Dates: June 18 - 26, 2019
The Kazakh-German University with the assistance of the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan June 18-26, 2019 successfully conducted the second expedition to study the best practices for the use of renewable energy sources in Central Asia - Renewable Energy Trip 2019. The expedition was made possible thanks to the support of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition, the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Land Reclamation TIIIIMSH (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) supported the expedition and, together with KNU, held a round table on the role of international organizations and universities in the spread of renewable energy in Central Asia.
An educational trip was organized with the aim of visiting objects with renewable energy sources, which allowed students to practice studying solar, wind and hydroelectric power plants, their technical and technological features, existing problems and solutions, as well as preparing cases of best practices and awareness raising events representatives of local communities.
The main objectives of Renewable Energy Trip 2019 were to obtain knowledge and experience in practical research, prepare cases of best practices on renewable energy sources, as well as disseminate information, exchange experiences between countries and develop scientific partnerships. Students were able to visit facilities in four countries of Central Asia - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, to study solar, wind and hydroelectric power plants, their technical and technological features, existing problems and solutions, as well as prepare cases of best practices for visited facilities.
In total, 14 undergraduate, graduate and PhD students and young researchers from 6 countries of Central Asia, including Afghanistan, took part in the expedition. More than 120 applications were submitted for the competition and the competition commission consisting of representatives of the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the United Nations Development Program in Kazakhstan and the Kazakh-German University made a very difficult choice of the best of the best.
The winners of the competition are:
The expedition opened on June 18 with a round table at the Kazakh-German University with the participation of representatives of the Consulate General of Germany in Almaty. The Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, UNDP, ENECE, the representative offices of the German economy in Kazakhstan, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and other international, regional organizations and universities.
An educational trip to study objects with renewable energy sources in Central Asia is a unique opportunity for students to study renewable energy stations in practice and apply this knowledge and skills to prepare dissertations for the title of Bachelor or Master. KNU also successfully implemented this project in 2018, when students visited more than 10 solar, wind and hydroelectric power stations in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
On the first day of the educational trip on June 19, 2019, participants visited the Kordai Wind Farm, located in the village of Kordai, Kazakhstan, as well as the cascade of the Alamedin Hydroelectric Power Station near the city of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. On June 20 we got acquainted with the biogas plant and the Kel-Kel farm, 40 km away. from Bishkek. On the same day, an excursion to the Merke hydroelectric station was conducted. The participants studied the operating principles and existing problems of this hydroelectric station, which was built in 1946.
Further, the participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with the largest stations and unique renewable energy facilities in Central Asia. For example, on June 21, they visited the largest solar power plant Burne Solar-1 and Solar-2 in Kazakhstan. For example, on June 22, on the fourth day of the educational trip, the discovery for the expedition members was a visit to the Manak Baba farm, which is 110 km from the regional center of Kyzylorda. A feature of the farm is the complete local energy supply using renewable energy sources. This farm appeared due to the UNDP and EU program in Kazakhstan. One result of the UNDP program is the introduction of drip irrigation for apple orchards grown on a 3-hectare plot of land.
On June 24, they visited several assembly plants and solar installations and collectors in Tashkent, as well as the International Institute of Solar Energy. a unique object is a solar concentrator, which, thanks to the focus of sunlight using mirror panels, reaches a temperature of almost 3000 degrees Celsius and many other objects.
The round table at TIIIMSH held in partnership with this institute on June 25 made it possible not only to summarize the intermediate results of the expedition, but also to obtain valuable information on the development of RES studies in Uzbekistan and to establish even stronger partnerships between universities and participants of the round table. After lunch on June 25, we had a trip to Parkent, Tashkent region, to study a unique object - a solar concentrator, which, thanks to the focus of sunlight using mirror panels, reaches a temperature of almost 3000 degrees Celsius and many other objects.
The expedition ended with a trip to Tajikistan, and the study of the Kairakum hydroelectric station, near the city of Khujand. The expedition members were able to study in detail the structure of the hydroelectric power units, as current repairs were carried out and one of the hydroelectric power units was disassembled.
After the expedition, the participants prepared cases of best practices and, until the end of July, presented a detailed description of the selected renewable energy stations.
In order to disseminate information about the expedition, search for partners and finance for the expedition, a poster presentation was organized in 2020 as part of the largest event in the field of renewable energy Solar Fest Kazakhstan, July 4-5, 2019. Based on the results of the presentation and negotiations with potential partners, they were identified and contacts were established with more than 10 organizations with which it is planned to develop cooperation with the aim of promoting renewable energy projects.
For more information, please, contact:
Alexey Kobzev, Project Manager for Renewable Energy and Climate Change, DKU, kobzev@dku.kz
