Economy’s agricultural sector potential in Ukrainian energy self-sufficiency forming

Abstract

The authors analyze the alternative types of energy production in Ukraine. It has been found out that Ukraine is an energy-dependent country and the main sources of energy consumption are fossil fuels. The share of renewable energy sources in Ukraine is less than 2%, which is one of the lowest indicators in Europe. However, Ukraine has a massive unused potential for energy savings in the form of natural renewable energy sources. In particular, there is a large amount of biomass available for energy production. The economically justified energy potential of existing biomass waste is about 25 million tons and the energy potential of biomass which can be grown on unused agricultural lands covering more than 4 million hectares is about 13 million tons. Due to this potential, we can cover up to 18% of total primary energy consumption in Ukraine from two above-mentioned sources. Thus, agriculture of Ukraine has a significant potential for its bioenergy development.