Russia’s Sakhalin Region got its first solar power plant, constructed on the Iturup Island and scheduled to begin operating in February, local media reported.
The facility in the village of Reidovo is built with modern Russian equipment and will be connected to the local power grid, the press service of the regional government told reporters on Monday.
The station, according to calculations, will annually save about $200K for the local budget by reducing purchases of diesel fuel. Its installed capacity is 250 kW, with 620 solar panels generating this amount of energy. The construction of the facility took about four months.
The power facility will be connected to the common network of Reidovo diesel power plants. After the new station’s launch, the traditional generation will become smaller, fuel will be saved, and less emissions into the environment.
“We have already carried out the first checks, test launches of the power plant – everything went well,” Dmitry Leontiev, an engineer at DalEnergoInvest, which implemented the project at its own expense, is quoted as saying.
“Now, we are waiting for the arrival of Rostekhnadzor specialists. In February, it will start working as planned, it will be connected to the general power grid of the village of Reidovo.” he added.
Iturup still has to buy diesel fuel on the mainland. The island has alternative energy sources, but their potential is little used. For example, local companies and some residents use solar energy in small amounts for their own needs.
“The appearance of the first solar power plant is, without exaggeration, a landmark event for the Kuril Islands. For the first time in our region, we will use renewable energy from the sun to generate electricity in such volumes.”, the press service quotes the words of governor Valery Limarenko.
The Sakhalin Region is the first region in Russia to commit to reducing carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere and developing alternative energy sources.