources

The change in the situation in the fuel and energy sector of Belarus (the high cost of fossil energy resources, the deterioration of the environment, which forced the state to make certain commitments to reduce harmful emissions into the atmosphere, etc.) necessitated a revision of views on the sectors that make up the energy balance of the republic. One of these areas was hydropower. In Belarus, as is known, there are the Dnieper, Zapadnaya Dvina and Neman rivers. They flow along the plain, but in some places are surrounded by high banks and have rapids. All this is accompanied by the construction of hydroelectric power stations, which, given the shortage of oil, coal and gas already available, gives an important chance to reduce it. Alternative energy came to the fore in the fuel and energy complex of Belarus.

Proceeding from this, the Cabinet of Ministers of Belarus approved the state program of construction of hydroelectric power stations. According to this document, the construction of a hydroelectric power station on the Neman (above and below the city of Grodno), the Western Dvina (Verhnedvinskaya, Beshenkovichi, Vitebskaya and Polotskaya) was planned.

The Dnieper, as the slowest river, was considered for the construction of a hydroelectric power plant last. By 2020, the construction of four low-power hydroelectric power stations is planned, including Orshanskaya, Shklovskaya, Rechitsa and Mogilevskaya.

Undecidedly forgotten

In the Republic of Belarus there are a total of more than twenty thousand small rivers, the length of which is 90 thousand km. And this huge water and energy potential is used only by 3%.

This resource began to be developed in the 50's. Small hydroelectric power stations began to be built in the republic. The first was built in 1954 by the Osipovichi hydroelectric power station on the Svisloch River. Its power was only 2.25 MW. By the way, the hydropower plant is still in operation.

However, by the 1960s, small hydroelectric power had gone to the background in connection with the emergence of state power systems. The rural consumer was transferred to new powerful systems, and the need for small hydroelectric power plants fell by itself.

In this regard, most of the small hydropower plants built were decommissioned, as the cost of the facilities was too high. As a result, by the end of the 1980s only six hydroelectric stations remained in Belarus, which produced a little more than 18 million kW per year.

But further life again turned power engineers to small hydroelectric power plants (MHPPs). At the same time, such alternative energy sources in Belarus could be obtained by restoring previously decommissioned ones, as well as by the construction of new SHPPs. At the same time, no flooding of agricultural land was required.

It is also possible to use reservoirs of another, non-energy, purpose, which are available on small rivers. Here it is quite appropriate to build an HPP with a capacity of 6,000 kW, while its payback is five to six years.

Representatives of the "green" confirm the absence of any load from the side of the SHPP on the surrounding nature.

The Belarusian authorities plan to double the total capacity of such HPPs by 2020. In this regard, a certain interest in the construction of small hydropower plants on the territory of the country is shown by foreign investors, who take 78.4% of the costs for the construction of small-scale power facilities.

The wind continues to serve man

Wind energy in Belarus contributes to the solution of many issues of power supply of small objects in hard-to-reach places. Therefore, the question of the use of energy of air masses remains relevant for the fuel and energy complex of the republic.

In recent years, the territory of the country has been identified about 1840 places, where you can supply a wind farm or a wind farm. Basically it is hills up to 80 m high, on top of which the wind speed reaches five or more meters per second.

At the moment, such systems are located in Minsk, Grodno, Mogilev and Vitebsk regions. The most powerful wind turbine (1.5 MW) serves residents of the village Grabniki (Grodno region). The regional center of Novogrudok in the same region provides electric power to a windmill belonging to the state (unique in its kind). It is planned to install five more wind generators.

A whole park of windmills is planned to be built in Luzhishche, in the village of Oshmyany district. The construction is carried out at the expense of investors and will continue until 2020.

Eco-friendly house

In this concept, mankind includes a structure whose energy supply is carried out only through non-traditional sources of energy.

Alternative energy for the home can be obtained from a stream of sunlight, wind, as a result of the operation of micro hydropower plants and biomass processing to produce biogas.

The use of solar energy is of particular interest for the creation of an environmentally friendly home, however, some factors make serious amendments to the plans of the owner of such real estate. First of all, it's costs: solar collectors, installation of equipment, control system and maintenance will cost a substantial amount (solar battery for 3 kW for an average house will cost 15 thousand euros).

And yet some interest is evoked by houses built by a method called "solar architecture". The essence of it is that the house must have a roof, the area of the southern part of which is not less than 100 m ² . At the same time, the house should be located on the latitude of the capital of Belarus. This is quite enough even for heating in winter.

However, such use of solar energy has not received proper attention in Belarus. At this time on this principle, only one building is built - the German International Education Center. Meanwhile, the erection of such structures could reduce heat consumption to 80 kW / m ² per year.

The use of windmills gives the house a similar chance to have an ecological status. But we should not forget that in Belarus the average wind speed is no more than 5 m / s, and for normal operation, modern systems require a speed of up to 10 m / s. Therefore, according to experts, the windmill installed in this country will pay off only in forty years.

However, all this applies to electricity, but the renewable energy of the sun can be fully used in a private house in the form of a solar water heater. The system is very effective, it does not depend on weather and climatic conditions. With its help you can even partially heat the room. In addition, it consumes no more than 45 watts and costs 3.8 thousand euros (with installation). Its payback is not more than four years.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, alternative energy sources in Belarus (and not only there) today and for the foreseeable future will not be able to replace the traditional energy sources in full.

The energy of the sun is not able to become such a source on an industrial scale for a simple reason - a low density of the solar energy flux. Taking into account the fact that only a third of the year in Belarus is sunny, the calculations show: more than 30% of the territory of the republic should be given to solar power stations in order to satisfy its need for electricity. But even if this condition is fulfilled, it should not be forgotten that these calculations were made taking into account the efficiency of the stations, which is 100%. In fact, today this figure is at the level of ten to fifteen percent.

It turns out that in reality solar power plants will require the whole of Belarus and part of the territories of its neighbors-states. In addition, the construction and operation of solar power plants will require enormous costs.

A similar situation is observed with the use of wind, river, geothermal energy.