Greening Moldova’s energy production
29 January 2018 Danilo DE OLIVEIRA PEREIRA
There are four brand-new solar energy panels in the Botanical Garden in Chișinău, Moldova. They provide Maria Sofroni, whose job is to reintegrate rare plant species back into nature, with hot water to clean her equipment. The money saved on energy costs is used to invest in the renovation of the Garden’s infrastructure.
“We are very satisfied with this equipment. After the installation, we have free hot water all the time,” Sofroni said.
The Botanical Garden has been selected as a demonstration site for newest solar thermal panels manufactured in Moldova. The JSC Raut factory, in Balti, has just finished making its first 100 panels, which are now ready not only to be sold in Molodova, but also in neighbouring countries, such as Romania and the Ukraine, which have a high demand for the product.
JSC Raut was one of the biggest factories for metal processing and manufacturing of military equipment during the Soviet era. With the help of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the government of Poland, the factory has been modernized and local engineers have learned new skills in order to make the solar thermal panels.
Grigorii Stah, technology engineer at JSC Raut, is very excited about being a part of this change. “Here I can use my brain to change and improve things. This sector is the future and it is very interesting work. I am very happy to be a part of it,” he said.
Industry is the second biggest consumer of energy in Moldova after the residential sector. In recent years, the sector accounted for 18% national energy and 34% of its electricity consumption. It was responsible for 13% of total greenhouse gases emissions.
Because Moldova needs to develop its economy without harming the environment, investing in renewable energy is essential for country. Solar thermal energy can increase the competitiveness of the country’s industrial sector, while decreasing the greenhouse gas emissions that usually come from producing heat.
Investing in renewable energy has other benefits. For example, it can decrease the country’s poverty level by providing easier access to energy resources for the population and reduce the dependency on energy imports.
Rapidly raising energy prices, combined with low levels of energy performance, have generated major economic and market potential for renewable energy and industrial energy efficiency products and services.
Manuel Mattiat, UNIDO Renewable Energy Expert, said “It’s a highly competitive location with the necessary infrastructure in place. The workers, the know-how, the skills are there”.
“We have seen how local companies easily assimilate new technology and products,” added Nicolae Soloviov, Project Finance Consultant for the Energy Efficiency Agency of the Republic of Moldova.
As JSC Raut continues to produce and sell its solar panels, it will give other companies access to cheap water heating, allowing them to save costs and cut down on energy consumption. Like Maria Sofroni, many other people in the region will benefit from the technology.