What is Kazakhstan's largest solar project?

Kazakhstan’s largest solar project – a 100 MW field in Saran, Karaganda Province – was opened last year by a German company, also with EBRD backing. Russian engineers doubled capacity at the EBRD-backed Burnoye plant in Zhambyl in 2018.

How much solar power does Kazakhstan have?

In just five short years, solar power capacity has catapulted to 300 megawatts nationwide, and if you add other renewables like wind and hydropower, that number exceeds 700 megawatts, enough power to supply around 200,000 families in Kazakhstan. To understand just how remarkable this is, you have to know the context.

Where is Kazakhstan's new energy plant located?

It’s located in Zhambyl, near Kazakhstan’s border with Kyrgyzstan, an area known to be energy-poor but sunshine-rich. Difficult but necessary regulatory reforms were critical to getting the plant online. Using resources from the Climate Investment Funds and its partners, Kazakhstan introduced what’s called a feed-in tariff on clean energy.

Is Kazakhstan based on coal?

That’s Nurlan Kapenov, head of the national solar association. Since the country’s independence in 1991, he says Kazakhstan has relied heavily on its store of fossil fuels—including the largest coal reserves in Central Asia—to power an expanding economy. “For Kazakhstan, historically, most electricity generation is based on coal.

Does Kazakhstan rely on fossil fuels?

Almost every chemical on the periodic table. That’s Nurlan Kapenov, head of the national solar association. Since the country’s independence in 1991, he says Kazakhstan has relied heavily on its store of fossil fuels—including the largest coal reserves in Central Asia—to power an expanding economy.

Where is the Burnoye Solar plant?

The Burnoye Solar Plant—sprawling across more than 160 acres and pumping up to 100 megawatts of clean power—was built in 2015. It’s located in Zhambyl, near Kazakhstan’s border with Kyrgyzstan, an area known to be energy-poor but sunshine-rich. Difficult but necessary regulatory reforms were critical to getting the plant online.