Investments in renewable energy as a lever in achieving sustainable development goals of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Abstract

The problems of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are relevant both for foreign countries and for the Republic of Kazakhstan. The special importance is given to determination of priority directions of sustainable development for our country, in which it is necessary to direct investment means. The article analyzes the dynamics of investments in environmental protection by types of environmental protection activities in the Republic of Kazakhstan and investments related to the «green» economy for 2015–2020. Special attention is paid to the assessment of changes in the volume of investments in the development of renewable energy sources (RES). The article describes the existing measures of state support for the development of renewable energy sources, as well as highlights the problems hindering their more active implementation into the country's energy balance.The authors used general scientific methods, as well as quantitative methods of statistical, causal and comparative data analysis. The results of the study have led to the conclusion that the greatest growth accounts for the share of investment in the development of a “green” economy through increased investment in energy-saving technologies, increasing energy intensity, the development of renewable energy sources, as well as in the protection of atmospheric air. It is noted that during the study period, the volume of electricity from wind power plants increased by 6 times, and from solar power plants – 22 times. In general, the work conducted by the authors shows that there is a significant resource for increasing the effectiveness of achieving the SDGs through a systematic and comprehensive approach within the framework of national policy. It is concluded that a comprehensive roadmap should be developed and adopted at the national level to attract investment in the SDG sectors and ensure that they contribute to the country's sustainable development.