BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 9. The energy transition is contributing to the creation of new employment opportunities and increasing demand for qualified specialists, Deputy Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan Elnur Soltanov said during the presentation of a new social investment project by bp and its partners aimed at supporting the development of local specialists in renewable energy and energy efficiency, Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
According to him, if one of the main processes changing the political and economic landscape in the modern world is artificial intelligence, then the second important process is the energy transition.
"The energy transition began even before artificial intelligence and is currently gaining new momentum and accelerating. The basis of this transition is green energy, nuclear energy, and especially electrification based on renewable energy sources," the deputy minister noted.
Soltanov said that one of the important directions of the electrification process is the decentralization of energy networks.
"While previously there were large power plants and centralized networks, currently the process of decentralization is underway in energy systems," he added.
According to the deputy minister, one of the main problems of renewable energy sources is their variable nature.
"The main difficulty of renewable energy is its variable nature. Managing this variability is a major challenge for power networks. Networks are one of the most complex and influential infrastructures of modern civilization," Soltanov said.
He emphasized that for the successful implementation of the energy transition, there is a great need for qualified personnel with technical knowledge in electrification, alternating and direct current, transformers, and power networks.
"The transition to green energy is impossible without modernizing the networks," the deputy minister said.
Soltanov noted that the participation of the private sector and investors in energy production in Azerbaijan is encouraged.
"The state is interested in attracting private investments while maintaining its regulatory function. Because the construction of power plants, determining 25-year tariffs, calculating network connection and management costs require serious expertise," he said.
The deputy minister noted that opportunities have also been created in Azerbaijan for small-scale solar energy projects.
According to him, currently, legal entities and individuals have been given the legal opportunity to install mini-solar power plants with a capacity of up to 150 kilowatts. This is equivalent to about 300 solar panels.
"This area both creates a source of income and opens up new job opportunities for specialists in the areas of installation, maintenance, and management," Soltanov emphasized.
