Wind power in Russia has a long history of small-scale use, but the country has not yet developed large-scale commercial wind energy production. Most of its current limited wind production is located in agricultural areas with low population densities, where connection to the main energy grid is difficult. By 2018, Russia had a total installed wind capacity of 106 MW, a nearly ten-fold increase over 2016 but still a tiny share of the country’s potential.[1]

refer to caption
Wind turbine near an Omni Hotel, Murmansk. The wind power potential of Murmansk Oblast is one of the largest among regions of Russian.

Russia is estimated to have a total potential of 80,000 TWh/yr for wind energy, 6,218 TWh/yr of which is economically feasible.[2] Most of this potential is found in the southern steppes and the seacoasts of the country, although in many of these areas the population density is very low, at less than 1 person per km2. This low population density means that there is little existing electricity infrastructure currently in place, which hinders development of these resources.[3]

Current Russian wind energy projects have a combined capacity of over 1,700 MW, although less than 17 MW had been installed as of the end of 2010. The Russian Wind Energy Association predicts that if Russia achieves its goal of having 4.5% of its energy come from renewable sources by 2020, the country will have a total wind capacity of 7,000 MW.[4]

In 2010, plans for the construction of a wind power plant in Yeisk, on the Sea of Azov, were announced. It is expected to initially have a capacity of 50 MW, which will become 100 MW a year later.[citation needed] German engineering company Siemens announced in July 2010, following a visit to Russia by Chancellor Angela Merkel, that it would build wind power plants in Russia.[5] By 2015, the company hoped to install 1,250 MW of capacity in Russia.[4] As of 2015, capacity was only 15.4 MW.[6]

History

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Ufimtsev's wind generator in Kursk, September 2007

The first experimental wind power plant (3.5 kW) in the Soviet Union was built in 1931 in Kursk by the project of engineers Ufimtsev and Vetchinkin. To conserve energy during calm winds, a 328 kg flywheel contained in a vacuum chamber was used. The wind generator provided electricity to Ufimtsev's house, including a workshop with machine tools, and also illuminated several other houses along the Semenovskaya street. For more details, see article in Russian wiki.

The experimental wind farm in Balaclava (in Crimea) with capacity of 100 kW was developed under direction of inventor Yuri Kondratyuk and installed there in 1931. Before the war, it produced electricity for the Balaclava-Sevastopol tramline. During the war it was destroyed.[7]

From 1932 Kondratyuk, together with Nikolai Nikitin, worked on a design of 165-metre high reinforced concrete mast on the Bedene-Kir plateau, four kilometers north of the peak of windy mountain Ai-Petri in Crimea. It was expected to produce up to 24 MW of power. After the death of project sponsor Sergo Ordzhonikidze in 1937 the project was reduced in scale and in 1938 the construction stopped forever.[7]

57 wind turbines are being built 80 kilometres northeast of Murmansk, at the Kolskaya Wind Farm. The farm is expected to be operational in 2021.[8]

