“White Coal” for Petrograd: Attempts at Energy Transition During First World War

This article examines the origins of Russian hydropower in the prerevolutionary period. From the 1880s, entrepreneurs in the Russian Empire began constructing small hydroelectric power stations for industrial purposes. Despite a lack of statelevel attention for these technologies for an extended per...

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Main Author: A. B. Agafonova
Format: Article
Language:Russian
Published: Tsentr nauchnykh i obrazovatelnykh proektov 2023-12-01
Series:Научный диалог
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.nauka-dialog.ru/jour/article/view/5003
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author A. B. Agafonova
author_facet A. B. Agafonova
author_sort A. B. Agafonova
collection DOAJ
description This article examines the origins of Russian hydropower in the prerevolutionary period. From the 1880s, entrepreneurs in the Russian Empire began constructing small hydroelectric power stations for industrial purposes. Despite a lack of statelevel attention for these technologies for an extended period, they were studied by the Imperial Russian Technical Society. The First World War sparked interest in hydropower among government authorities as fuel and financial crises forced the government to seek cheaper energy sources. Legislative measures for regulating the use of water bodies and the practical application of hydropower, which were carried out by the government between 1915 and 1917, received further implementation in Bolshevik Russia. The author analyzes the process of transitioning from discussions about the potential uses of hydropower to the practical implementation of the first hydroelectric projects, emphasizing the key role of the war in accelerating this transition. The source base of the study consisted of administrative documents from the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, official statistics, press materials, and scholarly literature.
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institution Kabale University
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2227-1295
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publishDate 2023-12-01
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spelling doaj-art-0bc2f7264e4c4a9aae58936436fbd8222025-08-25T18:13:31ZrusTsentr nauchnykh i obrazovatelnykh proektovНаучный диалог2225-756X2227-12952023-12-01121023024710.24224/2227-1295-2023-12-10-230-2472631“White Coal” for Petrograd: Attempts at Energy Transition During First World WarA. B. Agafonova0National Research University Higher School of EconomicsThis article examines the origins of Russian hydropower in the prerevolutionary period. From the 1880s, entrepreneurs in the Russian Empire began constructing small hydroelectric power stations for industrial purposes. Despite a lack of statelevel attention for these technologies for an extended period, they were studied by the Imperial Russian Technical Society. The First World War sparked interest in hydropower among government authorities as fuel and financial crises forced the government to seek cheaper energy sources. Legislative measures for regulating the use of water bodies and the practical application of hydropower, which were carried out by the government between 1915 and 1917, received further implementation in Bolshevik Russia. The author analyzes the process of transitioning from discussions about the potential uses of hydropower to the practical implementation of the first hydroelectric projects, emphasizing the key role of the war in accelerating this transition. The source base of the study consisted of administrative documents from the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, official statistics, press materials, and scholarly literature.https://www.nauka-dialog.ru/jour/article/view/5003history of hydropowermaly imatrarussian empireenvironmental historyeconomic policyenergy sectorenergy transition
spellingShingle A. B. Agafonova
“White Coal” for Petrograd: Attempts at Energy Transition During First World War
Научный диалог
history of hydropower
maly imatra
russian empire
environmental history
economic policy
energy sector
energy transition
title “White Coal” for Petrograd: Attempts at Energy Transition During First World War
title_full “White Coal” for Petrograd: Attempts at Energy Transition During First World War
title_fullStr “White Coal” for Petrograd: Attempts at Energy Transition During First World War
title_full_unstemmed “White Coal” for Petrograd: Attempts at Energy Transition During First World War
title_short “White Coal” for Petrograd: Attempts at Energy Transition During First World War
title_sort white coal for petrograd attempts at energy transition during first world war
topic history of hydropower
maly imatra
russian empire
environmental history
economic policy
energy sector
energy transition
url https://www.nauka-dialog.ru/jour/article/view/5003
work_keys_str_mv AT abagafonova whitecoalforpetrogradattemptsatenergytransitionduringfirstworldwar