Iran has all it needs to tap into clean energy but despite scientific studies and steps taken in this regard, the real improvement potential has not been effectively exploited, said the secretary of the 6th Annual Clean Energy Conference, slated for February 27-28 at Shiraz University.
Addressing a press conference in Shiraz, capital of southern Fars Province, on Tuesday, Mohammad Yaqoubi said “if one thousandth of the country's total area is allocated to solar power generation” it will produce1,400 gigawatts, IRNA reported.
Iran has a land area of 1.65 million km². The area that Yaqoubi refers to would cover 1,650 km2 of land.
A standard 1KW solar panel takes about 1.5 m2 of space. So it is viable to reach solar power production of 1,400 GW with timely investments.
"Only 1,000 megawatts of clean energy is produced in Iran, which obviously is very meager,” he said.
Iran is overly dependent on thermal power as renewables account for hardly 1.2% of the total annual output of 82,000 MW.
Clean Energy Conference
The 6th Annual Clean Energy Conference will bring together leading players in the industry and academia to pool minds and discuss the latest developments in the globally expanding renewable sector.
Topics of the two-day conference include solar, wind, geothermal and hydropower energies, renewable power plants, hybrid energy systems, emerging technologies in clean energy, recovery and storage techniques, optimization of energy systems, energy and environment, and energy conversion.
An exhibition will also be held on the sidelines to show the achievements of companies and organizations in relevant fields.
100,000 Rooftop Panels
According to IRNA, 100,000 solar farms, with a capacity of 5KW each, will be set up in rural areas in the next two years.
Each photovoltaic panel with one kilowatt capacity can generate 200 kW of power for 30 days. The state-owned Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization, aka Satba, buys each kilowatt of electricity for 8 cents, meaning households selling one kilowatt can earn $16 a month.
A 5KW solar panel produces 1000KW of electricity in a month, making a minimum of 75$ per month.
Installing a 1KW panel costs $700, thus households need $3,500 for panels with five kilowatt capacity.
Homes in small towns wanting to set up a rooftop installation can apply for up to $3,000 in loan from the National Development Fund of Iran.
The government is determined to develop renewable energy in the underprivileged and remote areas.
The Energy Ministry and private companies are building 50 big and 2,000 small solar power plants across the country.
Expanding solar farms and rooftop photovoltaic stations will help reduce consumption of fossil fuels and curb environmental degradation.
It will also help create jobs, especially in the rural areas, where people are migrating in unusually big numbers due to the water crisis and worsening economic conditions.
It is reported that the government has plans to raise the renewable capacity to 5,000MW by 2022.