List of wind farms

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3000km
2,000miles
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Map of current major wind farms
Wind farms
Name Status Capacity (MW) Developer Commercial operation Location Notes[9]
Adygea[10] Operational 150 NovaWind 1 March 2020 44°57′58″N 40°03′44″E / 44.9662058°N 40.0621808°E / 44.9662058; 40.0621808 (Adygea Wind Farm) 60×2.5MW turbines
Berestovskaya[11] Under construction 60 NovaWind 45°30′59″N 42°02′04″E / 45.516452°N 42.034378°E / 45.516452; 42.034378 (Berestovskaya Wind Farm) 24×2.5MW turbines
Bondarevskaya[12] Operational 120 NovaWind 1 September 2021 45°39′37″N 43°03′34″E / 45.660367°N 43.059540°E / 45.660367; 43.059540 (Bondarevskaya Wind Farm) 48×2.5MW turbines
Chukotka Wind Operational 2.5 65°37′47.9″N 171°41′23.9″E / 65.629972°N 171.689972°E / 65.629972; 171.689972 (Chukotka Wind)
Gukovskaya Operational 100 Fortum 1 June 2020 48°05′39″N 39°57′24″E / 48.094133°N 39.956760°E / 48.094133; 39.956760 (Gukovskaya Wind Farm) 26×3.8MW turbines
Kamenskaya Operational 100 Fortum 1 April 2020 48°11′05″N 40°17′03″E / 48.184859°N 40.284119°E / 48.184859; 40.284119 (Kamenskaya Wind Farm) 26×3.8MW turbines
Karmalinovskaya[13] Operational 60 NovaWind 1 April 2021 45°27′36″N 41°14′21″E / 45.459894°N 41.239072°E / 45.459894; 41.239072 24×2.5MW turbines
Kazachya Operational 50 Fortum 1 December 2020 48°18′44″N 40°06′52″E / 48.312114°N 40.114517°E / 48.312114; 40.114517 (Kazachya Wind Farm) 12×4.2MW turbines
Kochubeevskaya[14] Operational 210 NovaWind 1 January 2021 44°43′24″N 42°01′19″E / 44.7234188°N 42.0218282°E / 44.7234188; 42.0218282 (Kochubeevskaya Wind Farm) 84×2.5MW turbines
Kulikovskaya Dismantled 5.1 1998 55°37′48″N 63°39′35.9″E / 55.63000°N 63.659972°E / 55.63000; 63.659972 (Kulikovskaya Wind Farm) 1×0.6MW 20×0.225MW turbines, Dismantled in 2018
Marchenkovskaya[15] Operational 120 NovaWind 1 July 2021 47°03′55″N 42°34′48″E / 47.065328°N 42.579918°E / 47.065328; 42.579918 (Marchenkovskaya Wind Farm) 48×2.5MW turbines
Medvezhenskaya[16] Under construction 60 NovaWind 45°31′32″N 42°08′10″E / 45.525593°N 42.136002°E / 45.525593; 42.136002 (Medvezhenskaya Wind Farm) 24×2.5MW turbines
Murmansk Operational 0.2 Enel Green Power 68°59′35″N 33°7′6.4″E / 68.99306°N 33.118444°E / 68.99306; 33.118444 (Murmansk) Kolskaya wind farm
Orenburg Operational 1 51°46′59.9″N 55°6′0″E / 51.783306°N 55.10000°E / 51.783306; 55.10000 (Orenburg)
Priyutnenskaya VES Operational 2.4 46°12′32″N 44°09′26″E / 46.20889°N 44.15722°E / 46.20889; 44.15722 (Priyutnenskaya VES) ALTEN Ltd.
Rostov Wtg Operational 0.3 57°12′0″N 39°27′0″E / 57.20000°N 39.45000°E / 57.20000; 39.45000 (Rostov Wtg)
Sulinskaya Operational 100 Fortum 1 March 2020 48°11′05″N 40°17′03″E / 48.184859°N 40.284119°E / 48.184859; 40.284119 (Sulinskaya Wind Farm) 26×3.8MW turbines
Tselinskaya Operational 100 Fortum 1 December 2020 47°01′19″N 44°13′32″E / 47.021929°N 44.225464°E / 47.021929; 44.225464 (Tselinskaya Wind Farm) 24×4.2MW turbines
Tyupkeldy Operational 2.5 54°36′0″N 53°43′47.9″E / 54.60000°N 53.729972°E / 54.60000; 53.729972 (Tyupkeldy) Experimental power plant, Bashkortostan
Ulyanovskaya-1 Operational 35 Fortum 1 January 2018 54°19′0″N 48°22′0″E / 54.31667°N 48.36667°E / 54.31667; 48.36667 (Ulyanovsk Wind Farm) 14×2.5MW turbines
Ulyanovskaya-2 Operational 50 Fortum 1 January 2019 54°19′0″N 48°22′0″E / 54.31667°N 48.36667°E / 54.31667; 48.36667 (Ulyanovsk Wind Farm) 14×3.6MW turbines
Ushakovskaya Operational 5.1 23 October 2018 55°37′48″N 63°39′35.9″E / 55.63000°N 63.659972°E / 55.63000; 63.659972 (Ushakovskaya Wind Farm) 3×1.7MW turbines; replaced Kulikovskaya
Yeisk Operational 72 46°28′N 38°19′E / 46.467°N 38.317°E / 46.467; 38.317 (Yeisk) Krasnodar territory, Sea of Azov
Total operational 20 1276

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Kudelin, Artem; Kutcherov, Vladimir (1 March 2021). "Wind ENERGY in Russia: The current state and development trends". Energy Strategy Reviews. 34: 100627. doi:10.1016/j.esr.2021.100627. ISSN 2211-467X. S2CID 233846279.
  2. ^ "2007 Survey of Energy Resources" (PDF). World Energy Council 2007. 2007. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  3. ^ Renewables: The Energy for the 21st Century. World Renewable Energy Congress VI. 1–7 July 2000. ISBN 9780080540511. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
  4. ^ a b Honey Garcia (16 July 2011). "Siemens makes a bid for Russia's wind power through joint venture". Ecoseed. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  5. ^ Trevor Sievert (23 July 2010). "Russia- Russian Wind Power". Industry News. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
  6. ^ "Wind in Power, 2015 European statistics" (PDF). European Wind Energy Association. 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  7. ^ a b Lukyanova, Ye Yu; Chetyrbok, P. V.; Filippov, D. M. (2020). "Wind Energy in the Southern Regions of Russia: History, Current State and Development Prospects". IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 459 (6): 062056. Bibcode:2020E&ES..459f2056L. doi:10.1088/1755-1315/459/6/062056.
  8. ^ "Murmansk Launches Construction of Russia's Largest Wind Power Park". The Moscow Times. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  9. ^ Russia
  10. ^ "NovaWind - Adygea Wind Farm". www.novawind.ru. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  11. ^ "NovaWind - Kochubeevskaya Wind Farm". www.novawind.ru. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  12. ^ "NovaWind - Bondarevskaya Wind Farm". www.novawind.ru. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  13. ^ "NovaWind - Karmalinovskaya Wind Farm". www.novawind.ru. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  14. ^ "Kochubeevskaya Wind Farm". NovaWind. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  15. ^ "NovaWind - Marchenkovskaya Wind Farm". www.novawind.ru. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
  16. ^ "NovaWind - Medvezhenskaya Wind Farm". www.novawind.ru. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
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