A Simulation Model for Assessing the Impact of the Renewable Energy Facilities on the Ecological Condition of a Subject of the Russian Federation

Introduction . In the context of the “green transition” and decarbonisation of the Russian Federation economy, for the sake of supporting this process, it is necessary to have a tool optimising the choice of the territory allocated for implementation of the alternative energy sources as an option of the hybrid decentralised energy supply. It should be borne in mind that the types of alternative energy sources should differ depending on the territory and its features, therefore, application of the systematic approach and adjustment of the methodology of comprehensive assessment of the territory for future planning the integration of the renewable energy sources into the energy complex of a subject of the Russian Federation have been substantiated. Materials and Methods. The object of the study was the territorial–spatial system (a subject of the Russian Federation) with its subsystems. The research was based on the synergistic approach, comparative and empirical analyses, methods of processing the statistical data and, in the cases of integrating the source data, the linear interpolation and the criterion function methods. The main fields of scientific knowledge and disciplines of science covered by the research were the urban planning, climate, geography and the energy complex. The geographic information systems within the QGIS environment were used as the tools for spatial analysis and visualisation of the simulation model data. Results . The main result of implementing a simulation model for assessing the impact of the renewable energy facilities on the ecological condition of a subject of the Russian Federation is obtaining the list of territories (region ranking) designated for allocation of the alternative energy sources (solar power, wind power and biofuels). A secondary result of the research is identification of the environmental problems and consequences caused by implementation of the alternative energy facilities, as well as selection of the measures to reduce the negative impact on the environment. Discussion and Conclusion . The theoretical and practical significance of the simulation model developed by the authors lies in taking into account the diverse parameters and conditions of a subject of the Russian Federation in the frame of the long-term and strategic planning of the region, its energy and spatial infrastructure, as well as in optimising the managerial decision-making. The use of the geoinformation systems makes it possible not only to store and visualise the data about the condition of a subject of the Russian Federation, but also to simulate the parameters of this data.