Renewable capacity to reach 12,000 MW by next year's peak

The head of the Satba Organization announced plans to increase the country's renewable power plant capacity to 12,000 megawatts before next year's peak, saying that removing equipment procurement barriers, facilitating grid connection, and supporting private-sector investors are priorities. The headline "Renewable capacity to reach 12,000 MW by next year's peak" first appeared on Safir Arjan.

According to Ambassador Arjan, Mohsen Tarztaleb - Head of Renewable Energy and Electricity Efficiency Organization (SATBA) - at the 8th Renewable Energy Exhibition, referring to the development process of renewable power plants and especially solar power plants in the country, stated: Currently, the capacity of renewable power plants in the country has exceeded 6,200 megawatts, and it is planned that this capacity will reach about 12,000 megawatts before the peak of next year.

Referring to the development of renewable power plants in the past years, he added: Currently, the majority of renewable power plants in the country are solar power plants, and Central and Isfahan provinces are among the leading provinces in the field of installed capacity of solar power plants, and in the field of wind power plants, Qazvin and East Azarbaijan provinces are among the active provinces.

Stating that the development program of renewable power plants has been prepared based on the information received from the private sector, the head of SATBA organization said: "The planning is done in such a way that every month a specific capacity is added to the existing capacity of the country's power plants, and we hope that by solving the problems, especially in the field of equipment transfer, we will be able to achieve the predicted figures." Detailed planning has been done and it is clear what capacity and at what time should be connected to the country's power grid in each province and city. This information is prepared in the form of provincial programs and the projects are continuously being followed up and monitored.

Referring to the financing of renewable projects, he said: According to the approved plans, financial resources have been provided for the development of these power plants. In this context, the resources of the National Development Fund and the participation of the private sector are taken into consideration, and all the power plants that the organization has built or are under construction are implemented with the participation of the private sector.

Referring to the 500 MW renewable power plant project fund, the head of SATBA said: This fund will also be available to the private sector, and it should be noted that the reception of the Noor project fund has been very good, and the Energy Exchange has suggested that the conditions for increasing the capacity of the fund should be provided due to this reception. We hope that the symbol of this fund will be reopened in the next two weeks so that the people who participated in the subscription can benefit from its benefits.

Pointing to the difficulties ahead to realize this goal, he added: activists in the field of implementation, commerce and equipment supply have made a lot of efforts so far, and the path ahead is also difficult, but with collective effort and will, the set goals can be achieved.

Referring to the growth of the capacity of renewable power plants in the country, the head of SATBA organization said: The capacity of renewable power plants has increased by eight times compared to the beginning of the reviewed period, and it is planned that this amount will reach 15 times by the beginning of next year. In terms of the growth rate of the development of renewable power plants, the country has a significant position in the region, and at the global level, we are among the countries that have had a good growth in this field, although this growth rate is not enough according to the president and we are trying to increase the capacities day by day.

Referring to the provincial development program of renewable power plants, Tarztalab said: For each of the 31 provinces of the country, a specific capacity has been considered and the share of each province in the development program of power plants has been determined. These projects have identifiers and their progress is tracked through the relevant systems, and the private sector also announces the progress of their projects in the system, and our colleagues and regulatory consultants control their implementation.

He continued: We request all the private sector activists to declare their problems in the field of implementation, provision of equipment and connection to the network so that we can solve them as much as possible. The priority of the Ministry of Energy in the current situation is the realization of these plans and all companies active in the provinces should be supported in the implementation of renewable projects.

Emphasizing the focus of the Ministry of Energy on the implementation of the designated projects, the head of the Satba organization said: All the licenses issued in the field of electricity and renewables should be considered according to the current priority, and the focus of our colleagues in the distribution, transmission and headquarters of the Ministry of Energy should be on the realization of the planned projects. If there is a problem in connecting to the network, transmission lines or other parts, it is necessary to reflect the issue so that we can solve it.

Tarztalab added: New licenses should also be reviewed according to the planning done, and the main focus should be on the projects that are intended to achieve the set goals. Of course, projects that have a valid license and are planned for the coming years should be supported with the necessary announcement and coordination.

Referring to the supplementary plans for the development of renewables, he said: The use of storage devices is one of our plans, and orders have been placed for the provision of these equipments, some of which are supposed to enter the country at the end of this year, so we expect the private sector to participate in the development of energy storage. We have also prepared a plan for the development of small-scale and domestic power plants, which is likely to be presented to the Minister of Energy today. We hope that this program will be approved and we will be able to implement it, and if it is approved and the conditions are met, the details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Referring to the financing plans of renewable projects, Tarztalab said: "During the past three months, the project financing issue has been reviewed and we are trying to provide the necessary financial resources with the cooperation of related institutions." In this context, the cooperation of the program organization and other related departments is important, and we hope that this process will be followed more quickly.

Stating that the development of wind power plants is also on the agenda, he added: We are trying to add new capacity in the field of wind power plants to the network and make a significant leap in this field. Also, considering the conditions of gas and fuel supply in the northern regions of the country, we request the investors and project managers of these regions to finish their projects as much as possible before December.

The head of Satba organization also mentioned the programs related to the renewable electricity market and stated: One of the desired measures is the development of the green electricity market of the Energy Exchange and the creation of more suitable conditions for the activities of investors. We hope that with the planned arrangements, we can increase the depth of this market and create more confidence for investors.

Referring to the support for the domestic production of solar power plant equipment, Tarztalab said: In the past weeks, we have publicly announced that we support the guaranteed purchase of panel production and the creation of related factories.

In addition, Amir Dodabi Dodabinejad - Head of Niro Research Institute stated: Increasing production capacity should not be the only goal of renewable energy development, but should be in accordance with the needs and capacity of the country's power grid. Simultaneously with the development of the capacity of solar power plants, the readiness of the power grid, consumption needs, storage capacity, network flexibility, location restrictions and the type of generators should also be taken into consideration.

He continued: In this way, all kinds of power plants, including large-scale and medium-scale solar farms, branch generators and shared farms should be developed according to the conditions and needs of different regions in order to provide a basis for the realization of sustainable development. Neglecting integrated time and place planning may lead to the creation of excess capacity and unnecessary investment in some areas and lack of investment in other areas, therefore coordinated planning for the development of renewable capacities is one of the most important requirements of this field.

The head of Niro Research Institute also considered the development of technology and domestic manufacturing as one of the other important axes of sustainable development of renewable energies and explained: According to the needs of the industry, last year efforts were made to provide the required equipment in the fastest time and at the lowest possible cost, but in order to achieve a balanced and sustainable development, the development of technology and domestic production capacity should also be on the agenda.

Dodabinejad stated that the technology development and domestic manufacturing strategy should be chosen according to the type of equipment and production conditions, and said: This issue includes a wide range of equipment from solar panels and related equipment to monitoring and control systems, and it is not possible to consider the same policy for all of them.

The head of Niro Research Institute continued: In some fields, domestic producers have competitive production capacity and support such as providing working capital may be sufficient for the development of their activities. In some other technological investment, partnership with foreign parties or technology transfer is necessary, so the most appropriate model of support and development should be chosen according to the characteristics of each product.

Dodabinejad emphasized: the development of domestic manufacturing should not be evaluated solely based on the percentage of domestication of equipment, but the desired quality and competitive price should also be considered in policies; Because investors and consumers expect to provide the equipment they need with good quality and competitive price. Niro Research Institute has tried to help advance these goals by identifying the technological needs of the industry, evaluating technological options and implementing development and research projects.