SOLAR ENERGY SAVING IS A NEW DIRECTION

In today's world of technology, there are many ways to produce energy. There will be a warehouse at any production site. But so far there is no possibility to save the main product of the energy sector, i.e. electricity. In the future, large-scale power plants should focus on industrial energy storage and production of various power storage facilities. After all, the rapid development of renewable energy sources has made this task the main issue on the agenda.

No one can argue about the benefits of renewable energy sources. However, its widespread introduction and use has shown the need to save energy for later use. After all, the production of wind and solar energy is a "continuous" process. In many countries, energy consumption fluctuates according to the seasons. In this regard, it is important to master the technology of seasonal energy storage. Young scientists of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University implemented "Technology of seasonal storage of solar thermal energy in order to provide heat and hot water to apartment buildings and residential areas." Acting Associate Professor of Mechanics, PhD and Doctor of Engineering Madina Tungatarova told about the technology needed in the field of alternative energy.

- This project was started as part of Bakytzhan Akhmetov's doctoral and master's dissertations of Tannur Amanzholov, Zarina Turtayeva, Abzal Seitov. We have applied for funding under the World Bank's "Stimulation of Effective Innovative Projects" program. The project was successfully selected and we received the necessary financial support for the implementation of the project for 3.5 years. The main idea of ​​the project is to save solar energy in order to provide hot water and heat to homes. During the summer months, solar energy is released too much, but the time when it is really needed is the winter. Similarly, if we get a lot of solar energy during the day, people consume a lot of energy at night. Solar energy storage technology consists of two components: a short-term storage battery for hot water supply and an underground heat accumulator for long-term storage, - says the project manager.

Doctoral and undergraduate students carry out initial work during internships at the Technical University named after Sofia, Bulgaria. In addition, on the basis of the grant "Newton - Al-Farabi" Bakytzhan Akhmetov traveled to the UK and contributed to the project. Madina Tungatarova believes that the innovative model of solar energy conservation will be of great benefit to remote areas of the country.

- Even gas or coal delivery there is expensive. This technology is designed for small areas and cottages. After the start of the heating season in Almaty, it is impossible to walk in the yard. Because thermal power plants work intensively. Therefore, the air becomes very polluted. We are concerned about the types of technologies in the world to solve this problem. For example, we learned that Canada has a similar technology for this project. Canada is geographically similar to our capital Nur-Sultan. At present, this technology is fully implemented and working there. For example, in Canada, a cottage village, 97% of which is heated by this technology. This is the result achieved in just three years. So, this is a technology that can be fully implemented.

According to the scientist, there are some problems with commercialization. This is because most of the necessary components, such as solar collectors and pumps, are imported. Therefore, the cost of solar energy storage technology can be expensive. However, given its contribution to human health and the environment, it will be a promising project, despite the fact that the payback period is seven years. It is known that respiratory diseases are more common in Almaty than in other regions. "Therefore, our project will be implemented at a decent level in the future," he said.

- The program "Stimulation of effective innovative projects' ' is aimed at commercialization of the project. Therefore, the capacity of the project should be taken into account when conducting marketing analysis. This is not a simple thing to do with a ready-made device. It is necessary to calculate the amount of energy consumption of each facility. Accordingly, we select the required number of solar collectors, the capacity of heat accumulators and short-term storage batteries. At the time of our analysis, the payback period of the project was 10 to 15 years, depending on the capacity of the facility. During the project implementation, we developed this technology in the Agro-Bio Center of KazNU. This center is located in the village of Bayserke, Almaty region. Students of the Faculty of Biology of our university conduct experiments there. Therefore, in order to commercialize, we installed this technology in a mosque in the village of Koksai, Almaty region. This facility is provided with hot water due to seasonal storage of solar energy, - said Madina Tungatarova.

Previously, there was an electric water heater. This device would fail when a large number of people gathered for Friday prayers every week. An innovative project of KazNU scientists has been working there for the last year. There were also a lot of positive comments about the technology.

- In order to save solar energy, we use phase-changing material, i.e. different types of paraffin, in short-term batteries. Paraffin is mainly in the solid phase. When paraffin is heated above the melting point, the process of transition from solid to liquid begins. The process of transition from the solid phase to the liquid phase requires a lot of energy. We call that energy latent energy. As a result, it allows you to receive and store more energy than planned. That is the main reason why we call it an innovative project, - says the scientist.

In addition, on the basis of the grant "Newton - Al-Farabi" Bakytzhan Akhmetov experimented with the addition of nanoparticles of aluminum oxide to various types of paraffin. This also allows you to increase the performance of the battery. Therefore, there is reason to believe that the main innovation of the project is to increase the efficiency of solar energy storage technology.

According to experts, the concrete plant in Shymkent is interested in innovative technologies. However, as it is a facility that requires a very large energy source, the amount of funds required for the project will be large. In general, this technology is very effective in schools and greenhouses, mosques or similar institutions.

- Technology is developing rapidly around the world, but environmental problems have not diminished. Intergovernmental memorandums and agreements aimed at reducing carbon emissions have been signed. Therefore, I can say with confidence that the project "Technology of seasonal storage of solar thermal energy to provide heat and hot water to high-rise buildings and residential areas" is very promising. However, due to the production of coal in the domestic market, gas and coal prices are relatively low. Therefore, the initial capital required to build a heating system based on coal and gas will be small. At the same time, the low solvency of the population does not contribute to the development of innovative technologies based on solar energy storage. However, we hope that as the social responsibility of every citizen increases, environmental projects will find support from the population, - said Madina Tungatarova.

According to experts, the Damu Entrepreneurship Support Fund currently has special programs aimed at alternative energy. However, it should be noted that the state does not fully finance the project, the fixed capital is borne by the customer. In the future, if local governments or governments provide interest-free or low-interest loans to citizens to protect the environment, we would be one step closer to solving environmental problems. The project manager, Doctor of Engineering Madina Tungatarova, summed up her thoughts:

- This project brought together young researchers. The full participation of these specialists in the work through documentation, accounting, and research has shown the social impact of this project. As a result, Zarina Turtayeva is studying for a doctorate in France through the Abai-Verne program. Bakytzhan Akhmetov continues his education at Nanyang Technical University in Singapore. Therefore, this project helped to improve our experience. I think that in the future such and other new technologies in the field of alternative energy will be rapidly developed in our country.

KAMILA DUYSEN