TEHRAN (Iran News) The main slogan of the country is a guide to action in all areas. As you know, in the modern world, ensuring a prosperous human life largely depends on access to energy. In Uzbekistan, as a result of reforms in recent years, disruptions in the supply of energy to the population have been significantly reduced. However, due to the sharp increase in energy demand in the autumn-winter period, a significant load falls on the country’s power grid.

Today in Uzbekistan there is a need for an additional 2-3 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. It is expected that over the next five years it will increase to 10 billion kilowatt-hours.

The most effective way in such a situation is to expand the use of renewable energy sources (RES) in homes, businesses, kindergartens, schools and hospitals.

In this regard, at the next meeting of the Government of Uzbekistan, issues of widespread introduction of devices based on renewable energy sources, measures to encourage the population to use them were discussed.

It was indicated that the issue of the use of renewable energy is of national importance. Therefore, leaders at all levels should set a personal example in the use of alternative energy equipment.

The meeting also determined the introduction of a new system of support for the population and entrepreneurs. Thus, for each installed equipment for generating electricity from solar and wind energy, depending on its capacity, compensation will be provided up to 15 million Uzbek soums, and for water heating equipment based on these energy sources – up to 2 million Uzbek soums. Instead of compensation, an opportunity will be given to take the equipment in installments for 3 years without interest.

Another advantage is that people do not have to visit any office. All documents will be issued at the place of purchase of equipment. This system will be implemented at the expense of a special fund of the Ministry of Energy.

Responsible departments were instructed to digitize the entire process and launch the new system from September 1 this year.

A particular attention is paid to the supply of low income families with such devices, the residents of remote and hard-to-reach areas. The need to use devices based on alternative energy in the block of flats «Yangi Uzbekiston» («New Uzbekistan»), as well as in the organization of street lighting as part of the programs «Obod Qishloq» (‘A prosperous village’) and «Obod Makhalla»  (‘A prosperous local neighborhood community area’).

The meeting also noted positive experiences in various regions of the country.

For example, school No. 3 of the Khodjeyli district of the Republic of Karakalpakstan is equipped with solar panels with a capacity of 12 kilowatts and a 1 ton water-heating boiler. As a result, the institution saves 30 million Uzbek soums annually on electricity and natural gas.

And the branch of the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology in Tashkent uses a 100 kilowatt solar installation and 36 water heaters, which saves electricity by almost 2 billion Uzbek soums a year.

At the meeting, the task was to disseminate this experience and gradually install equipment based on alternative energy in preschool institutions, schools, medical and other social facilities.

In addition, from 2023, many buildings, such as shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, gas stations, airports, railway stations, commercial banks, will have to provide part of their energy costs for hot water and outdoor lighting only from renewable energy sources.

Calculations show that Uzbekistan consumes electricity and gas for 10 billion dollars a year. For example, last year the Ministry of Water Resources spent 3 trillion Uzbek soums on energy resources, while public education and healthcare systems spent 200 billion Uzbek soums each.

It was emphasized that the time has come to start transferring all ministries and departments, khokimiyats and mahallas to alternative energy.

In this regard, the Ministry of Finance was instructed to establish energy consumption standards in government agencies, develop a National Energy Saving Program in economic sectors and social facilities.

It was noted that given the growing demand for alternative energy devices, it is necessary to increase their production in the country.

Hydroelectric power plants are another important source of energy. To increase the power generating capacity in the regions, sites suitable for the construction of micro and small hydroelectric power plants have been identified, in total 200 such projects have been developed with a total capacity of 56 megawatts.

The need to implement projects on the basis of public-private partnership was noted. At the same time, attractive purchase rates will be provided for entrepreneurs, and the land will be transferred to the winner of the auction for a long-term lease. The surplus of electricity generated by solar, wind and micro hydroelectric power stations will be guaranteed to be purchased by the state for at least 10 years.

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“Development of non-fossil energy, such as nuclear energy, which is increasingly being used across the world and looked for by the countries in our region, besides wind and solar power, should seriously be taken into consideration,” Ayatollah Khamenei said on Sunday, as he planted saplings to mark Iran’s national Arbor Day and Natural Resources Week.

The Arbor Day, which is celebrated every year to promote the development and preservation of greenery across the country, inaugurates the national Natural Resources Week.

