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.
