TEHRAN, Iran, Aug.23
Trend:
Iran has produced more than 900-megawatt renewable electricity during the first five months of the current Iranian year (started March 21, 2021) a spokesperson for the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization (SATBA) told Trend in an interview.
Despite economic problems and lack of obtaining resources from the Budget and Plan Organization, power production has increased compared to last Iranian year (started March 20, 2020), Jafar Mahmmadnejad Sigaroudi said.
He has indicated the renewable power production in the first five months of the current Iranian year was 150 megawatts more in comparison to the same time last Iranian year.
"We have various capacities that were created by process of guaranteed purchase of renewable electricity. Furthermore, hope was that the development of renewable energy sector would have been more than the current figure," he said responding to whether preset programs have been implemented.
The official noted that it is necessary to develop the industry due to the decline of renewable power production costs and recent power cuts.
"According to released statistics, renewable power production has fewer costs compared to fossil energy. Our studies show more than 70 percent of power production is generated by solar and wind power plants in warm seasons that help the country's power network," Sigaroudi added.
The official expressed hope that the Ministry of Energy in the new government would create more capacity for renewable power plants and solve the issue of power outages by moving toward renewable energy.
"If the Ministry of Energy has sufficient resources and fossil fuel, it would take one and half years to operate fossil fuel power plant but it would take four months for a ten-megawatt solar power plant to generate electricity, and one year for wind power plant," he noted.
"Solar power plant is a short solution for the issue of power outage in country's power network. In this regard, private sector companies and investors are ready to act in the development of the industry if the government guarantees the purchase of electricity," Sigaroudi stressed.