On Arbor Day, which fell on Sunday this year, Iranian individuals, groups and environmental activists plant trees and encourage others to do so.

Planting two saplings, Ayatollah Khamenei described the tradition as a completely “religious and revolutionary” move, and underlined the significance of preserving trees.

The Leader went on to equate deforestation and environmental degradation with the destruction of national interests, terming environmental protection as one of the most fundamental issues of the country.

He called on Iranian officials to attach greater significance to soil, water and wildlife conservation measures.

In Islam, hunting is allowed only if needed for food; otherwise it is illegal. Poaching must be dealt with seriously and wildlife conservation must be taken note of, Ayatollah Khamenei added.

The Leader urged the Iranian Department of Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad to prevent land use conversion, emphasizing that the act “is to the detriment of national interests and that agricultural lands must expand.”

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The signing ceremony was attended by senior energy officials including Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian and Head of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization (SATBA) Mahmoud Kamani, IRIB reported.

The MOUs were signed following the Energy Ministry’s public call for the contribution of private companies in a project for developing renewable power plants in the country.

According to SATBA, after the ministry’s public call, so far 153 requests for the generation of 90,000 megawatts (MW) have been submitted to the ministry by private companies.

Speaking in the signing ceremony, Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian said: “When the private sector invests in this industry [the renewables], the government is obliged to return the equivalent of the investment plus its interests to the investor.”

Mehrabian noted that the government has allocated over 30 trillion rials (about $101 million) for the development of renewables in the budget bill for the next Iranian calendar year (begins on March 21), saying that it is an unprecedented budget in this area.

Further in the ceremony, SATBA Head Kamani mentioned some of the Energy Ministry’s plans for the development of the country’s renewable energy industry, saying: “Export of renewable energy is a goal that has been targeted by the government.”

“Constructing renewable power plants for the cryptocurrency miners is also being seriously considered,” he added.

Back in December 2021, Kamani had announced plans to create 10,000 MW capacity of new renewable power plants across the country within the next four years.

He had put the current capacity of the country’s renewable power plants at 905 MW, saying that such power plants account only for one percent of the country’s total power generation capacity.

“Currently, 30 percent of the world’s electricity needs are provided by renewable energy sources, and some countries have even declared 2030 as the final year of using fossil fuels,” he said.

“We are far behind the global standards in the development of renewable energy,” he regretted.

Referring to another program for the development of renewable energies in the domestic sector, Kamani noted that to encourage households for constructing such power plants the Energy Ministry has announced that it will buy their surplus generated electricity at a guaranteed price.

He further pointed to the indigenization of the knowledge for the construction of the equipment used in renewable power plants as another priority of the Energy Ministry and SATBA, saying: “Currently, the construction of solar panels and wind power plants is completely indigenized, and we must strengthen our producers to finally become able to build all the required equipment from start to finish, in this regard, of course, some enterprises have announced their readiness.”

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Based on Iran’s Sixth Five-Year National Development Plan (2016-2021), the country was aiming for 5,000 megawatts (MW) increase in renewable capacity to meet growing domestic demand and expand its presence in the regional electricity market.

But in the final year of the plan, only one-fifth of the figure has been achieved.

Iran was supposed to become a regional hub in the field of energy in the past Iranian calendar decade (March 2011-March 2021), but evidence shows that the country is facing a shortage even in the supply of electricity inside the country, an issue that many believe that could be achieved by developing renewable energy and increasing efficiency of the thermal power plants.

After the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known commonly as the Iran nuclear deal, in July 2015, many foreign delegations came to Iran for making investments and constructing renewable power plants in the country.

However, following the re-imposition of the U.S. sanctions, foreign investment in the country’s renewable industry has fallen significantly.

Two weeks ago, Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian said his ministry welcomes foreign investment in the country’s renewable energy industry.

Speaking in the Second Belt and Road Energy Ministerial Conference which was held by the National Energy Administration of the People’s Republic of China (NEA) through video conferencing, Mehrabian said: “The current government has a four-year plan to increase the capacity of the country’s renewable power plants by 10,000 megawatts.”

Referring to Iran’s potentials and capacities in the renewable energy industry, the official announced the country’s readiness to attract investment to develop the renewable energy industry for a green and inclusive energy future in Iran.

According to the former Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian, the country has great potentials in the field of renewable energies and can have a significant role in developing the region’s market for such energies.

