On December 13, a grand ceremony took place at the headquarters of «Business Russia» in Moscow, marking the presentation of the 10th International Award for «Distributed Power Generation – Great Achievements». This prestigious accolade, recognizing the best projects in distributed power generation and renewable energy, was established by the Distributed Power Generation Association with the support of the business community «Business Russia» and it garnered significant interest from industry stakeholders, businesses, and government officials. Representatives from over 100 companies attended the award ceremony in the Russian capital, while thousands tuned in to the live stream of the event on the Association's website.
Despite the challenges posed by the turbulence in the global economy, this year saw the Organizing Committee receive 72 applications from Russia and the UAE. Organizers noted that this is one of the highest participation rates in the history of the competition. The geographical diversity of the projects submitted this year is impressive, with entries from distributed generation projects located in Murmansk, the village of Oymyakon in Yakutia, the Chechen Republic, Krasnodar Krai, Volgograd, Kaluga, Ivanovo, Arkhangelsk, Tyumen, and Irkutsk regions, as well as Sevastopol, Yekaterinburg, the settlement of Dixon in Krasnoyarsk Krai, and the city of Bilibino in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, extending even to the heart of Antarctica.
«What we are currently witnessing in Russia can be aptly described as a striking example of corporate social responsibility. In a commendable display of initiative, businesses have mobilized their own resources and proposed effective mechanisms for reducing costs associated with electricity and thermal energy, without awaiting external assistance. The demand for self-generation facilities has surged, not only in remote regions but also in the central parts of Russia», remarked Maxim Zagornov, the Organizer of the Award ceremony and President of the Distributed Power Generation Association.
We, along with our colleagues from the Government and the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, have engaged in discussions at the State Duma this year regarding the content of the Energy Strategy project up to 2050. We recognize that, in the short term—specifically over the next 10 to 15 years—considering the challenges and the objective situation surrounding the increase in energy consumption in Russia, it is imperative to invest tens of trillions of rubles into generation and electricity grid infrastructure. In all scenarios, this is a justified decision: the share of small-scale distributed and renewable energy must increase», stated Yuri Stankevich, Deputy Chair of the State Duma on Energy, at the award ceremony.
The shortlist for the award features 60 projects. A thorough examination of these initiatives was conducted by the Advisory Council of the award, which comprises leading specialists in the field of small-scale distributed energy, market leaders, professors from industry universities, and distinguished scientists. This year, for the first time, the council includes experts from China and the United Arab Emirates: Lei Cheng, a research scholar from the Institute of Energy and the Institute of Carbon Neutrality at Peking University, and Samuel Mao, the Director of the Research Institute for Sustainable Energy and Co-Chair of the Climate Network of UAE Universities, Professor at Khalifa University.
Speaking at the ceremony, Samuel Mao highlighted the friendly atmosphere among the team of experts, as well as the high level of organization in the nomination process and the competitive projects.
«I was pleased to see many interesting projects and research developments that strike an ideal balance between innovation and feasibility. Innovation is precisely what drives the energy sector forward, strengthens it, and leads to a sustainable future. In this regard, the energy sectors of Russia and the United Arab Emirates share many similarities, and I am confident that we have numerous opportunities for collaboration», - he remarked.
Following the results of an independent vote by the members of the Advisory Council, the winner in the first category – «Best Project in the Field of Distributed Power Genertation with a Capacity of Up to 5 MW» – is the Kaluga-based company PAO «KADVI». The company presented its gas turbine power plant, GTPP AG100 ST400, with a capacity of 100 kW, located in the village of Polazna in the Perm region. The power plant was commissioned in April 2024. This project is based on the AG100 ST400 gas turbine engine, which is a proprietary development of PAO 'KADVI'. The facility boasts 100% domestic localization, with all key components of the power plant manufactured in Russia. This ensures the independence of the country's small-scale energy sector from foreign supplies and strengthens the technological sovereignty of the industry. The gas turbine engine of the plant guarantees reliable start-up even under extreme conditions and provides flexibility in switching between fuel types without interrupting operations.
In the second category – «Best Project in the Field of Distributed Power Genertation with a Capacity of Over 5 MW» – the «Golden Lightning' statuette was awarded to the Moscow-based company «GT ENERGO», which presented its gas turbine combined heat and power plant with a capacity of 18 MW located in Yekaterinburg. Since its commissioning, the plant has become a crucial participant in the Sverdlovsk region's energy system, providing thermal energy to the production and administrative facilities of Ural Electromechanical Plant. Furthermore, the engineering centre of GT ENERGO has completed research and development on a magnetic levitation control system, and in 2024, the facility underwent modernization, replacing foreign technological solutions with its own software development
In the third category – «Best Project in Renewable Energy, Energy Storage, and Electric Transport» – the winner was the hydrogen backup power supply complex project designed to replace diesel generators at the facilities of PJSC «Polyus Verninskoye,» developed by the company «H2 Clean Energy». The hydrogen complex, featuring fuel cells, a hydrogen storage system, and an electrolyzer with a capacity of 0.5 m³/h, enabled up to 9 hours of backup power supply and reduced carbon emissions by 1.5 tons per year.
