Ural Federal University held the Russian-German Young Generation Forum on energy efficiency

02:19, November 24, 2011

International partners supported UrFU rector’s suggestion about working heat source modernization

Leading experts in regional energy production made reports during the Russian-German Young Generation Forum on energy efficiency. Thomas Hendel, general director of the Russian-German energetic agency RUDEA, became an event moderator. Besides, general council of the German Federal Republic in Ekaterinburg Renata Schimkoreit took part in the forum.

The event was opened by the governor of Sverdlovsk Region and the president of the UrFU supervisory committee, Alexander Misharin. He emphasized that the rise of energy efficiency is one of the priorities in the regional government work taking into account the regional power deficit despite the high industrial development. Mr. Misharin brought into focus the forum significance for the German Federal Republic and Sverdlovsk Region cooperation.

The governor also said that the power saving is mostly important not only for this partnership but for the university collaboration with main German research organizations. According to Mr. Misharin, one of the most significant issues is development of the research and educational connections with German partners. It is considerable that the forum was held on the base of the Ural Federal University. Therefore, it is possible to solve the problem how to enlarge the technical expertise of Russian energy specialists. “We find it to be key-note to continue this activity. I am confident that such projects will materialize and our young specialists will realize new interesting ideas. This factor can create new possibilities and improve the quality of our education,” – stressed the governor.

Withal, Chief federal inspector in the Sverdlovsk region, Victor Minenko, shared an opinion that realization of the national project on Russian energy efficiency evaluation up to 40 per cent by 2020 totally depends on advanced technological ideas and experience. Thereby, it is grave to implement them to the full and educate excellent specialists.

Within the new national programme it is planned to promote education in the area of energy audit and management. Possibly, by the end of the current year more then 20 000 specialists will have been instructed. Thus, professional personnel development has a significant role in solving energy saving problems in the industrial sphere. This idea was also supported by Den Stefan Coler, chairman of the board of a German energetic agency. He said that nowadays managers should be well qualified.

Moreover, the forum became an opportunity to receive a visit from the Dr. h. c. of the UrFU Frank-Walter Schteinmeier to Ekaterinburg for the third time during last four years. On the forum day he found possible to address the university meeting.

Thomas Hendel shared his plans for future: cooperation between the UrFU and German companies will lead to a new project on energy efficiency evaluation and training of specialists. And, of course, to all Russian-German collaboration. In such a way, Victor Shakhin, vice general director of the Russian-German energetic agency RUDEA, and Victor Koksharov, rector of the Ural Federal University, presented a pilot project on the university cogeneration plant modernization.

On the forum Mr. Koksharov proposed to modernize the working heat source through the construction of a cogeneration plant including turbo-power unit and waste-heat boiler. New TPP is seen as a main line of the city energy development. As it is planned, this project will be realized by 2020, according to the national energetic programme deadline.

The university rector stressed that all elaborations at the UrFU, and primarily at the Ural Energetic Institute as a part of the large educational complex, are anyhow aimed at solving the power efficiency problems of all Russian industry sectors.