The State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine will continue cooperation with experts of the German energy agency DENA in the fields of energy efficiency and renewable energy, the press service of the Ukrainian agency has said.
According to the report, following negotiations between the two agencies with the participation of the Ministry of Energy, the areas of cooperation will include, in particular, the development of Ukraine’s potential for the use of hydrogen, the introduction of energy storage systems, the implementation of EU directives in the field of energy efficiency, and improving energy efficiency.
The report notes that DENA experts, in particular, pointed to Germany’s plans for the use of hydrogen and expressed their readiness to share their research in this direction with Ukraine.
The Ukrainian agency also noted that DENA had been selected as one of the partners in the implementation of future energy cooperation between Ukraine and Germany.
As reported, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution to sign a joint statement of intent between the government of Ukraine and the Federal Republic of Germany regarding the start of energy cooperation, authorizing Acting Energy Minister Olha Buslavets to sign it.
The Ukrainian Wind Energy Association (UWEA) and the European-Ukrainian Energy Agency (EUEA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ukrainian government regarding the improvement of conditions of support of renewable energy producers, UWEA Board Chairman Andriy Konechenkov has said.
“The memorandum was signed on the basis of voluntary restructuring,” Konechenkov said after signing.
At the same time, according to him, the Ukrainian Association of Renewable Energy (UARE), which participated in the negotiations, refused to sign the memorandum because of disagreement with the government’s position regarding the further development of solar energy, in particular, the termination of the existing system for supporting SES in the form of feed-in tariffs on July 31, 2020.
“Premier Shmyhal gave the UARE another day to talk with members of the association,” Konechenkov said.
“I turned to the prime minister with a proposal to meet the challenges of solar generation, but he, as well as the MPs from the Rada energy committee who were present during the talks, said that this is the maximum that we managed to agree with the majority of the MPs and the relevant ministries. This is the option for the memorandum,” Konechenkov said.
At the same time, he said that, in his opinion, there will be no stopping of solar projects due to the termination of the feed-in tariffs for them, since all [companies] will go to green auctions.
Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Francesco La Camera said at the opening of the tenth International Renewable Energy Investment Forum that IRENA is committed to support Ukraine in this sphere, the press service of the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine has reported.
“To diversify energy is quite realistic. We are ready to continue supporting Ukraine along this path,” La Camera said.
According to him, in particular, IRENA experts advised Ukraine in developing the legislative framework for auctions. As the experience of various countries of the world shows, auctions are an effective tool to reduce the cost of electricity generated by renewable facilities.
La Camera said that the world is increasing the pace of transition to “clean” energy: “Over the past seven years, we have seen an annual increase in the volume of new clean energy capacities that exceed the capacities of conventional energy. In 2018, 170 GW of new “green” energy projects were introduced in the world,” he said.
“At the same time, clean technologies are becoming cheaper. According to experts, in the future, solar power plants and wind farms will become more profitable sources of electricity than conventional energy facilities,” La Camera added.
In addition, IRENA experts analyzed the development status of renewable energy in the countries of Southeast Europe. It is reported that the region operates 127 GW of capacities that generate “clean” energy. By 2030, these figures can be increased by almost five times and reach 620 GW.
During the forum, the IRENA director-general met with Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk. The parties discussed the investment attractiveness of renewable energy and plans for further development in the country.
La Camera recalled that “green” projects have many advantages and simultaneously address the energy, environmental, economic and social issues of communities.
