Under the auspices of the Year of Germany in Russia 2020/2021, EUROSOLAR Russia, with the support of Astrakhan State University, organized a round table on "Innovative solutions in irrigation and the use of renewable energy in irrigation".
The event was held on December 8, 2020 at the Astrakhan State University.
The meeting was joined by representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Ministry of Industry, Transport and Natural Resources of the Astrakhan Region, ASU management and scientists, representatives of the German Partnership in the Field of Water Management, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Moscow, the German Solar Energy Association BSW Solar and major German companies in the field of alternative energy.
The main task of the round table was to strengthen Russian-German bilateral relations with the Astrakhan region. Experts from Germany shared their experience of using irrigation systems that run on clean energy and are used for irrigation and agriculture. Scientists of Astrakhan State University presented to their foreign colleagues the university's capabilities for creating promising projects for the agro-industrial complex, developing digital solutions in the industry, including the introduction of robotics and artificial intelligence.
According to Konstantin Markelov, Rector of ASU, the university devotes a lot of research to the innovative improvement of the agro-industrial complex. The university has a scientific and educational center "Alternative Energy", as well as an educational and experimental farm "Beginning", which is used as a production site. On its plots, various types of agricultural crops are grown, new samples are brought out.
"Alternative energy is becoming more and more important for the Russian industry, and for the Astrakhan region — a reality. Our region has a certain potential in this area, so this topic is relevant and timely. New approaches and technologies make it possible to increase the efficiency of enterprises, to ensure their high competitiveness in the domestic and foreign markets. For the university, the priority is to train qualified professionals for the main areas of activity of the region: agriculture, energy sector, transport logistics, environmental safety. At the same time, we train personnel not only for the Russian economy, but also for our partners in the Caspian region, Europe and Asia — more than 2,000 foreign students study at ASU," Konstantin Markelov said.
In order to organize joint activities on the topics of electric power, renewable energy sources, energy efficiency savings, as well as the integrated development of waterless agricultural territories of the Astrakhan region, a bilateral agreement was signed between the NP "EUROSOLAR Russia" and ASU.
As a result of the round table, it was decided to create a working group on the implementation of Russian-German solar energy projects in various sectors of the regional economy. The uniqueness of the working group is that under the leadership of ASU Rector Konstantin Markelov, representatives of three ministries of the Astrakhan region joined forces: the Ministry of Agriculture and Fishing Industry, the Ministry of Industry and Natural Resources, and the Ministry of Economic Development. The main task of the working group will be to implement Russian-German pilot projects based on ASU in irrigation and agriculture, and to attract renewable energy investment projects to the region.
"Today we got acquainted with interesting initiatives. I will definitely tell experts from German specialized institutions about them, so that they will pay attention to the Astrakhan research and contact you for further cooperation. And thanks to the permanent group, which will include entrepreneurs, scientists, and civil servants, we will be able not only to exchange experience, but also to attract specific financial resources for the implementation of projects, to reach the practical, applied level of our partnership," George Kekelidze assured.
The next meeting of the working group is scheduled for January 2021. In addition, the group's work will continue at the RENWEX-2021 international exhibition, which will be held in Moscow in June.