Thursday, May 19, 2016 @ 7:30PM

In the Aram and Anahis D. Boolghoorjian Hall of the Merdinian School: 13330 Riverside Dr. Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

Abstract: The current energy industry of the Republic of Armenia is largely driven by the utilization of non-renewable resources, primarily natural gas and uranium fuel. Given the lack of resources naturally occurring within Armenia’s borders, the Armenian state has turned to foreign entities to satisfy energy demands. Foreign dominance in the industry, along with a lack of incentives for clean energy (defined as energy efficiency practices and renewable energy technologies in this study), and a relative lack of trained energy engineers has hindered robust development of Armenia’s energy resources. Despite this, there is a considerable amount of potential in energy savings and generation from both energy efficiency and renewable energy resources such as building retrofits, solar water heating, solar photovoltaic, and hydroelectric, respectively. The benefits of utilizing such clean energy processes in Armenia include (1) less greenhouse gas emissions that result from the use of traditional energy sources, (2) new energy industry jobs for Armenian citizens, and (3) improved national energy security. This paper analyzes the current state of the Armenian energy industry at large, and explores, from a scientific perspective, the potential of clean energy within the country’s borders. It identifies the most scientifically feasible and beneficial clean energy options for Armenia to currently pursue as (1) energy efficiency building retrofits, (2) small hydroelectric plants, and (3) solar water heaters, eventually followed by solar photovoltaic panels.

Mikael Matossian graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2015 with a bachelor of science in environmental science, concentrating in environmental engineering. He is currently serving as a CivicSpark AmeriCorps fellow for the City of Santa Monica’s Office of Sustainability & the Environment. Upon completing the fellowship, Mikael plans on pursuing a master’s degree in energy systems. His main research interests include energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies applied to the Republic of Armenia.