BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 7. Azerbaijan is planning to develop pumped hydro storage facilities for the first time, Director of the State Agency for Renewable Energy Sources under the Ministry of Energy Javid Abdullayev said, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
He made the remark during the opening ceremony of a modern renewable energy laboratory at Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University (ADNSU).
Abdullayev first noted that a conceptual approach to the deployment of energy storage systems in Azerbaijan could be presented by the end of September. He added that work is currently underway on a regulatory framework related to the integration of renewable energy sources into the energy system and the introduction of energy storage technologies. "We are currently working on regulation. Several key principles and frameworks have been identified. To address these issues, one of China’s leading research institutes is studying our grid. They will share the initial results of their renewable energy analysis with us," Abdullayev said.
Moreover, he emphasized that Azerbaijan currently has two energy storage systems, each with a capacity of 125 MW. "We currently have two energy storage systems based on lithium batteries, each with a capacity of 125 MW. Overall, this represents 250 MW of capacity," he said.
According to Abdullayev, the ongoing analysis will determine what volume of new generation capacity should be developed in the country and what share of it should be supported by battery storage systems. "After the analysis, we will understand what percentage of the installed capacity should be supported by batteries if a certain volume of new capacity is introduced. This is one aspect of the approach," he said.
The agency director stressed that it is impossible to integrate unlimited renewable energy capacity into the power system and that a careful approach is required. "It is not possible to connect an unlimited amount of renewable energy capacity to the grid. The experience of neighboring countries has also shown that a very careful approach to this issue is extremely important," Abdullayev said.
He added that Azerbaijan plans to use various types of energy storage technologies. "There are several ways to address this issue. One is, of course, the use of battery storage systems. There are different types of such systems. In addition to lithium batteries, we are already looking at other technologies as well," he said.
Abdullayev noted that a presentation on one of the energy storage technologies had been held at the Ministry of Energy and that work in this area is continuing.
Javid Abdullayev stressed that Azerbaijan is also considering the development of pumped hydro storage facilities for the first time. "At the same time, we are planning to introduce pumped hydro storage systems in Azerbaijan for the first time. Around 25% of Azerbaijan’s water resources are formed in the liberated territories. Naturally, the justified use of this potential could create certain opportunities," Abdullayev said.
He noted that work on energy storage systems is based on a comprehensive analysis. "This is a comprehensive analysis covering all aspects. It examines issues such as the types of battery storage systems, their share within the energy system, geographical distribution and spatial analysis," he said.
The agency director also touched upon the issue of rising electricity demand in Azerbaijan. "The growth of demand in the energy system is a very serious issue. Standard extrapolation methods are no longer sufficient to understand this, as artificial intelligence and other factors are affecting energy demand," Abdullayev said.
He noted that Azerbaijan currently has sufficient generation capacity to meet growing energy demand. "At present, Azerbaijan has sufficient electricity generation capacity, and there is no need to take any emergency measures in the near future to meet increasing demand," he said.
Abdullayev added that technologies for energy storage systems, their share in the energy mix, and their geographical placement are currently being studied intensively. "I hope that by the end of September we will be able to present a general conceptual approach on this issue," he said.
