Provitaz CEO: I gained faith in alternative energy after visiting Azerbaijan

By Azernews

By Firangiz Aghalarova

Alternative energy sources are now becoming increasingly popular throughout the world. These are renewable resources that replace traditional energy sources including oil, natural gas and coal, which, when burned, emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Getting energy from renewable or practically inexhaustible natural resources and phenomena has many advantages. The main ones are environmental friendliness and profitability.

Azerbaijan is a country with high renewable energy potential. Its unique nature allows to get energy from wind, sun, water and other sources.  Today, Azerbaijan is taking consistent steps to develop alternative energy, and a lot of work in this direction has been done through public investment. However, there are also private companies in the country that specialize in the development of alternative energy sources. One of these is Provitaz, founded by Norwegian Knut-Erlend Rosvold.

For the first time, Knut-Erlend arrived in Azerbaijan almost 10 years ago. He received an invitation to participate in the training of the Association for Civil Society Development in Azerbaijan, which was held in Lankaran. He had not planned to linger there.

“I built my first solar collector in my yard and saw that solar energy in Azerbaijan is very strong. This surprised me very much, because it was very sunny here even in winter. In my country, the sun does not warm in winter, but here I saw that in some areas it is warmer in the street in winter than in a house.

I came to Azerbaijan for other purposes, but gradually I had the opportunity to create a place for the production of solar collectors. In partnership with one of the local residents, we have created a company that produces solar panels and other alternative energy technologies,” he said in the interview.

The Norwegian citizen said that he began to believe in alternative energy after arriving in Azerbaijan, but now he is developing this in his own country as well. Today Provitaz solar panels are manufactured in China, are delivered to Azerbaijan and Norway. Recently, customers from other countries of the world began to contact the company.

“Provitaz is an international brand that originated in Azerbaijan. I started this business because I saw the potential in Azerbaijan. Therefore, I am very glad that I came to this country. In Norway, this thought would not have occurred to me,” Knut-Erlend stated.

“Provitaz  - it's short for Pro Vita Azerbaijan. From Latin, it translates as “For the Life of Azerbaijan”. The company seeks to promote a better life in Azerbaijan. It creates technologies that benefit people and nature.

The company, you might say, has become my life path. It also became a place of work for other people, both local and foreign.

Provitaz was founded in 2013, and before that, it can be said, I conducted experiments for myself. I remember our first order for 18 collectors that we installed in Guba. They were very simple, we made them ourselves, but the customer was pleased and I am very grateful to him. After that, we did a lot, installed a huge number of solar panels for the electrical system, water heating, etc. There were many interesting works. One of the last was in Astara”, the founder of the company stressed.

The specialist emphasized that Azerbaijan is rich in natural resources. He considers that the country should be independent energetically. It owns considerable amount of oil, gas, which is known to the whole world. In addition, there are wind power plants, hydroelectric power stations and, of course, solar power plants:  “I think that in the future it is necessary to use all sources of alternative energy in the form of a hybrid. For example, if there is no sun, there is wind, water. You do not need to think about only one source of energy. Azerbaijan has a huge potential for solar energy. This is incomparable with the countries of Europe. Here, investing in solar panels provides benefits and you need to use it.