Its vast geography includes every type of condition favourable to renewable generation, including windswept steppes, areas of high insolation and forestation and significant geothermal regions. Yet that potential remains almost completely unrealised. At the end of 2009 just 13 MW of wind and negligible solar capacity was present in a country with a total installed generation base of 220 GW. And, if large hydropower is excluded from the equation, only around 1% of Russia's power is currently generated from renewables.
Energy in Russia is dominated by oil, coal and above all, gas. The nation has huge reserves, allowing it to supply its consumers with relatively cheap energy and wield the power that comes from being a key exporter to Eastern Europe and beyond. Indeed, the drive to develop domestic renewable sources by many states in Central and Eastern Europe is motivated by a desire to reduce dependency on their giant neighbour. Nonetheless, compared with progress in the former Soviet sphere of influence and in Western Europe, Russia's enthusiasm for renewables has appeared lukewarm at best.
Energy in Russia is dominated by oil, coal and above all, gas. The nation has huge reserves, allowing it to supply its consumers with relatively cheap energy and wield the power that comes from being a key exporter to Eastern Europe and beyond. Indeed, the drive to develop domestic renewable sources by many states in Central and Eastern Europe is motivated by a desire to reduce dependency on their giant neighbour. Nonetheless, compared with progress in the former Soviet sphere of influence and in Western Europe, Russia's enthusiasm for renewables has appeared lukewarm at best.
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