QAZAQ GREEN.  Kazakh Renewable Energy Association Qazaq Green, solar power plant substructure company Profland and IT Hub Terricon Valley announced the Energy Storage Systems Hackathon Kazakhstan 2023 to be held in Karaganda in June this year.

The prize fund of the hackathon is KZT1,000,000.

The participants are required to develop and prove the feasibility of their project in energy storage systems: industrial and domestic. Industrial storage systems with a capacity of 10-100+ MW would be used in large power plants for balancing electricity, while home systems with a capacity of 5-100 KW could be used as Smart Grid for balancing electricity in the country.

Artem Slesarenko, Profland director, said the concept or prototype should be efficient and cost-effective.

"I think everyone understands the critical importance of energy storage systems. And especially for Kazakhstan, because we are facing water shortage now. Water scarcity is an increasing problem in Kazakhstan and world.  So you can wait for a breakthrough in this sphere. Or you can try to get involved. So everyone is welcome. There are three months of preparation. The Hackathon itself will last one –two days," said Artem Slesarenko.

There are various energy storage technologies in the world. All of them are at different stages and have their own features. Most are currently expensive and inefficient.

"The current notional cost of $1 million per MW of storage is not conducive to the energy transition. Something else has to be done. We are inviting educational institutions and energy professionals to team up and develop concepts that can be commercialised and implemented on an industrial scale," he said.

Hackathon participants are expected to work on solving the following problems:

- The country's energy security

- environmental protection

- carbon emission reduction

- safe and affordable electricity.

The winners will be assisted in commercialization by attracting partners and investors.

Applicants can apply by visiting the following link: https://forms.gle/CEBajg8VRXdq2mtd6.

More info: https://taplink.cc/esshackaton

 President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev approved the " The Carbon Neutrality Strategy of the Republic of Kazakhstan until 2060 " by his decree № 121 as of February 2, 2023.

Kazakhstan signed the Paris Agreement on 2 August 2016 and ratified it on 6 December 2016. Before formally signing the Paris Agreement in September 2015, Kazakhstan demonstrated its commitment to its goal by submitting its NDCs to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.