ULYANOVSK, May 13. /TASS/. The Russian Arctic territories require new wind energy solutions, Director General of the Altren Company (Alternative and Renewable Energy Competence Center) Andrei Redkin told TASS.
The expert will moderate a panel on renewable energy for isolated Arctic territories at the ARWE-2019 international forum on renewable energy, due on May 23.
"Though the wind energy has been developing for more than 50 years already, though hundreds of turbines have been working, there are still no reliable, tested solutions for the Arctic," he said. "Currently, certain developments are at the stage of experiments, and there is a clear demand for new solutions."
"A few small turbines have been working, but anyway those are separate cases, not a system," he added.
"When we speak about winter requirements for regular generators, they should work if the air temperature drops to minus 40 degrees, and they should ‘survive’ frosts down to minus 50 degrees," he continued. "As for the Arctic, the conditions are more severe: the exploitation at minus 50-60 degrees, and ‘survival’ - at minus 70 degrees."
These conditions cause additional requirements for materials to be used, the expert said. For example, it is a problem to have liquid-containing hydraulic systems, or transmissions, which use oil. "The low temperatures require use of special steel, as metal thinning develops at minus 60," he explained. "Use of fiber and composites is also limited."
The All Renewable World Energy international forum (ARWE 2019) is a platform combining a congress, a specialized exhibition and a technical tour for industry experts. Russia’s Ulyanovsk hosts the event since 2018. In 2019, the forum is due on May 22-24. The event focuses on the RES advancement in the Russian Federation, as well as on solutions for efficient cooperation between suppliers and key customers within localization programs.
The event is supported by Russia’s Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Roscongress Foundation and the ULNANOTECH nano technology center. The forum is organized by Elektrifikatsia JSC - one of the largest congress and exhibition operators in Russia, and RAWI - the Russian Association of Wind Power Industry.