Green Power Supply to 650 Ardabil Households

A 1000-kilowatt solar power plant became operational in the northwestern Ardabil Province on Thursday, the head of provincial regional electricity company said.
"Built over 3,000 square meters by the private sector (Elka Company), the first phase of the project was completed in four months and synchronized with the national grid," Hassan Mohammadi was quoted as saying by Barq News.
The photovoltaic project, costing 90 billion rials ($650,000), supplies 650 households with green power.
"The solar farm has 3,230 solar panels," he added, noting that the second phase will be completed by September.
All towns and villages in the province are connected to the national grid.
Mohammadi said the shift to solar from fossil fuel for electricity generation helps save water, protects the environment and ensures sustainable supplies. To this end, the government has been trying hard to increase the meager share of renewables, including wind and solar.
According to the Energy Ministry, Iran has the know-how and capacity to manufacture most of the equipment required for generating wind power.
Iran meets more than 80% of its electricity demand from thermal power plants that run on fossil fuels. Of the total 81,000 MW capacity, 710 MW comes from renewables.
Close to 3.11 billion kilowatt hours of electricity was generated from alternative energy sources over the past  ten years reducing water and fossil fuel consumption.