Spatial Classification of Russian Regions by Potential for Distributed Generation Based on Renewable Energy Sources

The subject of the article is the classification of Russian regions by their distributed energy generation potential. The purpose of the study is to develop a methodological approach to the territorial classification of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation by their degree of readiness to implement distributed generation based on renewable energy sources based on a critical analysis of the current institutional model for the development of renewable energy sources in Russia, primarily the mechanism of long-term capacity supply contracts that does not take into account the spatial structure of consumption and the parameters of regional energy systems. The article substantiates the need to movefrom a production-oriented approach to the spatial classification of Russian regions to a system-spatial logic for the placement of generation facilities. A three-factor assessment model is proposed including the relative generation efficiency, economic feasibility and synchronization with peak load periods. Based on the results obtained, a classification of regions by their distributed energy generation potential has been developed: “locomotives”, “promising”, “paradoxical”, and “low-potential”. The method is based on a scoring system and allows for the formation of a basis for a targeted policy to support distributed generation projects. It is concluded that the key criterion for the efficiency of energy distribution is not volume, but its ability to quickly replace expensive, scarce or unstable centralized generation in a specific place and at the right time.