The Role of Private Sector Innovative Investments in the Implementation of the National Programme "The Intellectual Energy System of Russia"

Today Russian power sector requires serious structural changes. Deterioration and obsolescence of energy production assets, change in consumption structure, rising demand in tertiary industry and housing and public utilities industry as well as rising quality and reliability requirements for electricity supply, massive involvement of distributed generation in the energy system and change of consumer behavior model seem to be the prerequisites for energy system transformation. This process consists in progressive change of power sector technological functioning principles based on intellectual technologies implementation which allow efficient intercommunication of all electricity market participants. There is a dynamic activity in innovation field of energy sector in recent years. Unfortunately, existing national innovative programs and initiatives in the energy sphere do not deliver desired results. Firstly, it is connected with non-sustainability of implementation mechanisms which leads to functions duplication, amid blur of spheres of tasks fulfilment responsibility. Secondly, financing of programs assumes participation of both government and private sector just as initiatives do not receive required support of business. Emerging initiatives such as NTI EnergyNet by Agency of Strategic Initiatives and Technological platforms are based on the USA and EU experience of innovative development of Smart Grid projects and suggest new effective solutions for gradual modernization and transformation to intellectual energy system. However, one of key problems for new mechanisms is a problem of private sector investments attraction. Thus, it is necessary to find acceptable and reasonable mechanisms of business participation in Smart Grid initiatives.