Wind power plants produce 45% of renewable energy in Kazakhstan
In the first quarter of this year, the share of green electricity generated in the total amount of generated electricity was 1.8%. This is 58% more than for the same period in 2019.
Renewable energy development in Kazakhstan is accelerating. For three years, the amount of green energy generated has doubled. If in 2017 power plants using renewable energy sources generated 1.1 billion kWh, in 2019 this figure was 2.4 billion kWh. The plans of the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 2020 to bring this figure to 3.15 billion kWh.
Meanwhile, in Kazakhstan, the share of green electricity in the total produced amount of electricity remains insignificant. In 2019, this figure did not exceed 2.3%, in 2020 it is planned to increase it to 3%. This indicator is indicated in the Concept for the transition of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Green Economy.
According to the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, “in the 1Q of 2020, the share of green electricity in the total generated amount of electricity was 1.8% or 548.4 million kWh. “The production of green energy for the first quarter of this year compared to the same period of 2019 increased by 58%”.
According to the Ministry of Energy, currently there are 37 solar, 37 hydro, 22 wind and 5 bio power plants in the country. At the same time, the total capacity of renewable energy facilities in 2019 was 1,050 MW; by the end of 2020, it is planned to increase the capacity to 1,655 MW due to the construction of new renewable energy facilities.
In January-March 2020, wind power plants generated the most electricity - 45% of the total energy produced by renewable energy sources, followed by solar power plants - 35.7% and small hydropower plants - 19%.
The trend for development of wind and solar energy sectors is explainable. A USAID report noted that Kazakhstan has enormous potential in the field of wind power.
“Approximately 50% of the country’s wind speed is 4-5 m / s. at an altitude of 30 m. Solar energy also has enormous potential - the number of solar hours in Kazakhstan is 2200-3000 hours per year”, the report says.
The UNDP (United Nations Development Program) emphasizes that almost all renewable energy technologies can be developed in the Republic of Kazakhstan. “They can be associated with wind, sun, water. Also in our country, you can actively use biogas plants, biomass boiler plants, heat and geothermal pumps. The potential for using wind and solar energy is higher than other renewable energy sources. These energy sources are more affordable, distributed throughout the country. For example, the technical potential of wind generation in the republic is 920 billion kWh. This is an order of magnitude higher than the current generation and consumption of electricity in the country. I’ll clarify that last year Kazakhstan produced 106 billion kWh, and the consumption amounted to 105.1 billion kWh”, said UNDP expert Yerlan Dairbekov.