Starting from 2019, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) has launched a project to install solar panels at gas stations in Georgia.
According to SOCAR, in recent weeks, the gas station on the Tbilisi Sea (reservoir) has been equipped with solar panels as part of the project. At present, the company's two gas stations operate on solar energy. Specialists from the German company Sonnerschmied are involved in designing and installing solar panels at gas stations. This work is carried out according to the requirements of a single European market certificate and international standards.
The capacity of solar panels installed on the 200 square meters of the roof of the gas station on the Tbilisi Sea is 39.6 kW, allowing the production of 48,000 kW/h per year. Solar panels will meet the energy needs of the gas station, will be used to power electric cars, meet the needs of Way Mart retail centers, thus reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by 28.7 tons.
The company is currently exploring the possibility of implementing larger projects in this area. SOCAR's plans include creating a network for autonomous power supply, fast power supply of electric cars, and solar energy. Notably, SOCAR is the first company to launch such large-scale projects in the Georgian oil and gas sector.
SOCAR's activities in Georgia are based on five primary standards of corporate social responsibility - youth development, protection of women's rights, assistance to the elderly and disabled, occupational safety, and the environment. The company plays a leading role in supplying the petrol station network in the neighboring country with electric chargers for electric cars. SOCAR also participated in the restoration of most of the forests destroyed by the fire in Borjomi and planted trees on two hectares. SOCAR, which together with the Georgian government, is closely involved in the tree-planting campaign in the Varketili district of Tbilisi in 2019, has signed larger projects in Azerbaijan to protect the environment. The company is engaged in large-scale activities such as cleaning oil-contaminated areas, producing water, utilizing waste, preventing associated gas emissions, and annually plants more than 100,000 trees on the Absheron Peninsula.