Renewable energy resources and the utilization in Mongolia

Until now, connecting the province centers to the national utility grid has been the main strategy to increase the rate of access. As a result of this, approximately 90% of soum centers ( total number of soum centers is 347 ) have connected to grid system by end 2007 year.  Around, 15 soum centers electricity demand will be supplied by renewable energy. However, a large section of the population particularly in rural areas, still does not have access, and not much has been done to provide them with electricity. This implies that many of the nomadic cattle-breeders do not use modern household appliances ( refrigerator, washing machine, hot plate, TV set, radio, telephone, etc. ).

At the same time, the great distances separating the rural population from the central grid systems, the deficiencies in the existing transportation infrastructure, the seasonal nature of production and services, and the nomadic lifestyle of the cattle-breeders complicate the problems regarding the electrification of remote rural areas and impede the process of improving their living conditions.

In order to mitigate these problems, it is necessary to solve the rural electrification crisis and implement urgent measures involving the use of modern technological breakthroughs made in other countries.

In the early 90s, UNDP provided support to the country by evaluating and demonstrating renewable energy technologies including photovoltaic. In 1991, the Institute of Renewable Energy was established as a special research center specialized in research and development on renewable energy technologies, including photovoltaic, wind, micro-hydro and biomass technologies.

In resent years, the Mongolian government has undertaking many efforts jointly with the international community to facilitate the development of renewable energy in Mongolia.
The government of Mongolia has developed a master plan for rural power supply by using renewable energy.

The government of Mongolia has also announced the ”100,000 Solar ger program”, which presents support unities and social benefits for a significant percentage of rural population.  

The Parliament of Mongolia  has approved The National Renewable Energy Program in 2005 and  The Renewable Energy Law  in 2007, in order to facilitate wider use of renewable energy in Mongolia.                                                 


Mongolia has considerable reserves of renewable energy resources, such as solar, wind, hydro, biomass and geothermal power. If Mongolia can provide electricity to its rural population using these resources, it will not only stimulate social welfare for the rural population but will also help reduce a volume of the fuel import  and the outflow of foreign currency.

Solar Energy  

Mongolia has substantial solar energy potential. The high intensity of solar radiation, long periods of sunshine, high air transparency, and constant presence of moisture in the air favor the development of solar energy in Mongolia.  
Approximately 70% of the total land area receives solar insolation at the rate of 5.5-6.0 kWh/m2 per day and 2900-3000 sunshine hours per year. According to long-term expertise estimates, the solar radiation by square units increased, at the point of direction, from North to South and, at the range, from 1163 kWh/m2 to 1628 kWh/m2.
The average solar radiation received by Mongolia comes to 1400 kWh/m2.
The annual number of sunshine hours in the same place is within the range of 2450-3300, which is higher than the average duration of sunshine in other countries located along the same latitude.

                                                           
Government has programs and plans to exploit the solar resource. Of which, ”The 100.000 Solar Gers program” has been established in 1999. The program has three phase / first 2000-2002 year, second 2003-2004 year, third 2005-2010 year / and under this program will be provided 100,000 small PV systems with capacity 20-75 W  to households, herders in rural area. One of the key issues is that while costs of the PV system vary from $300-$500, many households, herders would still require a loan for this amount. Government has initiated discussions with commercial banks willing to provide credit terms for 1 to 2 years.                     
At present, close to 60,000 independent solar PV systems are reportedly in use by herders for operating lights, radios, TVs and satellite dishes.  

Government is also working with JICA / Japan /, GTZ / Germany / and World Bank in the development of a comprehensive programs for off-grid aimags and soums. This would be phased over a15 year period / 2002-2017/. Under these programs already replaced diesel set in 198 soum centers, placed diesel+photovoltaic units in 5 soum centers and going to place  as such units in 8 soum centers, at end 2008 year.  The capacity of these units vary from 5 kW to 200kW.

