14 DAY TRIAL // Russia's oil and gas giant Gazprom might be very much interested in exploiting the Arctic, but this does not mean that the country has entirely given up on the possibility to improve on its ecological footprint by embracing renewables.
On the contrary, Clean Technica informs that, according to media reports from this part of the world, Russia's Altai region will soon be a whole lot greener than it currently is, and all thanks to investments in solar.
Long story short, it appears that state-run construction firm Avelar, high officials in Altai and state-owned company Khevel Solar have recently entered a partnership and are now looking to erect several solar PV plants in this part of the world.
Information shared with the public says that, all things considered, this collaboration is expected to translate into the installation of as much as $147 million (approximately €108 million) worth of new solar PV capacity.
Talking to the press, specialists with Avelar explained that, should things go according to plan, these new solar PV power plants in Russia's Altai region would be completed, maybe even go online, as early as the year 2018.
Taken together, the plants would have an energy generating capacity of about 45 megawatts, they further detailed. By the looks of it, this output is to be sold on power and wholesale energy markets.
Interestingly enough, this is not the first time when considerable investments are made in harvesting solar power in Russia's Altai region. Thus, word has it that another 120 megawatts of solar capacity is now under construction in the area.
As reported on several occasions, researchers are very much concerned about the fact that climate change and global warming are progressing at a fairly rapid pace. Unless limited, these phenomena threaten to affect not just natural ecosystems but also human society.
In a paper published towards the beginning of this month, specialists warn that, all things considered, the best way to keep climate change and global warming in check is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, investments in renewables should be a no-brainer.
“We found that climate engineering doesn't offer a perfect option. The perfect option is reducing emissions. We have to cut down the amount of emissions we're putting into the atmosphere if, in the future, we want to have anything like the Earth we have now.”
“We have the technology, and we know how to do it. It's just that there doesn't seem to be political support for reducing emissions,” Daniela Cusack with the University of California, Los Angeles explained in a statement at that time.