Creating a class of energy prosumers as a goal of state policy in the field of renewable energy regulation

Abstract

Using the international experience gained during the development of renewable energy sources (RES), we can now talk about the socio-economic importance of projects in this area, especially at levels of implementation close to the individual. Given the positioning of renewable energy sources in Russia as an instrument to solve energy and environmental issues, it is necessary to assess the new opportunities for RES’s positive impact on the economy and society, as well as its more intensive development subject to the current potential of non-renewable energy sources. The author considers the general trends of global leaders in energy consumption in the ratio of capacity for renewable and non-renewable energy. Creating a class of energy prosumers combining the functions of energy production and consumption based on renewable energy technologies is one of the priority tasks for the state energy policy. Having analyzed the regulatory framework in the field of microgeneration as well as the market for the relevant equipment, the author proposes ways to stimulate this activity, which, with the effective involvement of the population, might serve as a factor for endogenous economic growth. In addition, microgeneration based on RES is considered the primary method of ranking regions for federal stimulation of renewable energy development. Having studied the factor of attracting non-core investors in the energy sector, the author assessed the importance of ESG criteria and proposed to create a dedicated national system for supervision over the non-financial criteria used to evaluate investment projects.