Zeynalov: Azerbaijani cities have investment potential for rooftop solar power

There are very good business sector opportunities and investment prospects for rooftop photovoltaic solar power in Azerbaijan's major cities, Deputy Minister of Energy Orkhan Zeynalov said during panel discussions held within the framework of the International Caspian Oil and Gas Exhibition, Report informs.

According to him, the cities in question include Baku, Nakhchivan, Aghdam, Jabrayil, Khankandi, Shusha, Julfa, and Zangilan:

"However, this can be expanded to other cities as well. We believe that these announced green energy zones will serve as a good basis for the transition to net-zero emissions in the future and will support the government"s efforts toward a balanced, fair, and ambitious green energy transition that also creates opportunities for the private sector."

Recalling that Azerbaijan has already embarked on its green energy transition, Zeynalov noted that the government is making large investments in renewable energy:

"By next year, we plan to integrate 2 gigawatts of energy into the national grid. This will save 2.4 million tons of carbon and greenhouse gas emissions, and will also release 1.1 billion cubic meters of gas that can be used for domestic consumption and export."

The deputy minister emphasized that Azerbaijan's solar potential on land amounts to 135 gigawatts:

"We will also work on rooftop solar photovoltaic potential in selected cities and regions of Azerbaijan. The government has declared three regions – Karabakh, East Zangazur, and Nakhchivan – as green energy zones, and rooftop photovoltaic solar programs are an essential and integral part of this development. Technical assessments have identified approximately 9.4 gigawatts of potential for rooftop installations, with a production capacity of about 11.8 gigawatts of clean energy. We look forward to advancing this study in cooperation with the World Bank, including attracting market sector participants and potential investors."