A 100-kilowatt solar power plant opened in the city of Anar in southern Kerman Province.
Built over an area of 4,000 square meters, the project was completed in six months and will be synchronized with the national grid, IRIB News reported on Wednesday.
Most of the Kerman Province is steppe or sandy desert. Dasht-e Lut, a large salt desert is located in the province, in south-central Iran – a region fighting a worsening drought and rising temperatures over the past decade.
Lut is the world's 27th-largest desert, and was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2016. The surface of its sand has been measured at temperatures as high as 70 degrees centigrade, making it one of the world's driest and hottest places.
Experts believe that the shift to solar from fossil fuel electricity generation can help save water, safeguard the environment and ensure sustainable power supplies. To this end, the government has been trying hard to increase the meager share of renewables, including wind and solar power.
A photovoltaic power project was launched last July in the city of Mahan in Kerman, marking the completion of a Swiss-German undertaking in the local renewable industry.
The 20 MW Mokran Solar Power Complex was built at a cost of $27 million. A 1.2 MW solar power plant opened in August in the city of Rafsanjan in the same province. It was built with Austrian collaboration.
According to the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization, thermal plants that burn fossil fuels make up more than 80% of Iran's installed power capacity of around 77,000 MW. The share of renewables is 650 MW and solar power plants account for 39% of the country's renewable output.
