In 2021, the President of Turkmenistan adopted the Law of Turkmenistan "On Renewable Energy Sources", for which regulatory acts are being developed to promote the practical use of renewable energy in various sectors of the country's economy.
Kakageldi Saryev, director of the Research and Production Center "Renewable Energy Sources" of the State Energy Institute of Turkmenistan, Candidate of Technical Sciences, speaks about the scientific and practical events being held:
"In order to ensure progressive development of the economy, to expand the use of alternative and secondary energy sources, to develop energy-saving and innovative technologies, including energy resource conservation and reliability, the State Program for Energy Saving for 2018-2024 has been approved, as well as the concept for the development of the Turkmen Lake region "Altyn Asyr" for 2019-2025. The Research and Production Center "Renewable Energy Sources" of the State Energy Institute of Turkmenistan (SEIT) has carried out design and calculation work and determined the amount of electricity generation by this power station per day, month and year for the implementation of this project. At present, construction and installation work has been completed at the site of the combined solar and wind power station with a total capacity of 10 MW in Balkan velayat, and infrastructure is being formed for the preparation and delivery of electricity to consumers.
Based on the methodology developed by the specialists of the Research and Production Center, pilot projects have also been implemented for a combined gas turbine and solar power station with an installed capacity of 50 MW, as well as a solar-hydrogen system to increase the energy efficiency of decentralized consumers. A technological justification has been developed for connecting power installations based on renewable energy sources to the central power grid with a voltage of 110 kV".
At the State Energy Institute of Turkmenistan (SEIT), scientific research is conducted on solar and wind energy, as well as the possibilities of solar collectors for heat supply, with the participation of students, teachers and postgraduate students with scientific degrees. The university offers a specialization in "Non-traditional and Renewable Energy Sources." The support for this process is directed by the Decree of the President of Turkmenistan adopted in 2020, which approved the "Program for the Transition of the Sphere of Science in Turkmenistan to a Digital System for 2020–2025", highlighting the tasks of ensuring the integrity of academic science, higher education and production.
In line with the government's focus on promoting digitalization, the scientists at the Research and Production Center (RPC) utilize their own developed software, such as the "Digital System for Designing Photovoltaic Solar Stations" and the "Digital System for Solar Cadastre Development". To assess wind energy resources within Turkmenistan, wind speed values at different heights are used. Wind directions, repeatability, strength and speed were determined. In the project calculation, proprietary software is also used, including the "Digital System for Designing Wind Power Stations" and the "Digital System for Wind Energy Cadastre Development". The developments of the RPC are registered with the State Intellectual Property Service of the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan, and corresponding copyright certificates have been obtained.
By utilizing such computer programs, the country has laid the foundation for the development of a national digital database for assessing energy resources that can be obtained from the sun and wind in different regions. There was justified the possibility of using the obtained information to determine favorable locations on the territory of the country's regions for the installation of solar and wind power stations with stable productivity. Methodological directions for the use of this software innovation have also been defined, taking into account the increase in industrial power capacity in the electricity sector and the strengthening of its material and technical base in the foreseeable future. This will contribute to ensuring the competitiveness of Turkmenistan's economy in the context of global energy transition.
