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Nazrin Abdul

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Analysis of data from the State Statistics Committee, the Ministry of Energy, and the State Agency for Renewable Energy Sources, as compiled by the Media Analysis Center (MTM), reveals significant growth in Azerbaijan's renewable energy sector, Azernews reports.

Since President Ilham Aliyev's announcement of the "National Program for Renewable Energy in the Republic of Azerbaijan" on October 21, 2004, the installed capacity of renewable energy in the country has increased by 74%, or 717.8 MW.

Following the ratification of the Charter of the International Renewable Energy Agency, which was signed in Bonn on January 26, 2009, and later approved by President Aliyev on May 2, 2014, Azerbaijan’s renewable energy investment capacity has grown by 50.7%, equivalent to 567.9 MW.

As of July this year, the installed capacity of renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan reached 1,687.9 MW, marking a 30.7% increase (396.6 MW) compared to five years ago. Hydropower remains the dominant source of renewable energy in the country. Over the past two decades, the installed capacity of hydropower plants has grown by 34.2%, or 331.6 MW, now totaling 1,301.7 MW—a 13.7% increase in the last five years alone.

Wind energy has also seen substantial growth. The capacity of wind power plants currently stands at 66.5 MW, a 39.1-fold increase (64.8 MW) since 15 years ago. Notably, Azerbaijan's first wind power plants became operational in 2009, with an initial capacity of 1.7 MW.

Solar energy has experienced an even more dramatic expansion. The installed capacity of solar power plants is now 282 MW, representing an eightfold increase over the past five years and a 117.5-fold increase compared to 10 years ago. A significant portion—81.6%, or 230 MW—of this capacity is attributed to the "Garadagh GES," inaugurated in 2023. "Garadagh GES," built with $262 million in foreign investment, is the first industrial-scale solar power plant in Azerbaijan financed by international investors.

The Balakhani biopower plant, the only one of its kind in the country, has an installed capacity of 37.7 MW.

In terms of the number of power plants, hydropower facilities dominate, with 47 plants in total (11 large and 36 small). Thermal power plants follow with 22 stations, accounting for 25.6% of all power plants. Overall, renewable energy plants represent 74.4% (64 stations) of the total number of power plants operating in the country.

For additional context, Azerbaijan currently has 9 solar, 5 wind, and 1 biopower plant producing electricity. The country also operates 2 hybrid power plants, where electricity generated from wind, solar, and biogas is integrated into the grid.

Looking at the evolution of electricity production in Azerbaijan over the past 20 years, solar, wind, and biopower plants have been established, and the number of hydropower plants has increased.

In 2004, Azerbaijan had only two types of power plants generating electricity: thermal and hydropower plants. At that time, the installed capacity of power plants was 5,665.1 MW, with 82.88% (4,695 MW) coming from thermal power plants and 17.12% (970.1 MW) from hydropower plants.

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