Centre for RES research also wants to provide public service
CASE: Companies are showing
interest in RES research in
Slovakia
A year ago the renewable energy research centre was opened in Bratislava. It´s main aim is to create a platform for coordinated cooperation among scientists, students and private companies.
The National Centre for research and application of RES is a project of four faculties of the Slovak Technical University (STU) and at the same time of the six centres of excellencies in Slovakia. „We were able to create a synergy effect. We have five companies that have their projects directly situated in our centre. We have two excellency centre and next year we should also open a competency centre. We have created a sophisticated project for Slovakia with the possibility to join various companies, “ said the vice-chancellor of STU František Janíček.
Priorities: Biomass and solar energy
The primary focus of the Centre is in the field of biomass and solar energy. As Janíťek informed, the first phase was comprised of buying technologies and devices, the second was the actual creation of the centre in Bratislava at a sufficient level. A new biogas station was built and a photovoltaic power plant is also under construction at the moment. The Centre is even thinking about building a wind power plant. „I highly appreciate the distribution company that was powering this laboratory as a research centre, “ added Janíček.
„All the information and communication technologies in the centre are from the top of market. We will have SANET connections and also create conditions for a high transfer speed and ability to send great amounts of information and data, “ said Janíček.
The Centre also plans to develop a consulting department for wide public. „I think that within one year we will be able to create a relatively strong consortium, which will offer services towards the public. We will deal with the question of quality of the electricity, its measuring, broad distant control, new systems and smart technologies, “ informed Janíček about their plans.
Private sector is interested in science and applied research
A number of foreign as well as domestic companies have shown interest in joining the centre of excellency. As Janíček said, it is in the interest of the Centre to increase its economical sustainability, because the structural funds will not be here forever.
„By creating a financial analysis, the companies also have to possibility to conduct business. Besides that we have companies coming to the Centre that will carry out project work and consulting services. Currently we have eight companies that will work here and exchange information, “ he added.
The partnership of the companies will be a great benefit also for our students at the university, said the vice-chancellor: „Students will be able to work on real projects at STU and also earn some money for it. The whole excellency centre, leaving out the applied research, is very important for us from the promotional perspective.”
They were not adequately ready for the structural funds
The structural funds created a unique opportunity to create an excellency centre on RES in Slovakia. „I have realised that it is a fantastic chance for building such working places that were missing here before, “ continues Janíček. But the whole system of how to receive funds represents a complex problem. „When the structural funds came to Slovakia, we were not prepared for it,” he explains.
One of the specific hurdle within the Slovak conditions is the huge bureaucracy behind the whole process. It is not rare that researchers spend most of their time on paper work. „Bureaucracy is the biggest in the field of public procurement and assessment of individual projects. There they have to asses whether the costs were legitimate or illegitimate, “ concluded the vice-chancellor of STU.
Week in Slovakia
Monday – 3rd January 2011
Slovakia will change the system of financing emergency oil reserves in the new year. The law amendment introduces a new fee, which will be paid by all the subjects that import oil and oil products from third countries to Slovakia. The law is also valid for EU member states.
Since January 1st 2011 Slovakia has cancelled the exemption to pay excise taxes from coal and natural gas used for heat generation. Slovakia gave a red light also to tax exemption for natural gas in transport (CNG). As a result of the amendment, the state budget should raise additional finances of approximately 8, 6 million euro per year.
Tuesday – 4th January 2011
A year ago the National centre for research and application of renewable centres was created in Bratislava. It is one of the six excellence centres. The Centre connects four faculties of the Slovak Technical University (STU). The centre primarily focuses on research in the field of biomass and solar energy. The Slovak Organization for Research and Development Activities (SOVVA) coordinated the establishment of the Centre.
Wednesday – 5th January 2011
A new storage hydro power plant with a total installed capacity of 57,93 MW should be built near by Levice. The costs of constructing the power plant should reach 150 million euro and construction works should start in 2013. The private investor expects to put the power plant into operation in five years time.
Minister of Economy and Construction Juraj Miškov is taking into consideration the possibility of selling a small share of the Nuclear and Decommissioning Company (JAVYS). As he stated, the aim is to improve the financial situation of the company. According to the ex-chief of the ministry it will be a faulty step. The coalition parties are also not united over this question.
Thursday – 6th January 2011
The inspection of the National Labour Inspectorate (NIP) has discovered a number of imperfections at the nuclear power plants in Mochovce and Jaslovské Bohunice. Infringing the rules was not directly connected to Slovenské elektrárne, but work suppliers and service works that cooperate with the company. The labour inspectors do not directly control the nuclear facilities (that is the task of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority), but only the so called secondary circle – that is companies that provide service activities for nuclear power plants.
European Union and World
Monday – 3rd January 2011
In 2010 Russia has extracted the biggest amount of oil in is post-soviet era. Extraction volumes have recorded an annual growth of 2,2 % and the annual volume reached 505,19 tons of crude oil. In new year the Russian authorities are expecting a moderate drop in the production. Natural gas extraction also recorded a rise in volumes last year, approximately 12 %.
Tuesday – 4th January 2011
Member states of the European Union will be able to achieve their goals in the field of renewable energy sources until 2020. This finding is one of the results of the newest analysis presented by the European wind energy association (EWEA). It is possible that only two countries will not meet their goals – Italy and Luxembourg. Wind energy should become the most common source among all the renewables. It should cover around 14 % of the demand. According to EWEA, RES in Slovakia should cover 15, 3 % and thus overtake its official goal by 1,3 %.
China has informed that it has discovered a revolutionary method of processing nuclear waste. It should enable it to re-use it in the fuel cells and it is multiple times more effective than currently. According to Beijing, the discovery is a result of a 24-years long research.
Wednesday – 5th January 2011
In 2010 a record number of consumers have decided to change their electricity supplier in Czech Republic. The number has reached 249.000 consumers, while 184.000 were households.
Thursday – 6th January 2011
At the end of 2010, the total installed capacity of all the newly connected photovoltaic power plants in Czech Republic has reached 1.650 MW. Compared with 2009, this number has grown four-fold.
Friday – 7th January 2011
Czech company Škoda Power has obtained an order in Israel. It will become the supplier of devices for a gas-steam power plant located north from Tel Aviv. The order is worth few hundred million Czech crowns. Škoda Power will deliver two turbo with accessories with an installed capacity of 140 MW. The power plant should be put into operation in 2013.
A mass boom of electro-vehicles will be less likely in the upcoming future despite the big investments of automobile companies into their development. This finding is a result of a survey among the top-manager of the biggest automobile companies.
The secret correspondence of American diplomats that were published on WikiLeaks have revealed that Gazprom is a corrupted company. The leaked correspondence from 2009 belonged to the US diplomat John Beyrley. The correspondence states that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin allows the corrupted Russian elites to parasite on revenues from energy sales. The American dispatches also repeat the opinion of various Western and Russian analysts. According to them, Gazprom management has falsely interpreted development of the market when it bet on the growing European demand. The complete opposite has happened and Europe was hit by the economic crisis. Gazprom refused to comment on content of the leaked dispatches.
K téme
