On November 27, the final meeting of the Advisory Council for the X International Award «Distributed Power Generation - Great Achievements» took place. It was held at the headquarters of Business Russia, and the meeting convened experts from the capital, with over 20 additional experts connecting online from Novosibirsk, Khabarovsk, Simferopol, Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, as well as the United Arab Emirates. Representatives from business, academia, and leading industry organizations noted the high level of organization for this year's award. They discussed the competitive projects and reached a final decision on the winners.
As emphasized by Maxim Zagornov, President of the Distributed Power Generation Association, the award reached new organizational and substantive heights this year, despite challenging economic conditions. The Advisory Council of the award has significantly strengthened; for the first time, it included scholars from the United Arab Emirates and China: Samuel Mao, Director of the ASPIRE Institute for Sustainable Energy Research, Co-Chair of the UAE Climate Network, and Professor of Practice at Khalifa University, as well as Lei Cheng, a researcher at the Institute of Energy and the Institute for Carbon Neutrality at Peking University. Additionally, the range of nominations has expanded. Most importantly, the award received a record number of entries—72 applications from Russia and the UAE, with 60 projects making it to the award's shortlist.
These are some of the highest figures in the history of the contest, which not only speaks to the growing authority of the award but also indicates that the small-scale energy sector is actively developing despite restrictions, sanctions, and pressure from monopolists,” emphasized Maxim Zagornov, the organizer of the Award and President of the Distributed Power Generation Association. As all members of the Advisory Council unanimously noted, selecting the best projects in each nomination was not easy this year—the quality of the work was very high.
“This is one of the highest figures in the history of the competition, indicating not only the growing authority of the award but also that the small energy sector is developing actively, despite restrictions, sanctions, and pressure from monopolists,” emphasized Maxim Zagornov, the organizer of the Award and President of the Distributed Power Generation Association.
As the members of the Advisory Council unanimously noted, this year, selecting the best projects in each nomination was not easy—the quality of the work was very high.
«There were many strong projects this year, featuring technological innovations rather than standard solutions, indeed. For Russia, an innovative path of development is crucial today, and that is why I focused primarily on such works,” noted Sergey Alekseenko, a member of the Advisory Council, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and scientific director of the Institute of Thermophysics at the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
“Many projects demonstrate thorough development, real implementations, and effects. We hope that we have made the most objective decisions today—we really wanted our colleagues who contributed significantly to the development of various areas of small, distributed energy to be adequately recognized,” shared Pavel Ilyushin, a member of the Advisory Council, head of the Center for Energy Studies at the Institute of Energy Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Doctor of Technical Sciences.
Samuel Mao, Director of the ASPIRE Research Institute for Sustainable Energy, Co-Chair of the Climate Network of UAE Universities, and Practice Professor at Khalifa University, shared his impressions. He noted the high level of technological solutions and opportunities for collaboration between Russia and the UAE.
“I was pleased to see many interesting projects and research developments that struck an ideal balance between innovation and feasibility,” Dr. Mao remarked. He also emphasized the high level of organization in the nomination process and the friendly atmosphere among the expert team.
Vadim Nuriakhmetov, a member of the Advisory Council and Director of the Pacific Branch of the System Operator JSC, connected with Moscow from Khabarovsk. As a representative of large-scale energy, he expressed his admiration for the opportunities and innovations in small-scale energy.
“Our country offers great opportunities for small-scale energy. Of course, we would like to supply energy resources to the entire territory of Russia, but in some remote regions, this is impossible—this is where small-scale energy comes to the rescue. I was pleased to see such a large number of very worthy and interesting projects,” the expert noted.
Overall, all the experts reiterated the importance of the Award for the industry community, the growing prestige of the competition, and the increasing social significance of this project. The competition entries provide concrete solutions to the most pressing issues and contribute to popularizing the small-scale energy sector as a whole.
“I am very pleasantly surprised by the quantity and quality of projects this year. There is a good depth of development; these are real projects that Russia needs. Our country is vast, and large-scale energy does not manage to cover all areas. Small-scale energy is more responsive and flexible. I am also grateful for such a distinguished jury panel – the level is very high. International cooperation is recovering despite everything happening around us. I hope that the tenth anniversary award will pleasantly surprise us all with its results. I think few people suspected that such serious advancements were taking place in the country,” noted Boris Martsinkevich, a member of the Advisory Council and editor-in-chief of the independent online publication «Geonenergetika INFO.»
