Environmental News - Commentary / Analysis

THE FUTURE OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY IN ARMENIA
By Robert Kurkjian and Matthew Karanian

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HYDRO POWER

Hydro power generates approximately 20% of Armenia’s energy needs. Although this form of power generation does not emit atmospheric pollution, there can be significant environmental impacts. The greatest impacts are on water quality and quantity, and changes to the surrounding environment. This is usually due to the construction of dams, which causes flooding above the dam, and decreases the water flow downstream.

Lake Sevan’s waters have been used for decades to generate electricity, but at a cost to the lake’s ecosystem. The increased out-flow of the lake’s water for use in hydroelectric generation has contributed to the lake’s deterioration by reducing its volume by roughly 40%, increasing the water temperature and impacting the fishing industry.

SOLAR ENERGY

Energy from the sun is typically more affordable than wind power for individual residences. Solar is particularly economical for heating water, and actually beats many energy alternatives, though widespread implementation could take decades to achieve. Solar energy generation capacity in Armenia is currently around 650 MW, but estimates for future capacity are as high as 3,500 MW.

Dr Artak Hambarian, Director of the Engineering Research Center (ERC) at the American University of Armenia (AUA), has been researching solar energy and its applications for years. He estimates that it could take a business 20 or 30 years to earn enough savings in energy costs to pay for its investment in solar panels that are used to create electricity.

For nearly a decade, the ERC has been engaged in a variety of solar energy related projects. Its project of perhaps greatest national significance is its Solar Monitoring Station (SMS), which collects solar radiation data to assist with evaluating and developing solar energy devices.

Based on data from the SMS, engineers have calculated that one square metre of land in Yerevan receives about 1,700 kWh of sun power annually. It is said that Yerevan is sunny for 300 days each year, and at this rate there is a great incentive for people to install solar panels on the roofs of their homes in order to heat water. Additional solar data collectors are proposed for installation at several locations around the country to further research the applications of solar energy.

Limited practical applications of solar energy have proven cost- effective for the AUA in recent years. The university is supplied with hot water and with heating and cooling by a project that engineers from ERC are working on. The project is known as DESODEC – the “Design and Installation of a Solar Driven Desiccant Cooling Demonstration System.”

They have a solar water heater on the roof of the University’s six-floor building, and the solar heater, together with the Desiccant Evaporative Cooling system, provide the University with heat in the winter, and cooling in the summer.

A solar photovoltaic system, also installed on the roof, provides electricity to the system that makes the university building independent from the electricity grid, and which serves to back-up the university internet servers. The DESODEC is the first solar driven combined system in the former Soviet Union, and one of a handful in the world.

WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM ALTERNATIVE ENERGY?

The thermal, nuclear and hydro facilities that Armenia inherited from the Soviet Union now generate so much electricity that Armenia has been able to sell some of it to the Republic of Georgia. But if Armenia were to halt its nuclear program, could wind and solar generated power be sold commercially, at a profit? How would the cost of producing wind or solar energy compare with the cost of the existing nuclear energy production in Armenia? According to energy consultant Serge Adamian, it is not meaningful to compare the nuclear example with solar or wind sources because Armenia isn’t paying for the nuclear power plant. It was already there when the country gained independence, so comparing wind and nuclear energy is therefore the “wrong paradigm,” he says. Armenia’ s nuclear power plant is nearing the end of its productive life, and there are other serious issues to consider, such as waste disposal and safety. Analysts expect that the plant will be shut down within a decade, and there is not a high probability of a new one being built.

All of this means that alternative sources may not be fully exploitable today, but they will represent a far more practical solution if and when Armenia scraps nuclear power. Over time, Adamian says, wind and solar production will attract more support from the government and from others. Iran’s support in 2004 for a wind farm on Lake Sevan’s south-eastern shore is one such example.

The continued development and installation of alternative energy resources will also lessen Armenia’s reliance on imported fossil fuel. Air quality in Armenia will improve and there will be a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions – two peripheral but significant advantages.

With an appropriate and comprehensive strategy, Armenia has an opportunity to enter the international renewable energy market. In contrast to other established industrial markets, the renewable energy industry has not yet matured worldwide, which could provide an opportunity for Armenia’s scientists, its manufacturing industry, and associated businesses. The people of Armenia ultimately stand to benefit.

Robert Kurkjian and Matthew Karanian have travelled extensively in Armenia and have just released a new book on the region, "The Stone Garden Guide: Armenia and Karabagh." The guidebook highlights conservation efforts in Armenia, including attempts to adopt renewable energy technologies. For more information, visit the Web site www.StoneGardenProductions.com.

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