Wind Energy

In year 2000, The National Renewable Energy Laboratory of USA developed a wind energy resource map for Mongolia in cooperation with The Renewable Energy Center of Mongolia and The National Institute of Meteorology of Mongolia. This map shown six categories considering wind power density regions.
The annual average wind energy resource in Mongolia have quite variable characteristics and resource distribution depends of various factors. The influencing factors for the wind resource distribution are the wind flow from the west, average latitude, which is the main determinant of the Mongolian climate changes and influence of wind flow topography. The high mountains and ridges situated an western and central regions of Mongolia constitute major impact for the wind resource distribution
Regions in Mongolia with more than 160000 sq. km area have possibility and are convenient to use high capacity wind power stations connected to the electric grid network. Using the standard calculation method in these regions with abundant wind resources, 7 MW power could be obtained from one square kilometer or in other words, installing 1100000 MW capacities could produce 2.5 trillion kW electricity. All aimags of Mongolia have at least 6000 MW wind energy resource. Of which, 9 aimags have more than 50000 MW wind energy resource, southern province Umnugobi aimag have 300000 MW wind energy resource.

Moreover, including the regions with moderate wind energy resources (convenient for rural energy consumers or for installation of low capacity wind generators), the area of windy regions could reach 620000 sq. km, representing almost 40 % of the total territory. Theoretically, 4300000 MW capacity could be installed in these windy regions to produce 8*1012 kW.h electricity on annual basis and 9 aimags have more then 200000 MW wind energy resources.
At present time, over 4000 portable, small wind generators with capacity from 50 Wp to 150 Wp are use by herders for operating lights, radios, TVs in rural area.  
In last years, number of feasibility studies were made for the construction of wind power plants with capacity of 50 MW at ”Salkhit uul”,near capital city Ulaanbaatar and 100 MW  in ”Umnigobi” province.
Wind power utilization in Mongolia is still negligible.

Hydro Energy

It is estimated that the average flow of our country’s 3800 and small rivers with a total of 65000 km in length, total precipitation of catchments area is 3,46*1010 m3, energy resource 6300 MW and producible energy is 56*107 KW.h. The majority of hydro energy resources belong to the mountainous areas in western and northern part of Mongolia.
                                                          
At present time, 9 small hydro plants operating with capacity from 150 kW to 2.0 MW. The first small hydro plant with capacity 528 kW was established in Khar-horin soum, in 1958 year. The all small hydro plants are run-of-river designs that provide electricity to neighboring rural areas except during the winter.

In recent years, number of feasibility studies were conducted for the construction of hydro power plants with capacity of 220 MW at ”Egiin” river, 100 MW at ”Orkhon” river, 11 MW at ”Zavkhan” river, 12 MW at ”Durgun” river and many sites were identified for the possible construction of hydro power stations to supply the energy needs of the soum centers.  Which from, the construction works of 11 MW ”Zavkhan” HPP  and 12 MW  ”Durgun” HPP  are finished and going into operation the end of this year.  

The ”Zavkhan” HPP with capacity 11 MW would supply electricity to two aimag centers and 8 soums. But, the ”Durgun” HPP with capacity 12 MW would supply electricity to three  aimag centers and 40 soums in the frame of Western Energy System.  

Geothermal Energy

Presently, there are 43 hot springs in Mongolia some of them are in use of public health, but they are not studied thoroughly. These are only known and exposed parts of Mongolian energy resource hidden in depth of the earth. As Mongolians are accustomed to name the hot water fount as hot springs, we used this terminology in this report.

The resources of hot springs are mostly located in mountainous areas of ”Altai”, ”Khangai” and “Khentii mountains ridges, where the infrastructure is poorly developed. The priority use of the hot springs is the non-medicine health treatment. Relevant research and studies should be conducted for the possibility to use the hot springs to provide heating for those sanatoriums established nearby the springs, establish greenhouses operated with solar and hot spring energy, and to build geothermic power stations. It is safe to note that almost any research works have not yet been undertaken for this purpose. Conducted hydrogeology surveys in hot springs basins identified the actual reserve could discover enormous resources.