President of the Distributed Power Generation Association, Maxim Zagornov, expressed his gratitude to the Advisory Council for their quality work and support of the Award: “This year, the council has shown the highest level of activity. We understand that evaluating 60 diverse projects is a significant effort, and your time is a valuable resource. Thank you very much for investing that resource into the award and, in general, into the small-scale distributed energy sector in Russia!»
During the discussion, the members of the Advisory Council determined the winners and prizewinners of the X International Award «Distributed Power Generation – Great Achievements.» Their names will be revealed on December 13 during the awards ceremony in Moscow. However, the «public online voting» for the competition projects is still ongoing. You can cast your vote for the best projects of the year until December 5 on the Award's website
At the final meeting of the Advisory Council, the following members participated:
In person: Zagornov Maxim Aleksandrovich, President of the Distributed Power Generation Association, Director of the MKC Group of Companies; Ilyushin Pavel Vladimirovich, Vice-President for Science of the Distributed Power Generation Association, Head of the Center for Intelligent Electric Power Systems and Distributed Energy of the Energy Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Technical Sciences; Martsinkevich Boris Leonidovich, Editor-in-Chief of the independent analytical online publication Geoenergetics INFO; Kiselev Vasily Nikolaevich, Member of the Supervisory Board of the Energy Consumers Community Association; Semenov Sergey Aleksandrovich, Vice-President for Investments and International Cooperation of the Distributed Power Generation Association, Founder of the ESSG consulting brand; Gubanov Maxim Mikhailovich, Head of the Energy and Housing and Public Utilities Department of JSC KRDV; Rebrov Vladimir Vladimirovich, General Director of Converter Technology Laboratory LLC (Sistemotekhnika Group of Companies); Kaplun Alexey Aleksandrovich, General Director of N2 Clean Energy LLC; Nevolina Maria Sergeevna, Executive Director of the Distributed Power Generation Association, Head of the Organizing Committee of the International Award “Distributed Power Generation – Great Achievements”.
Online: Alekseenko Sergey Vladimirovich, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Director of the Institute of Thermophysics of the SB RAS, laureate of the Global Energy Prize, Professor, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences; Samuel Mao, Director of the ASPIRE Sustainable Energy Research Institute, Co-Chairman of the UAE Universities Climate Network, Professor of Practice at Khalifa University (UAE); Stennikov Valery Alekseevich, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Director of the Melentyev Energy Systems Institute of the SB RAS, Professor, Doctor of Technical Sciences; Yeltsov Igor Nikolaevich, Deputy Director for Science at the Institute of Computational Mathematics and Mathematical Geophysics of the SB RAS, Professor, Doctor of Technical Sciences; Elistratov Sergey Lvovich, Professor of the Department of Thermal Power Plants of the Novosibirsk State Technical University, laureate of the Russian Government Prize in Science and Technology, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor; Nuriakhmetov Vadim Ramilevich, Director of the Pacific Branch of System Operator JSC; Pokhozhaev Andrey Vasilyevich, expert in the field of technologies and functioning of distributed and renewable energy markets; Sarapulov Sergey Fedorovich, director of the Ural Power Engineering Institute of the B.N. Yeltsin Ural Federal University, Doctor of Technical Sciences; Gandzha Sergey Anatolyevich, Corresponding Member of the Academy of Electrical Sciences of the Russian Federation, professor of the Department of Electric Drive, Mechatronics and Electromechanics at South Ural State University, Doctor of Technical Sciences; Samoylenko Vladislav Olegovich, international representative of the Russian Federation in CIGRE in the direction of Active Distribution Systems and Distributed Energy Resources, Associate Professor, Candidate of Technical Sciences; Vedernikov Alexander Sergeevich, head of the Department of Electric Stations at Samara State Technical University, Associate Professor, Candidate of Technical Sciences; Pokhozhaev Andrey Vasilyevich, expert in the field of technologies and functioning of distributed and renewable energy markets; Kashigin Sergey Pavlovich, head of the office of the Chelyabinsk branch of the Union of Machine Builders of Russia; Shestopalova Tatyana Aleksandrovna, Director of the Institute of Hydropower and Renewable Energy Sources of the National Research University «MPEI», Associate Professor, Candidate of Technical Sciences; Safronov Nikolay Stepanovich, Chairman of the Board, General Director of the NP «National Agency for Energy Saving and Renewable Energy Sources», Professor, Doctor of Economics; Presnyakov Valery Andreevich, Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper «Energy and Industry of Russia».