“Relying on the high potential of renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, etc., the Energy Ministry has planned good measures in order to implement new policies for creating positive changes in the development of the country’s renewable energy sector,” Ardakanian has said.

In early January, the official mentioned improving the utilization of various renewable energy sources as one of Iran’s macro plans to meet part of the growing needs of the country’s energy portfolio, and said, “Relying on the high potential of renewable energy sources, the Ministry of Energy has planned various measures with the aim of materializing the upstream policies of the country’s development plans.”

Supporting the private sector to develop renewable energy through a 20-year guaranteed renewable electricity purchase contract is one of the mentioned measures.

And on Monday, the head of Iran’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization (known as SATBA) said that in line with the plan for generating 10,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity from renewable sources through domestic and foreign investment, the private sector has already announced its readiness for generating 32,000 MW.

Speaking in a news conference, Mahmoud Kamani said that the private sector’s readiness in this due is expected to rise for generation of 60,000 MW.

In the past, there was a route for the construction of renewable power plants in the framework of guaranteed purchase in which electricity generated from renewable power plants was purchased at a price set by the Ministry of Energy, he said, adding that this method is problematic due to lack of resources, which is why the Ministry of Energy has defined a new model for the development of renewable energy.

Noting that the payment of guaranteed purchases has not been stopped, but has faced a problem, he said in the new model that has been called for, according to Article 12 of the Law on Removing Barriers to Production, the investor receives the amount of investment and profit within six years after construction of the power plant.

“We will receive electricity from these power plants for six years, and after that, investors can offer their electricity on the stock exchange for up to 20 years”, he added.

The official went on to say, “We are currently in the call stage. After collecting the applications, the contracts for the construction of the power plants will be fully concluded.”

Saying that 900 MW of renewable power plants have been built in the country so far, he said of this figure, 310 are wind farms, 390 are solar farms and the rest are the small hydropower plants, biomass and expansion turbines.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Kamani announced, “Our next activity is domestic production of equipment in renewable energy sector”, adding: “Because the construction of these power plants in the country has been done in a small volume, power generation has been proportionally limited, while to increase installation capacity, we have issued call to launch a chain of these power plants.”

The installed capacity of renewable power plants in the country is only seven percent of the total capacity of the power plants. This figure is very low, because the average figure in the world is 30 percent, even in some countries up to 80 percent, while in some countries the date for the end of using fossil energy has been set.

“In our country, it is possible to establish 100,000 megawatts of solar capacity and 40,000 megawatts of wind farms capacity, but we have not reached 1,000 megawatts yet”, according to the SATBA head.

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Wind, as a source of clean energy, can play an important role in energy production and reducing the use of fossil resources. It also produces less pollution and greenhouse gases.

At the end of 2010, the nominal capacity of wind power generation worldwide was equal to 197 GW, today the capacity of wind power in the world is 487,000 thousand MW, while the capacity of our country’s power plant is 75,000 MW, of which only about 140 MW includes wind energy and the share of solar energy is less or close to zero.

Denmark, meanwhile, holds the world record for wind energy production in 2019, meeting 47 percent of its electricity needs from wind energy, of which 47 percent is wind power, 29 percent is offshore energy and 18 percent is another source.

Resources provided, the country of about 6 million people, is surrounded by water and have the favorable condition and high renewable potential.

Meanwhile, Germany is a leading country in this field.

These conditions are also suitable for a country like Iran because it is surrounded by water from both the north and the south where the wind is constantly blowing every year, for example, 120-day winds in Sistan-Baluchestan province.

Kahnooj hot winds, Manjil winds, Raz or Shareh winds in Qazvin province, Na’eshi winds, and Tash winds in Hormozgan province are some of the winds that always blow in different parts of the country.

According to the National Development Plan, Iran also plans for renewable energy and focuses on wind energy.

However, historically, Iran is one of the leading countries in the use of wind energy in windmills, but the first modern and industrial use of wind power in Iran was started in 1955 when two modern wind turbines with a capacity of 500 KW were purchased and installed in northern Gilan province, after which the government decided to develop wind energy in the country.

Currently, the capacity of wind farms in Iran is 302 MW, while the economic potential of the construction of such power plants is more than 7,000 MW, which certainly can be very effective and useful in managing the peak of the electricity load in the country.

