Comparative analysis of traditional and alternative energy in the Russian Federation

Abstract

The study obtained the totals of material intensity (resource intensity) and greenhouse gas emissions for all regions of the Russian Federation with traditional and alternative energy sources. The share of alternative energy in the regional energy balance, the total amount of natural resources consumed as a result of its activities (expressed in total material input numbers). It has been established that the emission of greenhouse gases by the traditional electric power industry is 788.56 million tons. Greenhouse gas emissions from alternative power generation activities in the Russian Federation are relatively low, with emissions of 0.11 million tons, and are associated exclusively with the activities of biofuel plants. The volume of matter transported due to traditional energy activities in the Russian Federation is 2 billion tons. The volume of material transported due to alternative energy activities in the Russian Federation is minimal and amounts to 421 thousand tons. Even in a hypothetical scenario, when alternative electricity completely replaces traditional energy, the volume of transported material will be almost 7 times less than fossil fuel energy. Thus, the ecological and economic advantage of alternative energy development in the Russian Federation is established, which is expressed in significant resource saving.