BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 1
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Azerbaijan should install off-grid renewable energy technologies through pilot programmes to ensure cost-effective energy access to all parts of the country, Trend reports with reference to the recommendations of the International Energy Agency (IEA).
“In Azerbaijan’s remote mountainous areas where it is expensive to build grid infrastructure, off-grid renewable energy systems could be a cost-effective way to provide electricity, particularly as their prices have declined in recent years.
Pilot projects could be carried out, keeping in mind lessons learned from other countries. Renewable heat could also be provided in these areas, both directly (e.g. through clean bioenergy, geothermal or solar heat) and indirectly (through heat pumps).
The government should install off-grid renewable energy technologies through pilot programmes to ensure cost-effective energy access to all parts of the country. These pilots should incorporate the sustainable use of local renewable energy resources for heat. The government could consider providing incentives for small renewable energy suppliers, to encourage entrepreneurship and the establishment of small businesses in the energy sector,” reads the IEA report.
Azerbaijan’s renewable electricity comes primarily from hydropower. From 2008 to 2019, hydropower capacity increased by around 15 percent to 1 145 MW. The major change was the 2010-2017 refurbishment of the Mingachevir hydropower plant (HPP) and its capacity upgrade from 284 MW to 424 MW. Wind power capacity was 66 MW, of which 50 MW was added in 2018, and that of solar PV was 35 MW in 2018.
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