Innovative technologies that can accelerate and strengthen the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are being discussed on the sidelines of the CACIC-2025 conference, with significant attention being paid to the potential of small-scale energy.
High solar activity in Turkmenistan makes small-scale solar energy a cost-effective way to provide electricity to hard-to-reach areas.
In the vast areas of the central Garagum desert, where power is often supplied by diesel generators, solar panels can be an economically viable alternative. Moreover, solar energy can solve the water supply problem by lifting and desalinating brackish groundwater for the needs of small settlements.
Candidate of technical sciences, representing the Orhus Centre in Turkmenistan Serdar Mametniyazov emphasizes that, given the climatic features of the country, the development of small-scale solar energy is a strategically important area.
Agrovoltaics – installation of vertical solar panels on agricultural fields – could also be a promising direction for Turkmenistan. The successful experience of Uzbekistan and European countries demonstrates the effectiveness of such a symbiosis, where panels provide shade for shade-loving crops, increasing crop yields and simultaneously generating electricity.
To ensure autonomous energy supply for individual households in remote areas, low-power systems in the range of 5-10 kW may be the optimal solution.
The use of solar panels also seems to be very profitable for lighting new highways. The installation of autonomous lamps that accumulate solar energy during the day will significantly reduce the operating costs of lighting.
Turkmenistan is already demonstrating its readiness to implement solar technologies by implementing pilot projects at experimental sites and in the social sphere. An example of this is the installation of solar panels in the clinic of the village of Pelvert of the Lebap velayat.
In accordance with the best international practices, solar panels will be integrated into national infrastructure projects. The Director General of the Agency for Transport and Communications under the Cabinet of Ministers M.Chakyev, reporting to the National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, announced plans to equip the railway and bus stations under construction in the city of Arkadag with solar panels .
The project will be financed by a grant from the Asian Development Bank and implemented jointly with specialists from the "Türkmenaragatnaşyk" agency. It is expected that the installed solar panels will provide continuous power supply to the control and lighting systems of the station complexes.
