The year 2016 has not become a game-changer for renewable energy in Russia, yet it did bring a few things that gave us the reason to be optimistic. Special means of support for RES were promised, several documents that lay the basis for providing subsidies and other incentives to RES were adopted, new facilities have been brought online in Russia’s regions. Now is the time for core changes in Russia’s energy development strategy, say environmental NGOs.
Every day one can hear the theme of renewable energy (RESs) at the negotiations in Marrakech. Two years of crashing prices for oil, natural gas, and coal triggered dramatic downsizing in those industries, while renewables have been thriving. Clean energy investments broke new records in 2015 and is now seeing twice as much global funding as fossil fuels. 
In the days of the UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakech (СОР22), a “Clean Energy” conference took place in St. Petersburg. It was dedicated to the issues of energy and sustainable development, balance of business interests and preservation of natural resources. 
Plans for the Paris Climate Agreement implementation remain the subject of controversies in the Russian business community. One part of entrepreneurs sees the low-carbon plans as a threat to the economy. Businessmen who don’t share this position, experts, and NGO representatives find such opinion quite archaic and put forward proposals for the Strategy of low-carbon development. 
April 26 marked 30 years since the Chernobyl NPS nuclear disaster. The events which had taken place in spring 1986 are listed in the world history as a major nuclear catastrophe. Despite the fact that the world community has acknowledged the dangers of nuclear energy, attempts to include NPSs in the list of possible ways for greenhouse gas emission reduction never stop. The nuclear power generation industry cannot help solving the problem: it only creates new ones, experts and representatives of public environmental organizations are sure.
Scholars of the Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT, Finland) have developed a model for Russia and Central Asian countries which proves the possibility of implementing operation of energy systems at the account of renewable energy sources. By experts’ opinion, transfer of the region to 100% consumption of renewable energy by 2030 is an absolutely realistic goal.
Scientists from the South Ural State University developed a system that will allow Russia to cover Crimean energy demand by using wind power installations within the next 5 to 7 years.
Despite what skeptics used to say about the negative effect of cheaper oil on renewable energy development, last year’s investments into renewables broke the record by reaching US$ 329 billion. World energy trends should be taken into account when developing the Russian energy strategy, say Russian environmental NGOs.
Support measures for renewable energy sources that currently exist in Russia do not ensure either the fulfilment of investment expectations of on-going projects, or any interest of investment professionals in launching new ones. This is the opinion expressed by the participants of a recently held conference titled “Prospects for the development of renewable energy in Russia: new stage of development or a pause?” In order to facilitate the development, the approaches to requirements for renewable energy objects have to become more flexible, both experts and environmental NGOs agree.
In late July 2015, Russia became the member of IRENA, the International Renewable Energy Agency. Environmental NGOs hope that this is going to help boost Russia’s renewable energy sector development.