The first document related to the development of clean energy was prepared by the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization with the assistance of the World Bank. In addition to this document, based on the 20-year National Vision Plan, Iran must establish an annual 90 MW wind farm by the end of 2025.

According to the Sixth Five-Year National Development Plan, 1,000 MW per year and a 75 MW wind power plant must be installed in the country every month not to lag behind in development. The share of wind energy in the world is increasing, so we must move faster and plan more.

In Iran, despite having significant capacities, unfortunately, wind and solar energy use are not satisfactory compared to other countries, the countries of the Persian Gulf have also started very extensive measures in this field. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are launching cities that use all their energy from renewable energy sources, or Ethiopia has installed 230 MW wind farms, which is twice above our country’s amount.

However, we are still witnessing the country lagging behind in the field of renewable energy production, so that according to the Sixth Development Plan, 5,000 MW of wind power should be built in the country, which has not been done yet. Accordingly, we have to launch an average wind farm with a capacity of 75 MW per month, while we are far behind.

However, Iran is not in good condition in terms of environmental and biological components and is very fragile, greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution due to the use of fossil fuels have not only threatened the environment but also affected health.

Wind energy as a source of clean energy is one of the most economical methods of generating electricity that does not cause pollution and is also inexhaustible, according to studies, the production of each kilowatt-hour of electricity from wind in comparison with fossil fuel power plants can prevent the release of about one kilogram of CO2. On the other hand, when electricity generated from wind energy is injected, the same amount of environmental pollutants is reduced.

Of course, Iran has several wind farms, but despite its unique capabilities, it must take longer and faster steps in this area to help the economy, health, and fragile environment.

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The current water year (started on September 23, 2020) has received the lowest rain in the past 52 years, so climate change and Iran’s arid region should become a common belief at all levels, he lamented, IRNA reported on Wednesday.

Referring to the total capacity of Iran’s dam reservoirs standing at 50.5 billion cubic meters, he said that as a result of flood management activities in previous years, the dam levels are 60 percent full, which is 28 percent less than last year (March 2020-March 2021), Taqizadeh noted.

The country’s water resources must be managed on the basis of a document on adaptation to water scarcity, which has been prepared in cooperation with all water-related sectors, including the Ministry of Agriculture, the Department of Environment, the Ministry of Industry, and the Meteorological Organization.

Under the document, within the next 5 to 15 years, in each of the sectors of agriculture and industry, certain amounts of water should be saved, he explained.

“We have to resist cultivation of water-consuming crops in the agriculture sector so that we should not grow rice in areas where drinking water is scarce,” he highlighted.

Stating that Tehraners consume 20 to 30 percent more water than the national average, he said that “the average water consumption per Tehrani citizen is 240 liters daily, which is 200 liters in the country.”

Out of a total of 183 currently operational dams across Iran, 52 are related to the Caspian Sea catchment area, 12 are based in the Urumieh (Urmia) basin, 68 dams are located in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman watersheds, 34 dams are in the Central Plateau, 11 dams are in Sarakhs catchment basin, and another six dams are located across the eastern boundary basin (Hamoun).

Groundwater resources declining

A recent report by Nature Scientific Journal on Iran’s water crisis indicates that from 2002 to 2015, over 74 billion cubic meters have been extracted from aquifers, which is unprecedented and its revival takes thousands of years along with urgent action.

Three Iranian scientists studied 30 basins in the country and realized that the rate of aquifer depletion over a 14-year period has been about 74 billion cubic meters, which is recently published in Nature Scientific Journal.

Also, over-harvesting in 77 percent of Iran has led to more land subsidence and soil salinity. Research and statistics show that the average overdraft from the country’s aquifers was about 5.2 billion cubic meters per year.

Mohammad Darvish, head of the environment group in the UNESCO Chair on Social Health that the situation of groundwater resources is worrisome.

The report notes that Iran’s water consumption has increased due to a significant increase in legal and illegal wells, the expansion of agricultural land, and increasing livelihood dependence on water and soil resources in agriculture, livestock, and poultry, which are mainly caused by human factors, Darvish noted.

The statistic is unprecedented, as the total reservoirs of all dams in the country have a capacity of about 50 billion cubic meters; In other words, in the last 14 years, 22 billion cubic meters more than the capacity of all dams have been extracted from the country’s underground sources, he explained.

