Iran inaugurates 17 solar power plants

Iran has inaugurated 17 solar power plants simultaneously in different cities.

Back in May Iran approved the allocation of €500 million from national development fund for renewable energy projects.

Currently fossil fuels provide 78% of the world’s energy, this is while, 1 9% is supplied through renewable energy and 2.8% through nuclear energy.

In 2010, the Iranian government announced plans to build 2,000 MW of renewable energy capacity over the next five years. Since then, Iran has had 8,500MW of hydroelectric capacity and 130MW of wind energy capacity.

Iranian officials also said at the time that private companies had signed contracts to build more than 600MW of biomass systems and 500MW new wind energy projects.

Iran is also working to make renewable energy commercially viable and the Ministry of Energy is required to buy privately produced renewable energy at world market prices.

Renewable energy is essential to Iran as it will curb massive pollution and increase the country’s ability to export oil and gas. Currently, the cost of fuel for producing electricity for domestic consumption and for exporting oil and gas is unsustainable in the long term.

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