With the arrival of scorching summer, power outages have become frequent in Iran. Low precipitation, which its effects are seen in every part of the country, has exacerbated the situation.

Mostafa Rajabi, spokesman for the electricity industry, has said low precipitation has led to a reduction in generating hydroelectricity.

Add to this bitcoin mining that some hold as the main cause for power outages.

Gholam-Ali Rakhshani Mehr, an Energy Ministry official, has also said droughts have decreased the volume of water behind dams by about 50 percent, consequently leading to a 50 percent decrease in the generation of hydroelectricity.

Iran is now producing about 60,000 megawatts of electricity per day. However, due to the hot summer, the electricity consumption has increased to reach about 66,000 megawatts and that is the chief reason for power cuts.

Rakhshani Mehr has said only 24,000 megawatts of electricity is used for cooling.

The major consumers of subsidized electricity are affluent families and government buildings. Many lights in such buildings are unnecessarily on during daylight while small businesses and families living in small houses or apartments are suffering from power outages.

There are certain ways to compensate for the increase in electricity consumption. The best way is to develop solar and wind farms. This is the most viable way. This is essentially important as the world is turning to renewable sources of energy due to global warming and air pollution.

Focusing on gas-fired power plants may be necessary in short time but it isn’t advisable to release more emissions which their long-term harms far outweigh short-term gains.

The government can act as the best example in using renewables. Now certain state bodies such as the oil and telecommunications ministries, car-producing factories such as Iran Khodro and SAIPA, and companies such as the Mobarakeh Steel Company, have the necessary financial resources to meet their own electricity needs through renewables.

Local auto companies which have raised the prices of their substandard cars almost in parallel with the value of dollar are rich enough to install solar panels to meet their energy consumption. The is somehow true in the case of steel or copper companies.  

The other way is to encourage citizens to use electricity efficiently. Even in rich states, that a great portion of their electricity comes from nuclear plants, families are obliged to use electricity efficiently in summer.