Iran has launched a program to provide portable solar panels to all nomadic households, requiring them to pay only 10% of the cost. Dariush Nematollahi, Director-General for Production Improvement, stated that since 2019, approximately 28,000 solar systems have been distributed, benefiting 10% of the country’s 252,000 nomadic households. He emphasized that, with sufficient funding, the program could electrify all nomadic households within three years.Currently, only 10% of nomadic families have access to portable solar systems, and an additional 2,000 units are ready for distribution via provincial power networks. This initiative, executed in collaboration with Tavanir under the Ministry of Energy, aims to ensure electricity access for nomads nationwide.In parallel, solar electricity generation in Iran increased by 38% in Azar (Nov. 21 – Dec. 20), producing over 81 million kilowatt-hours and preventing the emission of 56,000 tons of greenhouse gases. Iran’s solar farm capacity is expected to grow by 4,000 megawatts (MW) by March 2026. According to Energy Minister Abbas Ali-Abadi, Iran’s power network, with an annual generation and consumption capacity of 350 billion kilowatt-hours, has the technical potential to attract over 30,000 MW of solar energy. He noted the government’s collaboration with the private sector and the establishment of an attractive investment environment, which has led to significant contracts in the solar energy sector.Currently, the country’s solar power plants have a capacity of 1,200 MW. By the end of the next Iranian calendar year (March 2025), this figure is expected to exceed 3,000-4,000 MW, marking significant progress. Additionally, Ali Shabnavard, a SATBA official, announced plans to increase renewable power plant capacity by 500 MW by March 2025, bringing the nominal capacity of renewables to 1,371 MW. Recent weeks have already seen a 53 MW increase in renewable capacity.The Iranian government has implemented various measures to accelerate the growth of renewable energy, including diversifying financing models, increasing the ceiling for guaranteed electricity purchases, enabling renewable energy trading on the Iran Energy Exchange (IRENEX), and facilitating renewable electricity exports. The Energy Ministry aims to add 10,000 MW to the country’s renewable energy capacity by 2025.In January 2022, the Energy Ministry signed MOUs with private contractors to construct new renewable power plants. By July 2023, SATBA reported that 600 renewable power plants with a combined capacity of 13,500 MW were under construction. Once operational, these plants are expected to increase the share of renewables in Iran’s power generation to over 15% within two year.  (ICE TEHERAN)

Fonte notizia: Tehran Times