The first Director of the Institute of Renewable Energy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine was Nver Mkhitaryan – Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Laureate of the State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technology, Foreign Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, Full Member of the Academy of Construction of Ukraine, the International Engineering Academy of Russia, and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Nver Mkhitaryan served as Director of the Institute of Renewable Energy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, established on his initiative within the Department of Physical and Technical Problems of Energy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, from 2003 to 2015.
In 2018, he was elected Honorary Director of the Institute.
Under his leadership, the Institute identified the priority areas for fundamental and applied research carried out by its six scientific departments: Integrated Energy Systems, Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Small Hydropower, Geothermal Energy, Renewable Organic Energy Sources, as well as the Intersectoral Scientific and Technical Center for Wind Energy.
During his tenure as Director of the Institute of Renewable Energy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Nver Mkhitaryan proved himself to be an outstanding organizer and scientific leader. His work contributed to the generation of new scientific knowledge in the field of renewable energy and to the implementation of the results of fundamental and applied research in Ukraine’s national economy.
An important area of Nver Mkhitaryan’s scientific activity was the development of innovative energy-saving technologies based on the use of non-conventional and renewable energy sources. These technologies laid the foundation for a new approach to the development of architectural, structural, and technological systems for residential construction. His extensive knowledge and scientific expertise ensured their successful implementation in practical projects.
The results of Nver Mkhitaryan’s scientific research are presented in more than 200 publications.
Under his direct supervision, numerous fundamental and applied research projects were carried out on technologies for the generation, conversion, storage, and integrated utilization of renewable energy sources.
Nver Mkhitaryan served as Chairman of the Specialized Academic Council D26.249.01 for the defense of doctoral and PhD dissertations in the specialty 05.14.08 – Conversion of Renewable Energy Sources at the Institute of Renewable Energy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. He also chaired the Organizing Committee of the annual international conferences “Renewable Energy of the 21st Century” and served as Editor-in-Chief of the quarterly journal “Renewable Energy.”
Nver Mkhitaryan was actively involved in international cooperation in the field of renewable energy. He participated in international conferences and meetings and contributed to establishing international cooperation agreements with Ukrainian scientific and industrial organizations.
Nver Mkhitaryan devoted considerable attention to the development of the legislative and regulatory framework for promoting renewable energy in Ukraine. He actively participated in drafting and supporting the adoption of laws on renewable energy by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, thereby contributing to strengthening the country’s energy independence.