The article provides methodological tools that allow to carry out a socio-ecological and economic assessment of the balance of regions in the development of renewable (alternative) energy sources. When forecasting the development of renewable energy in the region, it was taken into account that, unlike fossil fuel-based energy, it does not have a significant impact on the environment, since it uses material and energy flows circulating in natural systems. During the study, it was found that only one transition to renewable energy sources will not allow achieving carbon balance in the regions. The landscape features of the region significantly affect the possibility of its conservation. Therefore, in each region, it will be necessary to identify the area of territories with a special nature conservation status that will allow maintaining the carbon cycle. Methodological tools were tested on the example of the Chelyabinsk region of the Russian Federation. As a result, it was found to maintain a balanced carbon cycle, it will be necessary to increase the share of natural steppes to 49.1% of the total area of the region, and achieve the value of renewable energy in the regional energy balance up to 93%.

The study took into account that renewable energy does not change the biospheric material and energy flows, which ensures the achievement of a general balance. To assess it, a special indicator of balance was used, which characterizes the ratio in energy indicators between industrial activity in the region and the state of its ecosystems. In addition, the need of carbon cycle preservation, which may be disturbed due to the peculiarities of the ecosystems of the regions, was taken into account. It was set that due to the existence of large areas of forest and swamp ecosystems, in all Far Eastern Federal District regions, ecosystems are effective absorbers of carbon dioxide. The total absorption of carbon dioxide in the district is 810.98 million tons. In nine regions of the District, industrial activity and ecosystems are in a balanced state in terms of energy indicators: in the Amur and Magadan Oblast, Khabarovsk, Kamchatka and Zabaykalsky Krai, the Republic of Buryatia and Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The balance indicator in Primorsky Krai and the Sakhalin Oblast is greater than one, which indicates a violation of the balance. To achieve it in these regions, it will be necessary to increase the share of renewable energy in regional energy balances to 50% and 21%, respectively.

The article contains the results of the research on the possibility to achieve the socio-ecological and economic balance in the regions of the North Caucasus federal district of Russia in case of developing renewable source energy and maintaining the carbon cycle in landscapes. The balanced level is determined by the special indicator, the value of which depends on the ratio of the capacity of region’s technosphere to the assimilation potential of its ecosystems expressed in energy indicators. The evaluation also determines whether the carbon cycle of the regions is being maintained or violated in the process of agricultural activities. The findings show that the general value of indicator of the district balance is 8.81, which is considerably higher than one and signals about the imbalance. The socio-ecological and economic imbalance is a characteristic of all seven regions in the district. To achieve the balance the energy balance of each region needs to increase the share of renewable energy industry up to 85-94%, on average up to 89% in the district. The necessity to maintain the carbon cycle forces to provide 28380 sq. km of the territories of the North Caucasus federal district with the specific status. These territories are mainly steppe ecosystems and put together up to 16.6% of the whole district territory.

The article provides an assessment of the possibility of a balanced development of the regions of the Volga Federal District of the Russian Federation due to an increase in the share of renewable energy in the regional energy balance and subject to the preservation of the carbon cycle. Particular attention was paid to agricultural areas, which, in a case of irrational nature management, can significantly disrupt the carbon cycle. Thanks to the use of a special indicator, it was found that the Volga Federal District is in an unbalanced state. It is possible to correct the situation by increasing the share of alternative energy to 52-96 per cent in regional energy balances (77 per cent on average in the district). In eleven regions of the District, there is carbon dioxide emission from anthropogenically disturbed territories, covered mainly by agricultural areas. In order to preserve the carbon cycle in the Volga Federal District, it is necessary to bring 136,200 sq. km of territory into a special nature management regime, mainly steppe ecosystems and pastures, which cover 10.9 per cent of the total area of the district.

The article provides the author’s model for assessing the level of sustainability in the development of a region due to an increase in the share of alternative energy sources and on the premise of maintaining a carbon balance. It was taken into account that the possibility of maintaining the carbon balance in the region is greatly influenced by agricultural activities and landscape features of the region. Thus, in some regions it is necessary to allocate additional areas of ecosystems with a special nature management regime to maintain the carbon cycle. The model generated was tested on the example of the regions of the Ural Federal District of the Russian Federation. It has been established that carbon dioxide emission from anthropogenically disturbed territories is present in four regions of the district: Sverdlovsk (17.9 million tons), Chelyabinsk (45.04 million tons), Kurgan (40.9 million tons) and Tyumen (13.03 million tons) regions. Thus, even if the share of renewable energy in the energy balance increases to 37-93%, and the general balance is achieved, the carbon cycle is still disrupted. In order to preserve it, additional inclusion of up to 8.5-57.4% of the region territories into the special nature management regime is required.