Regional and local geographical potentials of renewable energy sources in Russia Alexander A.Solovyev Kirill S.Degtyarev Alim M. Zalikhanov Konstantin V. Chekarev Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Geography, Renewable Energy Laboratory Abstract Energy plays a crucial role in socio-economic developments at international, national, local and individual level. Several aspects of energy use and supply are incompatible with the goal of sustainable development. One of the pathways in order to provide sustainable development is increased reliance on renewable energy. A raw of the previous studies has analysed the theoretical potential of renewable resources but it hasn’t estimated energy reserves that are actually available for practical use. Renewable energy sources depend on geographical conditions to greater extent than any other one, and their potential is needed to be detailed, taking into account the availability of territories in the region for their development. The additional insights gained in this work are based on our approach to assessing regional and local geographical potential of renewable energy sources in a uniform way using a territorial approach. It includes changes in land use patterns and constructions, taking into account the spatial density of renewable energy systems. For the analysis of the geographical potential we use its following definition: this is the part of the technical feasibility of renewable energy on version that is available at areas that are considered accessible and suitable for this production. We investigated the geographical potentials of wind, solar, biomass for different Russian regions on the base of their land-use patterns. The calculations allowed to range the territories of Russia at the regional and local levels from the point of view of renewable energy resources available for use in a particular locality, in the amounts necessary for energy supply of the population, with focus on the challenges of sustainable socio-economic development and environmental protection. Furthermore, geographic potential is a good tool to compare renewable and traditional energy sources in management decisions regarding the prospects of territorial development. Abstract Energy plays a crucial role in socio-economic developments at international, national, local and individual level. Several aspects of energy use and supply are incompatible with the goal of sustainable development. One of the pathways in order to provide sustainable development is increased reliance on renewable energy. A raw of the previous studies has analysed the theoretical potential of renewable resources but it hasn’t estimated energy reserves that are actually available for practical use. Renewable energy sources depend on geographical conditions to greater extent than any other one, and their potential is needed to be detailed, taking into account the availability of territories in the region for their development. The additional insights gained in this work are based on our approach to assessing regional and local geographical potential of renewable energy sources in a uniform way using a territorial approach. It includes changes in land use patterns and constructions, taking into account the spatial density of renewable energy systems. For the analysis of the geographical potential we use its following definition: this is the part of the technical feasibility of renewable energy on version that is available at areas that are considered accessible and suitable for this production. We investigated the geographical potentials of wind, solar, biomass for different Russian regions on the base of their land-use patterns. The calculations allowed to range the territories of Russia at the regional and local levels from the point of view of renewable energy resources available for use in a particular locality, in the amounts necessary for energy supply of the population, with focus on the challenges of sustainable socio-economic development and environmental protection. Furthermore, geographic potential is a good tool to compare renewable and traditional energy sources in management decisions regarding the prospects of territorial development. PV station. Russia. Batagaj,VerhojanskWind station. Russia.Anadyr, Chukotka Wind map of Russia Solar map of Russia Amount of sunny hours in a year < >2000 Russian Federal Districts (FD),PW North West Centre Crimea South North Caucasus Volga Urals Siberia Far East IndicatorCentre FDSouth FDNorth West FDFar East FDSiberian FDUrals FDVolga FD North Caucasus FD Crimea FDRUSSIA SOLAR ENERGY Theoretical Geographical Technical Economic WIND ENERGY Theoretical Geographical Technical Economic Potentials of renewable energy by Russian Federal Districts, GWh/year Balance of per capita electricity production/consumption by the Russian regions, kWh, 2012 Geographic and technical potential of solar energy by the Russian FD, GWh Geographic and technical potential of wind energy by the Russian FD, GWh Geographical potential of solar energy in Kalmykia Republic of Kalmykia (a region in the South of European Russia (South FD), on Lower Volga and Caspian coast) is an example of exclusively high renewable energy (RES) potential, solar energy above all. RES potential is especially high per capita, considering low population density. Kalmykia has some 285 thousand people on 75 thousand square kilometers. The basis of economy is agriculture. Proposed approach to the estimation of geographic potential of energy for a territory Geographical potential (kWh) = Reserve area (m 2 ) x Production density (kWh/m 2 ) Production density (kWh/m 2 ) = Theoretical potential per area unit (kWh/m 2 ) x Capacity utilization factor (%) Reserve area of Kalmykia is 2.70x10 9 square meters; Theoretical potential of solar energy per area unit is 1.5x10 3 kWh/square meters per year; Capacity utilization factor is 20%; Production density: 1.5x10 3 kWh/square meter x 20% = 3.0x10 2 kWh/square meter; Geographical potential: (2.70x10 9 )x(3.0x10 2 ) = 8.1x10 11 kWh/year = 810 TWh/year Location of Kalmykia References 3.47/ / / / / /0.20 Geographical/technical potential (solar and wind) (PWh/year) 16.02/ / / / / / / / / / / / Hoogwijk MM, On the global and regional potential of renewable energy, PhD thesis, Copernicus Institute for sustainable development and innovation, Utrecht University, Nietherland, [1] World Energy Council, 1994, New renewable energy sources. A guide to the future, London, Kogan Page Limited. 2.Painuly JP. Barriers to renewable energy penetration; a framework for analysis. Renewable Energy, 24 (1) (2001), pp. 73–89. 3.SINYUGIN Oleg, BEREZKIN Mikhail Evidence of economic activity shift from Atlantic to Pacific region// Preliminary programme RC IGU 2015 Moscow, Russia.Р Безруких П.П. и др. Справочник по ресурсам возобновляемых источников энергии России и местным видам топлива /показатели по территориям/ - М., «ИАЦ Энергия», 2007 – 272 с. 5.Дегтярев К., Соловьев А. Оценка потенциала развития малой автономной энергетики на возобновляемых источниках в Республике Калмыкия // Сборник трудов молодых ученых, аспирантов и студентов Региональной студенческой научно – практической конференции Природно-ресурсный потенциал Прикаспия и сопредельных территорий: проблемы его рационального использования. — Изд-во Калм.ун-та Элиста, — С. 34–53. 6.GIS RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES OF RUSSIA URL: 7.Russian Federation Federal State Statistics Service: Wind farm near Elista Sun battery at Wilde Nature Centre in Yashkul’ borough [4]