ABSTRACT
For the last 20 years Ukraine has held the leading position in wind energy development among the republics of the former USSR. Although the installed capacity of all Ukrainian wind power plants has been too low compared with the world wind industry leaders, still Ukraine is among the few countries that have made attempts to establish domestic serial production of licensed wind turbines. At the same time, a long-term experience gained by Ukrainian wind industry has proved that development of a wind sector based only on increasing the number of installed wind aggregates (which turned out to be unsuitable for operation in a given locality) means not to use the full potential of wind energy for generating electricity. It took Ukrainian lawmakers several years to understand the sense of wind energy. At the same time,
the country, albeit in view of its own negative experiences, still keeps following the way of manufacturing licensed wind turbines.What is the driving force behind the possible successful development of wind energy sector in Ukraine? This question can be answered differently. First, the rise in prices for imported natural gas; second, a favourable legal framework adopted in the country; and third, the influence of general world trends in the development of a new “green” energy business. But the main impetus for the national wind development is still legally valid for electricity from renewable energy sources. 26.1 The BeginningEnergy from wind was being already used in Ukraine in the 19th century. In 1917, in the territory of Ukraine there were about 30 000 windmills generating up to 200 000 kWh of energy per year. During the period of collectivisation (consolidation of individual farms into collective farms-“kolkhoz”) the number of operating wind turbines decreased, and a mania for grand-scale projects, common during the Soviet era, nearly drove them out of use. According to official statistics, in 1955 in Soviet Ukraine there were only 8 500 windmills totalling to 60 000 horse power used for milling grain and 1 500 wind turbines with cumulative capacity of 7 100 horse power to pump water. And these figures reduced with each passing year. 26.2 Soviet Period
The first phase of development of industrial wind in Ukraine rightfully dates back to the Soviet period of the 1930s. The first 100 kW prototype was developed and installed at Balaklava in the south-west coast of the Crimean Peninsula under the leadership of the famous Ukrainian scientist and researcher Yuriy Kondratyuk. Later he designed a 1 MW wind turbine. The next project of the genius inventor was a two-storied windmill with a total capacity of 10 MW (5 MW at each level). The first level’s height was 65 m and the second level’s was 150 m. Unfortunately, all these projects came to us just in drawings although the foundation for a 10-MW wind turbine was constructed on the Crimean Ai-Petri Mount, where it still exists.