The use of underground hot water as source of energy is becoming one of applicable practice in the world. According the comments made by the specialists worked on the possibility of utilizing the hot springs, the heat of hot springs can be used for heating purpose without harming the nature and environment.
The ”Shargaljuut” sanatorium’s central facility is heated by the surface exposed found of ”Shargaljuut” hot spring. The ”Shargaljuut” hot spring one of the largest hot springs in Mongolia and its exposed water temperature reaches 920C, and fount flow speed reaches to 251/s.
As the ”Shargaljuut” sanatorium uses the natural flow of hot spring for its heating without using any specific equipment, it operates year round. This heat energy resource is a practical example how the natural energy could produce heating without harming the environment and at same time saving the fuel costs.
However, other sanatoriums established in rural areas are operating only in summertime as they are obligated to use coal and firewood which, they cannot afford the cost. This confirms the fact that if the renewable energy resource is used efficiently in the proper places can be beneficial.

Biomass Energy

Biomass – the natural resources that can produce energy by burning the wood, animal droppings, vegetations etc. and they are the accumulated and converted forms of energy derived by the sun and one of the renewable energy sources.

Resources of forest, saksaul, shrubby plants for fuel. The research results suggest that 15.2 million hectares of Mongolian territory is covered with forest and of which, 80 % is coniferous and 20 % is broadleaved forest.

The Gobi region has abundant resource of saksaul and other shrubs and bushes. In the family of fuel originated from plants include all kinds of woody plants, namely, saksaul, caragana, willows etc. Saksaul was specially considered among these plants. The total area of Mongolian forest reserve 15.2 million hectares, of which, 13 million hectares or 74.2 % is tree forest and 4.5 million hectares or 25.8 % is saksaul forest. The annual average resource of forest per hectare of trees is about 1.32 cubic meter, but for saksaul is only 0.001 cubic meter. Therefore, there is very limited possibility to use the Gobi saksaul and shrubs for fuel purpose

Resources of agricultural waste and livestock dung. Mongolia have a form of renewable energy resource – biomass fuel originated from livestock (dried cow dung, pellets, horse-dung, hardened dung and urine of sheep and goats) and other types of biomass such as straw, woods, shrubs, biomass waste of urban settlements.
Mongolians have long time tradition of herding livestock and using the biomass, an accumulated and converted form of energy, such as dried cow dung, hardened dung and urine of sheep and goats as the source of fuel and this tradition continues today. The dried cow dung is cheap fuel that can be collected easily during anytime of the year in all regions of Mongolia. Dried cow dung, and hardened dung and urine of sheep and goats have been the key source of fuel for herders, specially in regions with limited forest reserve or any forest reserve at all.

As of 2007 Mongolia had 40.0 million heads of livestock, which means that Mongolia have considerable amount of biomass resource originated from the livestock. The resources of the dried cow dung, pellets, horse-dung, hardened dung and urine of sheep and goats (biomass) produced continuously by the livestock as a source of renewable energy were assessed as of 2003.

The main source of fuel for households living in steppes and Gobi desert area the dried cow dung resource is significantly reducing. The reason of this shortage is the massive loss of livestock in recent years.

The heat emitting capacities of the dried cow dung, pellets, horse-dung, hardened dung and urine of sheep and goats are relatively different depending on the seasonal and regional characteristics. The minimum heat emission for the dried cow dung is 10800-13300 kJ/kg, horse-dung 8800 kJ/kg, pellets 16700 kJ/kg, hardened dung and urine of sheep and goats 12500-14600 kJ/kg. (source: Feasibility study for the energy production using biomass. 1997)

Mongolians call the hardened dung and urine of sheep and goats accumulated over long period as ”khurzun”. Khurzun is a kind of compressed fuel originated from the hardened dung and urine of sheep and goats. Khurzun has good and consistent heat emitting capacity.