Assessment of the effectiveness of constructing solar power plants in the regional context

Relevance. Development of energy infrastructure and, in particular, solar energy is an important factor in the socio‐economic development of the country regions. As part of the energy transition, which involves replacing existing energy technologies with low‐carbon electricity generation, it is very important to determine the place of solar power plants in the structure of the Russian electricity generation complex. This study will provide information on the economic efficiency of solar power plants included in the regional energy systems of the Russian Federation with varying degrees of centralization of electricity supply based on approaches using simulation modeling. Aim. To analyze solar energy development in the system of general and regional electricity production in Russia; to develop models for evaluating the effectiveness of solar power plants in various regions of the Russian Federation, taking into account regional and technological aspects when operating in both centralized and decentralized power supply areas. Methods. Simulation modeling methods used to obtain a separation surface and, based on it, determine the feasibility and effectiveness of the introduction of solar power plants in regions belonging to different zones of centralization of electricity supply. Results. Based on the analysis of the structure of the country power generation complex, socio‐economic aspects, taking into account the concept of energy transition and the regulatory framework of the electric power industry, it is shown that for Russia in the field of solar energy development, the most important indicators of fuel economy and reduction of CO2 emissions are obtained through the use of high‐tech solar power plants or their complexes in regional energy systems. Using simulation approaches, models of separating surfaces have been constructed to evaluate the effectiveness of regional solar power plants located in the subjects of the Russian Federation with varying degrees of centralization of power supply in conditions of uncertainty of the initial information. The obtained models made it possible to evaluate the efficiency of the construction of solar power plants located both in the zone of centralized and decentralized power supply to consumers of the country. The efficiency of solar power plants for supplying electricity to consumers in the regions of the centralized zone of the Unified Energy System was assessed using the example of the Artinskaya solar power plant in the Sverdlovsk Region (Artinskaya SPP), and in the decentralized zone – using the example of a complex of solar power plants in the Kamchatka Territory (Kamchatka SPP).