Azerbaijan is forever associated for me with a barren desert-like landscape dotted here and there with oil pumps, vast stretches of salt drying beds, intense summer heat, and nearly constant winds. And the smell, the sweet crude petrol, it was everywhere. It is the smell of my childhood. Azerbaijan is a small country on the shores of the Caspian Sea and at the foot of the Caucasus mountains; it is one of the 15 former USSR republics. To this day, it continues to be one of the largest hydrocarbon producers and exporters in the region. Recently, the county has announced a bald move towards sustainability by committing to increase renewable energy capacity to 2,500 MW by 2020 with a total potential to exceed 12,000 MW. This initiative was spearheaded by a grant from UNDP and the government of Norway. Surprisingly, the goal of this undertaking is modest - to increase fossil fuel exports. The insatiable appetite for oil all over the world drives this seemingly nonsensical move. On the upside, perhaps Azerbaijan’s example as a country sitting on vast reserves of oil and gas and choosing to slowly move towards alternative fuels can teach the rest of the world a lesson. Eventually, we must all take the steps to move away from our dependence on fossil fuels and towards alternative fuels; our livelihood depends on it. 📷Azerbaijan, located on the same latitude as New York City but in a more arid climate, gets plenty of sunshine – so utilizing solar energy is one obvious choice of renewable fuel. Another is wind. Due to the convergence of air currents from the mountains and the proximity of the Caspian Sea (really just a large saltwater lake), the winds here blow more than 250 days a year, strong and powerful. The Ministry of Energy also plans to invest in hydropower and geothermal power: there are plenty of fast-moving rivers in the mountains, and hot springs abound as well. Azerbaijan hopes to generate 20% of its electricity needs from alternative fuel by 2020 and it’s already laying down the groundwork to continue exploration and improvement of the modernized grid further into the future. Already a cultural hub of the region, perhaps Azerbaijan can become the leader in innovation and help usher in the age of sustainability in the Caucasus and the Caspian Basin.
