A 10-megawatt solar power plant in Damghan County, Semnan Province was inaugurated by Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian on Friday and Iran’s renewable energy output capacity surpassed 1 gigawatt.
“Constructed by the private sector at an estimated cost of about $10 million, the photovoltaic farm is expected to add 18 million kilowatts of power to the national grid per year,” the minister was quoted as saying by the Energy Ministry’s news portal.
The PV farm is equipped with 21,000 solar panels, 84 inverters and five transformers, he noted, adding that the new facility was built on a 200,000- square-meter piece of land.
“The solar firm will help reduce the emission of 16,000 tons of CO2 annually.”
If the same volume of electricity generated by this solar station in a year was to be produced in a thermal power plant, close to 1.6 million barrels of oil worth $133million (given each barrel costs $80) would be consumed.
“With the investment of the private sector, several other solar power stations are also under construction in Semnan, and when all become operational, they will add more than 20 MW to the power production capacity of the province,” he added.
With a hot desert climate and more than 300 sunny days, Semnan Province in the northeast has great potential for harnessing solar and wind energy.
Using solar energy is effective in reducing pollution and costs. Thermal power plants, which generate 80% of electricity in Iran, are seen as a major source of air pollution due to the emission of greenhouse gases, apart from being costly.
Studies are also underway for the construction of a 50-MW wind power plant in Damghan.
Small-Scale Solar Farms
Semnan Province Electric Power Distribution Company has set up over 100 small-scale solar farms for rural homes to help create jobs in the underdeveloped regions and underpin family income, and by extension discourage migration.
Due to tough economic conditions, water crisis, drought and joblessness, people from rural areas have been migrating in unusually big numbers to the cities and in the process creating new problems for urban managers.
Each photovoltaic panel with a capacity of 1 kilowatt can generate 200 KW in 30 days.
The state-owned Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization, (Satba) buys each kilowatt for about 5 cents, meaning households selling one kilowatt can earn around $10 per month.
A 5-KW solar system can produce 1,000 KW per month and households with such a rooftop installation can make $50 per month.
Installing a 1 KW panel costs $700, thus households need $3,500 for panels with a 5-KW capacity.
Homes in small towns wanting to set up rooftop systems are eligible for up to $3,000 in loan from the National Development Fund of Iran.
Of the total 85,000 MW production capacity, less than 1,000 MW come from renewables and the nation is taking effective measures to boost green energy.
The number of private firms producing electricity from renewable sources — mainly wind and solar — has increased in recent years.
Private companies have invested more than $1 billion in the gradually expanding renewable sector, mainly solar and wind. Due to government funding constraints, private firms have been urged to play a bigger role in promoting clean energy.
There are more than 120 large solar farms in Iran and over 3,500 smaller installations in cities and villages. About 2,000 rooftop photovoltaic power units are expected to be set up by next year, mainly in deprived and rural areas.
