BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 3. The Garadagh solar power plant (SPP) in Azerbaijan has no limits for electricity generation, as it's the first utility-scale project in the country, head of the Masdar representative office in Azerbaijan, Murad Sadikhov, said during a panel discussion held at the 31st International Caspian Oil and Gas Exhibition, Trend reports.
"At the same time, there is a certain limit on the power output to the grid. The plant is capable of generating more electricity, but due to limitations in the grid infrastructure, we cannot transmit the entire potential output to the grid," he noted.
He also emphasized that forecasting generation is becoming one of the key risks for renewable energy projects in the face of climate change.
"We saw what happened in May: heavy precipitation, hail, and other unusual weather events," he said.
According to him, such climate changes could not have been fully taken into account during the plant's design and operational forecasting stages.
He also noted that the Garadagh SPP isn't equipped with an energy storage system, as the project was initially implemented as a pilot project.
"A similar situation is characteristic of two other solar projects—Bilasuvar and Neftchala—which are currently under implementation," he explained.
At the same time, he believes the government will gradually introduce energy storage systems in the future.
As an example, he cited the country's first battery energy storage system project, implemented by Azerenergy, with a capacity of 250 MW and a capacity of 500 MWh, designed to regulate the frequency and flow of electricity in the power grid.
Overall, he said, being the first major solar project has allowed him to avoid a number of network problems that many renewable energy facilities face.
"Fortunately, these challenges have not yet had a significant impact on our work," he added.
The 230 MW Garadagh solar power plant was commissioned on October 26, 2023, as part of a pilot project with Masdar, a company from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The plant was built with $262 million in foreign investment. It generates approximately 500 million kWh of electricity annually, saving 110 million cubic meters of natural gas. Its operation prevents the emission of 200,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
