In January/Februry total national electricity output amounted to 4,178.7 mio kWh, 1.4% more than last year’s figure, Azernews portal reported.
Energy production at thermal power plants increased by 1.4% to 3,829.2 mio kWh, while at hydropower stations it decreased by 1.8% to 181.6 mio kWh. Over the two months, 18.7 mio kWh of wind energy was generated, which is 7.8 times more than in January/February 2018, whereas generation of solar energy increased by 15.9% to 5.1 mio kWh.
According to the experts, the potential of renewable energy sources in the country is more than 25,300 megawatts. At present, 18% of electricity production in Azerbaijan come from alternative energy sources, in which hydro power plants hold main share, although most of the country’s potential in this area falls on solar energy (estimated at 5K megawatts). Some 4,500 megawatts accounts for wind power, 1,500 megawatts for biomass, 800 megawatts for geothermal energy, and 350 megawatts for the small hydro power plants.
The Azerbaijani government is planning to increase the share of the renewable energy by 30% by 2030 by implementing various projects worth $2.3 bln.