Azerbaijan needs flexible, “smart” grid to manage renewables, official says

Azerbaijan needs a flexible and “smart” power grid to manage renewable energy sources, as they cannot generate electricity continuously, says Emil Kazimzade, an official at the Azerbaijan Renewable Energy Agency.

Speaking at an event titled Climate Resilience Technologies: Accelerating Innovation for a Climate-Resilient Future, held as part of Baku Climate Action Week 2026 (BCAW 2026), he noted that to manage this process, specific investments must be made in the grid so that renewable energy sources can be managed as efficiently as possible, Caliber.Az reports.

“Ultimately, this leads both to the development of the grid and to the country being able to mobilise more actively and promptly and protect its energy system in the event of any disaster scenario amid climate change,” the Deputy Head of the Project Management Department stressed.

Kazimzade stated that the development of renewable energy sources within the grid not only reduces emissions but also increases the diversification of the energy system itself.

In his words, if a problem occurs at one of the thermal power plants during a natural emergency or disaster amid climate change, Azerbaijan already has renewable energy plants in reserve; this contributes to energy security while also promoting a more modern approach to grid management.

“First of all, I would like to briefly outline our goals: by 2027, projects in the renewable energy sector with a total installed capacity of around 2 gigawatts are planned to be implemented. This does not include hydropower plants, but exclusively solar and wind power plants. By 2030, we plan to increase the share of renewable energy sources in total installed capacity to 30%. Very serious work is being carried out in this direction,” he clarified.

According to him, the liberated territories are among the areas where renewable energy sources are being used most actively.

Kazimzade confirmed that Azerbaijan currently has a concept for these territories — the “Karabakh Green Energy Zone” concept, and under this concept, projects are being implemented in strict accordance with its requirements, whether in construction, urban planning or the overall development of the grid.

“At present, solar panels have been installed on more than 2,500 private residential houses and on public buildings in settlements located in the Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur economic regions. Their total installed capacity is almost 8 megawatts. Most of the lighting fixtures in use are based on LED technology, while around 43% of them are powered by solar panels. In addition, particular attention is being paid to energy-efficiency measures in the construction of houses. Both in mountainous and lowland areas, special insulation is being used in homes to achieve the highest possible level of energy efficiency,” he added.

Kazimzade also said that green energy technologies were being actively used at specialised facilities, noting these include, for example, smart benches, an increasing number of electric vehicle charging stations and surveillance

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov