Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr.6
By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:
Azerbaijan has started the work on developing the water area of the Caspian Sea in order to build wind farms there, an official of the country's State Agency on Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources told Trend.
Jamil Melikov, the deputy head of the State Agency on Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources said that Azerbaijan's power supply system is closely linked with those of neighboring countries, which creates an opportunity for both export and import of electricity.
"The further growth of the production capacity in the electricity generation sphere will increase Azerbaijan's export potential," he said. "Alternative energy sources are among the areas where we could increase our generating capacity."
Melikov added that the offshore zone of the Caspian Sea has great potential in terms of energy capacity.
"There is a large space in our disposal where we can built wind farms," said Melikov, adding that work on developing the water area of the Caspian Sea has already started in Azerbaijan to build wind farms there and it continues successfully.
Currently, the capacity of Azerbaijan's power supply system is around 7,200 megawatt.
The total potential of alternative and renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan is 12,000 megawatt.
The major part of the country's potential in this sphere accounts for solar energy and this potential is estimated at 5,000 megawatt.
This is while the wind power accounts for 4,500 megawatt, biomass - 1,500 megawatt, geothermal energy - 800 megawatt and the remaining 350 megawatt - small hydro power plants.
Edited by SI
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