In the fourth category – «Domestic Development in Small-scale Distributed Energy» – this year saw the highest number of applications submitted. Fifteen Russian companies presented their solutions for import substitution programs within the sector. The winner was the project for the gas turbine engine (GTD AA-2000) with a capacity of 2 MW and the gas turbine energy assembly (GTEA-2000) «Irtysh,» developed by the company «INGK» from Perm. The gas turbine engine (GTE AA-2000) is a proprietary development of the company, designed with a simple cycle scheme and a low-emission combustion chamber, significantly smaller and lighter than gas turbines of comparable power. It is intended for the production and supply of electricity to remote industrial consumers, as well as for the co-production of electric energy, hot water, and steam. The «Irtysh» gas turbine power plant is currently undergoing pilot industrial operation, with serial production of INGK's gas turbine engines scheduled for next year.
The winner in the fifth category – «Investor of the Year in Small-scale Distributed Energy» – was the Enelt Group from Moscow. Their investment project involves the construction of seven autonomous hybrid energy complexes in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), aimed at creating a hybrid power supply system for isolated villages through the installation of solar power plants and energy storage systems, including the modernization of diesel power stations. This project has created new jobs, addressed the issue of renewing outdated generation in remote areas, improved the quality of electricity supply for the population, and reduced fuel procurement costs. The total investment in this project amounted to 1 billion rubles.
In the category «Research and Development in Small-scale Distributed Energy,» the winner was the company «TECHNOPARK Real-Invest» from Balakhna, Nizhny Novgorod region, for the development of low-carbon energy generation technology with greenhouse gas capture and the creation of high-purity carbon dioxide production complexes for the food and other industries. As part of the project, the first energy center in Russia with zero CO2 emissions was put into operation, utilizing gas piston units and CO2 capture systems, with a capacity of 22.8 MW of electrical energy. Since the launch of the energy center, 65,000 tons of CO2 and 283,300 MWh of low-carbon electricity have been produced.
This year, by decision of the Organizing Committee, awards were also given in special nominations: the company «Alpha Balt Engineering» from St. Petersburg was recognized for the development and implementation of a series of innovative distributed generation projects, a winner of the X International Prize «Small Energy - Great Achievements»; and the company «Laboratory of Converter Technology» (part of the «Systemoteka» group) was awarded for the development and implementation of an energy storage system project for the largest solar power plant in the Arctic, featuring the introduction of an automated control system – a winner of the X International Award «Distributed Power Generation - Great Achievements».
This year, it is noteworthy that the right to choose the strongest projects of the year was granted not only to the members of the Advisory Council but also to the entire industry community. As part of the «people's online voting» on the award's website, visitors cast their votes for the best industry projects of the year, thereby supporting the innovative path of energy development. The winners of the public voting were: LLC «PSM Prime» (1st nomination), LLC «Alpha Balt Engineering» (2nd nomination), LLC «Ecoclimate» and LLC «Trojan» (3rd nomination), PJSC «Kaluga Engine» (4th nomination), JSC «GT Energo» (5th nomination), and the National Research University «MEI» (6th nomination).
Summarizing the ceremony, Maxim Zagornov, president of the Distributed Power Generation Association, noted that this year the level of competitive projects was very high, and the overall winner was the distributed generation sector. «In this sense, the role of the Award is hard to overestimate: by replicating the best industry practices and accumulating the most advanced Russian and foreign experience, the competition contributed to the development of the distributed energy sector and the enhancement of engineering standards in the country,» said Maxim Zagornov.
The organizers of the 10th International Award «Distributed Power Generation - Great Achievements» thank the general partners of the project: the MKS Group of Companies, the ENELT Group, and the «Converter Technology Laboratory» (Systemotech Group); strategic partners – the international industry exhibitions «Heat &Power» and «Heat and Energy | Heat & Electro»; general media partners – the newspaper «Energy and Industry of Russia» and the online publication «Geoenergetika INFO»; information partners: the magazine «Turbines and Diesels,» the magazine «S.O.K.», and the publication Elec.ru.
Operational updates on the project are available in the Telegram channel.
The recording of the online broadcast can be found on the website of the Distributed Power Generation Association.
Presentations of competing companies:
