TEHRAN – Some 28 new renewable power plants are going to be inaugurated across Iran by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2021), an official with the country’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization (known as SATBA) said.

According to Ali Shab-Navard, currently, 54 companies are constructing renewable power plants, including solar, wind, hydroelectric, etc. with a total capacity of 229.39 megawatts (MW) across Iran.

With the mentioned power plants going operational, not only 493,500 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity will be produced annually, but it will also save equivalent to 140 million cubic meters of natural gas fuel and 109 million liters of water consumption and carbon dioxide pollution will be reduced by 318,000 tons every year, Shab-Navard said.

Noting that the Iranian households and small businesses are also welcoming renewable energies, the official said over the past two months 105 rooftop PV stations with a total capacity of 1,607 kilowatts have been put into operation across the country.

Over 44 percent of Iran’s renewable power plants are solar farms, while 34 percent are wind farms and 12 percent are hydroelectric power plants and the rest are other types.

Renewables, including hydropower, account for just seven percent of the country’s total energy generation, versus natural gas’ 90 percent share.

Overall, in the next five years, Iran is aiming for a 5,000 MW increase in renewable capacity to meet growing domestic demand and expand its presence in the regional electricity market.

According to SATBA, the number of small-scale solar power plants across the country which are used by households or small industries is also increasing noticeably as Iranian households and small industries are embracing the new technology with open arms and investors also seem eager for more contribution in this area.

EF/ME