Renewable energy sources in Kyrgyzstan and energy supply to rural consumers

Abstract

The study assesses the potential of renewable energy sources in Kyrgyzstan and explores their application to provide energy to rural consumers. This study used an approximation of the parabolic function of solar radiation change, statistical processing of data on the average annual water flow of small rivers, as well as calculation of the volume of manure produced and its processing into biogas and bio fertilisers to assess their potential in agriculture and environmental impact. Kyrgyzstan, located between 40 and 68° north latitude, has evenly distributed solar radiation, small rivers and biomass, which have significant renewable resources. The distribution of solar radiation on the territory corresponds to the normal law of the monthly average mathematical expectation of 175.79 kWh/ (m2∗month) and a standard deviation of 92.44 kWh/(m2∗month). On average, each square metre of a solar power plant can produce 0.451 kWh of energy. The intervals of average water discharge between the small rivers of Kyrgyzstan follow a power law distribution with a mathematical expectation of 3.112 m3/s and a standard deviation of 2.46 m3/s. With a natural water flow rate of 0.652 m3/s, a low-pressure micro-hydroelectric power plant (with a water head of 1 to 2 m) can generate up to 8.95 kW of power. The total consumption of biogas by an average farm in Kyrgyzstan and its consumption for heating raw materials in a bioreactor during the cold season ranges from 16.34 to 18.93 kg/ hour. This demand for biogas is met by producing domestic feedstock (animal manure) using compact biogas plants with reactors of up to 20 m3. These facts indicate that the use of the above-mentioned renewable energy sources in Kyrgyzstan can provide autonomous power supply to remote rural consumers and contribute to solving existing environmental problems, as well as energy-saving.