A pilot floating solar power plant with a capacity of 100 kW has been officially commissioned on Boyukshor Lake in Baku, according to the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry.
Director of the Azerbaijan Renewable Energy Agency under the Azerbaijani Ministry of Energy Javid Abdullayev said that the facility aligns with Azerbaijan's strategy on decarbonization and combating climate change.
"The new solar power plant on Boyukshor Lake will generate more than 160 thousand kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. This is the first project of its kind in Azerbaijan, with 100 kW of AC power, 95 kW of which comes from the floating part of the station and 5 kW from the land part," Abdullayev said.
The project is part of the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) regional initiative “Floating Solar Energy Development,” covering Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Afghanistan. It is titled “Knowledge Sharing and Technical Assistance for the Development of Floating Solar Panel System.”
Implemented by the Spanish Gamma Solutions company with an ADB grant, the project resulted in three main panel units that operate on the solar panel principle, where a DC photovoltaic generator converts the sun's energy into electricity.
The share of renewable energy sources in Azerbaijan's total energy balance, including hydropower, is currently 15%. By 2030, Azerbaijan plans to increase the share of renewable energy in the country's energy capacity to 24%.
