Turkmenistan to establish solar energy institute
By Aynur Jafarova
Turkmenistan will set up a solar energy institute. The establishment was envisaged in a decree by Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov calling on building a solar energy institute under the Academy of Sciences.
The establishment of the new institute will pave the way for
deep investigations into the potential of renewable energy sources
in the country, improving scientific and technological researches
and introducing relevant scientific studies and innovations.
Based on the decree, the Turkmen Academy of Sciences has been
assigned with developing and adopting a charter for the solar
energy institute.
The Academy of Sciences jointly with the Justice Ministry is
supposed to prepare and submit some proposals on the amendment to
the Turkmen legislation to the Cabinet of Ministers within a
month.
In 2012, the Turkmen Academy of Sciences received the first sample
of technical silicon from quartz sand using solar energy. Also, the
country's scientists have developed an autonomous solar-wind
complex capable of providing remote pastures in the desert
conditions with water and energy within a year.
There is a solar desalination plant, as well as a facility
providing supplies of hot water, and a solar greenhouse with
heat-keeping ground among other developments.
The international experts believe Turkmenistan is capable of
producing solar batteries for export.
This process could begin with the production of raw materials
(monocrystalline or polycrystalline silicon) in the country. The
energy required for the production of silicon is quite cheap due to
the vast oil and gas resources, even in the medium-sized
fields.
Turkmenistan's climatic conditions allow using solar and wind
energy all year round.
The length of sunny days reaches 16 hours in July. The energy of
the sun rays falling on one square meter is 800 watts. There are
approximately 300 sunny days in a year, and the duration of sunny
days reaches 2,500- 3,000 hours a year.
The experts believe Turkmenistan will make significant savings
by using solar energy. In this regard it is necessary to expand
production technologies for creation of solar modules.
Earlier Turkmen media reported that the country plans to establish
a large-scale wind and solar energy complexes, the composition of
which will include solar photovoltaic power plants, solar
photobioreactors, dryers, desalination plants, wind-solar
installation for waste disposal, solar collectors.
These kinds of complexes can secure livelihoods of entire villages
and livestock farms.
Right now, a project of studying production possibilities of
silicon for solar photovoltaic cells is underway in Turkmenistan
that will put the country on a par with the states that have
obtained commercial production of technical silicon.