Submitted by Saba Iakobidze, Regional Ambassador in Georgia of the 22nd Eco-generation Program

Tbilisi, Georgia

When we talk about renewable energy, we mean energy that comes from sustainable and renewable energy sources, like sun or wind or even hydropower plants. Georgia has great potential to implement renewable energy sources. Georgia has diverse nature with many beautiful rivers and valleys that can support wind turbines and HPPs. Georgia has been moving towards these renewable energy sources for decades and now for the first time, the solar energy power plant is planned to be built in the Eastern Georgia, which is surprising, in a good way.

A wind turbine works in a very simple principle - three blades which have a certain shape that allows wind to rotate them easily, rotate around the rotor, which then creates electricity in the generator. Wind turbines are one of the most sustainable ways to harvest energy, however, their instalment can be expensive. In Georgia, we have a few wind turbines, and the Ministry of Energy of Georgia says that country has a great potential in wind energy and currently gets 4 billion kilowatts/hour annually, and has more potential to expand it. Also, the territory of Georgia is divided into four zones: high-speed zone - mountainous regions of Southern Georgia, partly high speed and low-speed zone, low-speed mountain range effective exploitation zone, low-speed mountain range limited exploitation zone.[1] These zones were created to make harvesting energy more easy, controllable and predictable.

Solar energy became very popular in Georgia in the last decade. Working principle of solar panels is pretty easy, it just involves three plates of zinc or any other metal (1 big plate on bottom and 2 small plates on top) and also two different types of silicone and dark glass on top; glass is black because it should emit as much radiation from the sun as possible, then photons are transferred through glass to silicone plates which get different charge because they are not the same type, so the photons bounce around in silicone and then when they are also charged, they exit with help of metal plates into generator. Of course, this technology not only needs material but also the right person to correctly construct it so that it works, that is why solar panels are expensive. As I have mentioned above, Georgia is planning to build the first large power plant which will harvest solar energy through solar panels. This project will take place in Eastern Georgia, specifically in the Kakheti region, but the project is yet to be confirmed, as EBRD states.[2]

HPP or hydropower plants are playing a really crucial role in Georgia as one of the largest energy providers to the country, and there are more planned to be built.[3] Working system on HPPs are simple - water rotates one small rotor and energy is then created in the engine, higher the pressure the water is going under, higher is the energy that is made.

I really see potential in Georgia to fully switching to sustainable alternatives; not only this would help nature but it would guarantee energetic freedom of our country, that is the example of sustainable lifestyle Georgia is trying to achieve.

Supporting photos [4] and [5]