Chinese expert: There is significant room for cooperation between Azerbaijan and China in green energy - COMMENTARY
Baku, September 21, AZERTAC
“There is significant room for cooperation between Azerbaijan and Chinese companies in green energy and clean technologies and green mobility. The opportunities are also moving beyond simply developing individual renewable-energy projects,” Brittany Li, Co-founder of the International Carbon Neutrality Industry Research Organization (ICNIRO), told AZERTAC.
According to her, a good example is the cooperation between BYD and Azerbaijan.
“Their cooperation has moved beyond the purchase of electric buses toward local production and the localization of components, with plans to expand further into electric vehicles, commercial vehicles and battery-related areas,” she said.
The expert noted that this is a good example of how China-Azerbaijan cooperation is gradually moving from product trade toward deeper industrial cooperation.
“Looking at this example, I see several areas that will be particularly important in the coming years.
The first is solar and wind energy. Azerbaijan has strong solar resources, while the Caspian region has significant potential for wind power. Chinese companies have strong capabilities across the photovoltaic and wind-power value chains, including equipment, project development and engineering,” Li stressed.
The expert believes that this creates opportunities for cooperation not only in supplying equipment, but also in project development, construction and long-term operation.
“The second area is energy storage. As renewable-energy capacity grows, storage will become an increasingly important part of the energy infrastructure. Chinese companies have extensive experience in batteries, energy-storage systems and energy-management technologies,” Li emphasized.
“The third is grid modernization and digital energy. For renewable energy to grow at scale, the power system also needs to become more flexible and intelligent, including transmission, distribution, energy storage, smart dispatch and digital energy management. We believe this will be another important area of opportunity for Chinese companies in Azerbaijan,” the expert mentioned.
According to her, green mobility is also a very practical area for cooperation.
“The BYD example has already shown that Chinese electric-vehicle technologies can be matched with Azerbaijan’s local market, industrial capabilities and urban transport needs. Going forward, there could be further opportunities in electric commercial vehicles, charging infrastructure, digitalization of urban transport and related supply chains,” she noted.
From ICNIRO’s perspective, she said, what we would like to see is a shift from “selling products” to “developing projects together, building industries together and expanding into markets together.”
“Chinese companies can bring technologies and solutions in renewable energy, energy storage, smart grids and green mobility to Azerbaijan, while working with local partners to develop localized production, services and supply chains that can also serve the wider regional market,” the expert concluded.
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