Armenia needs conditions for solar, hydro energy to be basic - ex-official

ArmInfo. Armenia needs conditions for solar, hydro energy to be basic -  ex-official 

 There is a need to create conditions in Armenia for solar and hydropower to become basic. This was stated by former Deputy Minister of Territorial  Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia Hakob  Vardanyan during the panel discussion "Energy Security of the  Republic of Armenia. Challenges and Solutions". 

According to him, solar energy today, in the form in which it is  being created, cannot operate in an autonomous mode, since this  requires appropriate technical solutions, including the use of  storage systems.  The RA government has not set these conditions  before. Currently, the country is paying more attention to the  construction of new solar power plants with the attraction of  investments. Largely due to the 450 million kWh of electricity  produced by solar power plants, the volumes of gas required for the  production of electricity in thermal units have significantly  decreased. But, according to the former official, the time has come  to apply new regulatory instruments.

It is equally important, as Vardanyan noted, to create conditions for  the business community to attract investment in storage systems.  Moreover, this issue must be resolved as quickly as possible, since  otherwise, even with the most modern power transmission lines, the  problem will not be resolved. The use of state subsidy programs or  individual projects in this case will not help solve it; new tools  are needed to attract investment in the above-mentioned systems.

The RA government plans to increase the share of solar energy in the  country's energy balance from 0.3% to 15% by 2030. The country has  great solar energy potential: the average annual solar energy influx  per 1 m2 of horizontal surface is 1720 kWh/m2, and a quarter of the  republic's territory has solar energy resources with an intensity of  at least 1850 kWh/m2 per year. However, the lack of storage stations  hinders the development of this segment of the country's energy  sector.