In line with efforts to use the country's maximum potential in harnessing renewables, 55 zones have been identified in the northern Mazandaran Province for developing solar power plants, a senior official said.
"Plans are high on the agenda to implement four solar plants in the province by the end of the current [fiscal] year [ending March 2019]," Qasem Shahabi, the managing director of Power Distribution Company of Mazandaran Province, was also quoted as saying by Zist Online. Studies will be conducted to survey other zones for prospective ventures, he added. The geographical data of the regions will be sent to the Renewable Energy Organization of Iran to raise funds through the country’s top state-owned organization for renewable energies.
Referring to the vast potentials of the province for harnessing green energy, the official said there are currently three active solar farms in Mazandaran, which number needs to increase since the renovation of the region's traditional power grid is costly.
"Over 25% of the province's power grid are dilapidated, the reconditioning of which is estimated to cost about 2.5 trillion rials ($59.5 million)," he said. Shahabi put the number of the region's subscribers at 1.35 million, adding that Mazandaran's average power consumption in summer is 2.5 times more than that of other provinces.
Buoyant Demand
According to the official, renewables will help meet the region's demand as a non-stop electricity supply with higher reliability.
"Renewable power systems have advantages like generating power at the place of consumption, less network wastage and lower toxic gas emissions, he added. The Caspian Sea littoral province has huge potentials for renewables. The country's first hybrid solar and wind power system in the province was officially launched in October 2017, a small-scale but important venture that could help reshape the region's power production landscape.
“The power plant has 3 kilowatts of power generation capacity, of which 2.5 kW are produced from wind energy and the rest is solar," Shahabi said. The project, implemented at a cost of 500 million rials ($11,900), is located in the village of Melerd in Savadkouh County that is not connected to the national power grid.
Around 62,000 megawatts, or 80% of Iran’s 77,000-MW output, are generated from thermal plants that burn fossil fuels. In addition, 12,000 MW come from hydroelectric plants and 1,000 MW from the sole nuclear power plant in Bushehr.
According to Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian, total installed capacity of all types of renewables has so far reached 527 MW.
With more than 300 sunny days throughout the year, well above the likes of the UK with 150 days of sunlight per year on average and with far less intensity, Iran has remarkable potentials to expand solar energy infrastructure and attract foreign investments.
Although about 80% of the global energy demand are still met by fossil fuels, renewable industry is rapidly growing as it is environmentally friendly. An increasing number of countries are phasing out thermal power plants in favor of new solar and wind projects. Iran's push in the power industry is buoyed by the rapidly growing interest of foreign companies in Iran's renewable industry.
According to Iran's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization, international investors have proposed $4.1 billion worth of renewable power projects since last year's lifting of sanctions. They include a $2.9-billion preliminary agreement with Norway's Saga Energy and a $600-million contract with London-based Quercus to build solar plants in Iran.
