Iranian Ministries to Cooperate in Launching Rooftop Solar Power Plants

The main idea of this plan is based on using the rooftops of homes, office, commercial and public buildings to install solar power generation systems. In this model, each household or building complex can provide part of its electricity consumption by installing small-scale systems — usually with a capacity of 3 to 5 kilowatts — and sell the surplus to the national grid.

This model, which has also been successfully implemented in many leading countries in the field of new energy such as Germany, Japan and China, not only reduces household costs, but also allows for the creation of sustainable income from the sale of electricity.

In Iran, the implementation of this plan has started in cooperation with the Iranian Renewable Energy and Electricity Efficiency Organization (SATBA) and in the form of the ‘Mehrsan’ system.

Officials said that the government intends to create nearly 1,000 megawatts of new solar power generation capacity by developing rooftop solar power plants nationwide. This amount is equivalent to the production of several large thermal power plants, with the difference that in this model, the infrastructure and environmental costs are much lower and the people themselves play a role in the implementation of the project as investors and operators.

Iranian Deputy Energy Minister Mohsen Tarztalab announced in August that in the first four months of the current Persian calendar year (started on March 21), electricity generation from solar power plants has increased by 71% compared to the same period last year.

“Electricity production from solar power plants has increased by 71% from 357 million kilowatt hours to 610 million kilowatt hours,” Tarztalab said.

He also referred to the generation of electricity by wind power plants, and said, “Electricity production from wind power plants has also increased from 413 million kilowatt hours to 432 million kilowatt hours.”

He stated that the capacity of renewable power plants in Iran has now reached 1,868 megawatts.

4155/v