Hisham Ahmed has not had electricity problems for two years after dealing with chronic power outages by installing solar panels at house and workplace. It cost him $2,500 to obtain eight amperes of electricity, which he says is more affordable than using a generator.
“Instead of taking electricity from a generator, I paid for installing solar panels. I made back the money I spent on it in just one season, and now I have free electricity, with 250 watts available 24 hours a day,” Ahmed, a local in Baghdad, told Rudaw’s Mustafa Goran on Monday. “My household appliances are safe.”
The price of solar panels per square meter ranges from $50 to $75, while the cost of transformers and batteries varies based on their type and capacity.
The adoption of solar panels in Iraq is limited due to space requirements and the high expenses involved, despite the country enjoying an appropriate climate and a surplus of sunlight required for solar panels.
A company in Baghdad, in operation since 2014, claims to have installed approximately 10,000 solar panels for residents and government institutions in Iraq.
Some solar panels work best under direct sunlight and are cheaper, while others can generate power with any kind of light and cost $15 to $25 per square meter.
In Iraq, there are around 300 sunny days per year.
There has been a minimum of 13 hours of daily electricity supply in Baghdad since August 23, according to the ministry of electricity. In specific neighborhoods, residents have up to 18 hours of electricity daily. The increase in the national electricity supply is a result of reduced usage of cooling appliances such as air conditioners as temperatures decrease.
Iraq and the Kurdistan Region suffer from chronic electricity shortages, especially felt when summer temperatures near 50 degrees Celsius. The high temperatures also lead to a very high consumption of power.
Iraq is eyeing a gradual transition to renewable energy, as it mainly relies on burning fossil fuels to generate electricity, a method often considered by environmentalists are harmful and outdated.
The country also depends on importing national gas from Iran in a bid to keep the lights on. An increase in solar panels would also reduce the cost of importing gas.
There are currently two solar power plants in the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has revealed plans to build an additional station in Erbil province’s Soran administration.
In May, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani laid the foundation stone for a 25-megawatt solar power plant in Erbil, aimed at providing electricity for the citizens of the Region at more affordable prices.
