Plot National projects
At the end of September, thanks to the national project “Science and Universities”, the world-class scientific and educational center (REC) “North” territory of sustainable development” received subsidies for the opening of 6 youth laboratories. Some of them are already in operation, the rest will open in the near future. REC projects are aimed at developing the infrastructure of the northern territories of Russia. This is very important for the regions located beyond the Arctic Circle. And the strengthening of the economy of the North will affect the economy of the country as a whole.
We talk about how the developments of Russian scientists will allow Russia to strengthen its strategic presence in the Arctic.
“The North is the territory of sustainable development”
The theme of October in the Year of Science and Technology — «Energy of the Future ». For the development of the Arctic territories, Russian scientists are developing technologies capable of providing energy to settlements and facilities built in extreme permafrost conditions.
This year, the REC “North” territory of sustainable development” presented a project of a large-scale technological platform for the development and testing of full-cycle hydrogen technologies. It will allow remote infrastructure facilities to operate autonomously regardless of climatic conditions and fuel supplies. The use of hydrogen in the Arctic is relevant and is due to the prevalence of a resource suitable for extracting finished fuel — water. The process of obtaining it can be autonomously organized at a polar station or in a remote settlement.
Thanks to the national project «Science and Universities » 6 laboratories are being opened in the REC «North — territory of Sustainable development », the purpose of which is to promote the development of young scientists and the employment of promising researchers. So, on the basis of the NEFU named after M.K. Ammosov, the laboratory “Computational technologies for modeling multiphysical and multiscale cryolithozone processes” has been launched, solving problems from several appliedareas. In addition, NEFU will operate a laboratory of radiation technologies and polymer composites for the North. Using computational methods, scientists will be able to assess the impact of global warming on the rate of thawing of soils in the polar territories. This will provide the builders of the Arctic infrastructure with data on the state of soils, and environmentalists will receive information for the analysis of man-made and natural causes of climate change in specific localities.
Two youth laboratories are being launched on the basis of the Yakut Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. And a laboratory of electrochemical sources for renewable energy was opened at Sakhalin State University. It will focus on the creation of new energy storage facilities for Sakhalin and the Kuriles based on solar panels and wind turbines, the study of accumulation andconsumption of hydrogen. The laboratory is being created in partnership with the Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The production and use of hydrogen is one of the strategic priorities of scientific and technological development of the Sakhalin region, which can secure a leading position among the subjects of the Russian Federation in the field of hydrogen energy.
Autonomous Energy Research and Technology Center
The Scientific and Technological Center of Autonomous Energy as part of the Institute of Arctic Technologies of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (STC AT MIPT) was established in 2017. Today it is one of the leading centers where Arctic energy projects are being developed. It consists of four laboratories and an engineering center.
In the harsh conditions of the Arctic, the wind speed often reaches 15-20 m/s, and in some areas reaches up to 50 m/s. Difficult weather conditions require special approaches to the creation of wind turbines. Their design and development are carried out in the laboratory of renewable energy sources.The capacity of the Arctic wind power plant designed here is about 100kilowatt, and it can operate without interruption in completely isolated conditions. The design features allow the generator not to be covered with ice, withstand temperatures up to −50 & deg;S and wind speed of 60 m/s. Using such installations, the northern regions will be able to significantly reduce the share of energy supply costs: in some regions they now reach 37% of the gross product.
The Fuel cell laboratory is developing efficient technologies for converting chemical fuel energy into electrical energy. The efficiency of traditional hydrocarbon fuel in the unfavorable conditions of the North is very small. It is necessary to master solid oxide fuel elements (TTE). Electric generators based on them have an efficiency reaching 60%, and when combined with gas turbines, it can be increased to 70%.
Polar Station “Snowflake”
Together with Russian and international partners, MIPT initiated a project to build a complex of autonomous international Arctic stations “Snowflake”. They will work exclusively on renewable energy sources and hydrogen, and the activities of the stations will be aimed at versatile research of the Arctic,testing of promising technologies in adverse climatic conditions and international cooperation in the field of polar research. In the Year of Science and Technology, the construction of such a station began in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, and the project of the complex in the Murmansk Region is in the final stages of preparation.
The International Arctic Station “Snowflake” will become one of the largest scientific infrastructure facilities in the Arctic zone. Thanks to its technological equipment, scientists from all over the world will be able to conduct relevant developments for the development of the Arctic – from life support systems to growing vegetables in extreme conditions. The project will provide “smart specialization” of the region and develop scientific potential in Yamal
The use of traditional types of energy in the conditions of the Far North is difficult, therefore, a complex combining wind generators, solar panels and hydrogen power plants was created to provide electricity to the polar stations “Snowflake”. Projects of promising energy storage devices have been developed.
In total, 15 scientific and educational centers of the world level are currently operating in the country. All of them were created within the framework of the national project “Science and Universities”.