More drought

In March, Ahad Vazifeh, head of the national center for drought and crisis management, forecasted that the country will not receive much rain until the end of summer (September 23). A month later, he announced that an unprecedented drought had occurred in some parts of the country.

This is while in the following weeks, statistics showed that precipitation has declined by 60 percent in Iran over the first two months of the current [Iranian calendar] year (March 21-May 21) compared to the same period last year.

And, it dropped by 41 percent compared to the long-term average.

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Electricity generation from renewables in the said month led to economizing on the consumption of natural gas by 25 million cubic meters while saving 19 million liters of water and also prevented the emission of 57,000 tons of Green House Gases (GHG).

The capacity of Iran’s renewable power plants reached 920.260 megawatts (MW) in the mentioned month, of which solar power plants with 452.75 MW had the biggest share.

Wind power plants with 317 MW of energy production stood in second place, followed by small hydropower plants with a generation of 105.65 MW.

Renewables, including hydropower, account for about seven percent of the country’s total energy generation, versus natural gas’ 90 percent share.

Overall, in the next four years, Iran is aiming for a 5,000 MW increase in renewable capacity to meet growing domestic demand and expand its presence in the regional electricity market.

According to SATBA, the number of small-scale solar power plants across the country which are used by households or small industries is also increasing noticeably as Iranian households and small industries are embracing the new technology with open arms and investors also seem eager for more contribution in this area.

Iran is also planning on expanding its presence in the region’s renewable energy market.

According to the Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian, the country has great potentials in the field of renewable energies and can have a significant role in developing the region’s market for such energies.

“Relying on the high potential of renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, etc., the Energy Ministry has planned good measures in order to implement new policies for creating positive changes in the development of the country’s renewable energy sector,” Ardakanian has said.

Back in December 2020, SATBA Head Mohammad Satakin said the capacity of the country’s renewable power plants was going to reach 1,000 MW (one gigawatt) by the end of the current government’s incumbency (August 2021).

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Jafar Mohammadnejad-Sigaroudi made the remark in an Instagram post on Saturday, adding that at present, the country’s wind power plant capacity stands at 302 MW, IRNA reported.

He noted that the country’s wind and solar power plants become more active in summer, generating over 80 percent of their annual electricity output, which can prove helpful in the effective management of the national network’s consumption peak during the warm seasons.

Commenting on a visit by Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian to the eastern Iranian province of South Khorasan on Saturday, SATBA spokesman said construction of a 50-MW wind power plant started in the province concurrently with the minister’s trip.

The wind power plant is expected to become operational in the next Iranian calendar year, starting March 2021, with €70 million in investments.

The project will be implemented using domestic capabilities by MAPNA Group, an industrial enterprise consisting of the parent company, MAPNA Group Company, and more than 40 subsidiaries. The power plant will be equipped with 20 turbines, each with a power generation capacity of 2.5 MW, and an 80-meter high turbine tower.

Once completed, the power plant will help reduce the country’s diesel and water consumption by 45 million liters and 125,000 cubic meters per year.

In February, SATBA announced that Iran’s total actual renewable electricity generation capacity reached 865 MW during January 21-February 19, 2020.

The country’s installed renewable electricity generation capacity stands at 3,724 MW, IRNA reported.

This comes as renewable power plants with a capacity of 350 MW are under construction in the country.

In addition, the increased use of renewable energies in the same 30-day period to February 19 helped reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and emission of greenhouse gases in the country by 1.25 billion cubic meters and 3,032 tons, respectively.

Iran is speeding up efforts for the development of the renewable energy sector. In early February, the Energy Ministry, in a report, announced that the latest data shows Iran’s electricity generation capacity from the renewables had reached 841 MW.

The report added that the country’s renewable power capacity had grown by five times since 2013.

It said a total of 120 MW-scale renewable power plants are active in Iran, including 55 solar farms that generate more than three terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity and 19 wind farms with around 2.6 TWh of capacity, Press TV reported.

Scientific studies suggest that Iran can increase electricity generation from the renewables to up to 80,000 MW, of which around 80 percent can come from solar energy.

The Iranian government has defined a target of 4,000 MW for 2021. An umbrella development document stipulates that Iran should generate 5,000 MW of renewable power by March 2022.

An increase in renewable capacity can also allow Iran to free up a significant amount of natural gas burnt in thermal power plants and feed it to export pipelines.

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