December 25 2020
Although the Islamic Republic is promoting a vast expansion of solar power, a deputy energy minister said proposals to install masses of solar panels in Iran’s vast—and sunny—deserts is just not practical.
Deputy Minister Moham-mad Satkin said the main problem is that desert winds pick up huge quantities of sand and dust in the desert, depositing them atop the solar panels, which would then require a large staff to clean them constantly, making the idea impractical.
Furthermore, he pointed out there is no electrical infrastructure in the desert areas, so Iran would have to build long lines to connect solar panels to the national power grid, making such a project more expensive.
Currently, he said only 840 megawatts or 1 percent of Iran’s total installed generating capacity of 84,500 megawatts comes from renewables—solar, wind, hydroelectric, waste and biomass. Solar power accounts for almost half the power derived from renewables, he said.