June has always been the best time for exhibitions in Moscow. I have already visited and told you about Elektro 2021 trade show. And a week ago I visited RENWEX 2021, a trade show dedicated to renewable energy and electric vehicles.

RENWEX is aimed to promote the use of renewable energy resources in the Russian energy sector by giving market players access to advanced technologies and equipment, and creating a highly effective communication platform for discussing and solving relevant problems of the industry in a dialogue between business, authorities, and society.

RENWEX Objectives

  • Acceleration of international cooperation in the transfer of technologies and exchange of practices in the field of renewable energy resources
  • Demonstration of the Russian market with advanced technologies and solutions in the field of construction and operation of energy facilities using renewable energy resources
  • Promotion of the Russian Energy Strategy for the Period up to 2035
  • Involvement of foreign manufacturers in work in Russia to transfer technologies and locate their production at Russian enterprises manufacturing components for renewable energy stations
  • Development of domestic R&D facilities and implementation of advanced technologies for the use of renewable energy resources
  • Presentation of potential for development of renewable energy in Russian regions
Renwex 2021 Floor Plan

Similar to Elektro 2021 Renwex took place at Expocentre in Moscow, June 22-24. It is completely dedicated to renewables. In 2019 I visited the first edition of this show, and at that time it was quite small. Main exhibitors represented the wind and solar power industry with a few EV-related companies.

This time it is clear that the EV market is quickly emerging in Russia. The number of EV market representatives has increased compared to 2019, and now the exhibition can be divided into 4 parts – 30% of wind, 30% of solar, 30% of electric vehicles and infrastructure like chargers and various software, and 10% dedicated to companies that presented hydrogen, hydro, and bioenergy sectors.

RENWEX Main Product Sections

Wind power

  • Planning and development of projects
  • Manufacturers of wind turbines
  • Suppliers of equipment and components
  • Advanced materials, composites, raw, and other materials and their processing
  • Installation, operation, and maintenance
  • Energy storage
Solar power

  • Solar cells and modules
  • Components (cables, plugs, switch boxes, etc.)
  • Mounting systems and equipment
  • Solar tracking systems (trackers)
  • Technology, equipment, raw materials for production of solar panels, modules, and films
  • Integrated systems for buildings and structures
  • Software
  • Solar thermal collectors and plants
  • Heat pumps
Hydropower

  • Hydropower equipment (hydro turbines and generators)
  • Hydro-mechanical equipment (gates, trash racks, lift systems, etc.)
  • Electrical equipment (step-up transformers, switching equipment, etc.)
  • Small hydropower
Hydrogen Energy

  • Hydrogen production/storage / distribution / transportation
  • Assessment / testing / analysis
  • Hydrogen vehicles and fuel cells
Electric Transport and Electric Cars

  • Electric buses and cars for different purposes
  • Personal mobile electric vehicles (electric scooters, motor scooters, bicycles, and self-balancing scooters)
  • Charging infrastructure for electric transport

As I mentioned earlier, in 2019 I visited the first edition of the show, and at that time it was very small but promising. There were about 50 participants, and many of them were only listed in the catalog.

Due to various COVID-19 restrictions this year RENWEX was expected to be pretty much the same compared to the 2019 edition. First of all, the situation with the pandemic in Moscow got worse in June, and the organizers had to follow certain rules. Thus only a limited number of visitors could enter the exhibition hall, so I had to wait for about 30 minutes for my turn to get inside. But it was totally worth it.

  • Waiting for my turn to enter the Expo
  • RENWEX 2021
    RENWEX 2021 Exhibition Hall
  • E-Prom EV Charging Solutions
  • RENWEX 2021 Exhibitors
  • ABB EV Chargers
  • Delta Products for Renewables
  • West Motors Teslas
  • NSP Chargers

Even though the exhibition was hosted only in just one hall, the quality of the exhibitors and total organization has improved a lot. Unfortunately due to the ongoing situation with COVID-19 RENWEX still misses foreign visitors as well as many well-known brands in this industry. All foreign companies were mostly presented by the Russian offices or distributors. So it was hard to find any engineers behind the products displayed.

Anyway, RENWEX 2021 succeeded to gather famous brands (directly and through representatives) in the field of wind, solar and electric vehicles industries like:

According to the organizer’s information, 80+ companies took part in RENWEX 2021. In reality, there were 50+ stands, because some distributors presented several brands. And what is really exciting is that there were many Russian manufacturers and start-ups who presented their solutions in the field of renewable energy with their products and services for wind, solar, hydro, and EV industries. Some of them have their own production, some of the companies have production facilities in the EU and China.

RENWEX PROFILE

Thus there at RENWEX were Russian companies that produce PV modules, power supplies, electric vehicle charging stations, autonomous power supply units, etc.

Many of the companies mentioned above use power semiconductors. Both domestic and foreign manufacturers confirmed at the show that they use IGBT modules, thyristors, and discretes produced by Semikron, Infineon, some Chinese, and other power semiconductors manufacturers. Many companies are more and more looking into SiC solutions.

So if you work in the field of power semiconductors, RENWEX should be on your list of the shows to visit or take part in. There are no companies yet from power semiconductors industry, though, in my opinion, this is just a matter of time. When the pandemic is over, RENWEX will continue to develop and grow, and there will be more participants from around the world. This might be a very good option for manufacturers to consider presenting there their power semiconductor solutions.

  • SE EVlink
  • Huawei at RENWEX 2021
    Huawei at RENWEX 2021
  • Fronius at RENWEX 2021
    Fronius at RENWEX 2021
  • Hopewind at RENWEX 2021
    Hopewind at RENWEX 2021
  • Alexey Cherkasov at RENWEX 2021
    Alexey Cherkasov at RENWEX 2021
  • Schneider Electric at RENWEX 2021
    Schneider Electric at RENWEX 2021

Besides a good expo, RENWEX offered three full days of business events, seminars, panel discussions, and presentations dedicated to various aspects of renewable energy:

RENWEX Forum Discussion

  • International Technological Cooperation and Development of Green Innovations
  • Legal and Regulatory Framework for Renewable Energy Sources – an open meeting of the working group of the Russia Renewable Energy Development Association  
  • Digital Transformation of the Power Industry: Innovations and Energy Efficiency  
  • Prospects for Hydrogen Energy in Russia and the World: the Role of Renewable Energy Sources
RENWEX Conference

  • Plenary Session on Development of Renewable Energy in Russian Regions: Economic and Technological Aspects (held jointly with the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs)   
  • Renewable Energy Sources Discussion Panel: the Power Industry of the Future 
  • Solar Power Discussion Panel
  • Wind Power Discussion Panel
  • Conference on Electric Transport and New Energy Infrastructure
  • Panel on Microgeneration. Education. Enabling PV Russia
  • Biofuel and Biomass Discussion Panel
  • Panel on Microgeneration and Renewable Energy Sources
  • Panel on Development of R&D in the Power Industry. Launch of the EUREKA Programme in Russia

Next year’s show is scheduled for June 21-22, 2022. Save the date. I’m sure that RENWEX 2022 will be even better.