Established over 20 hectares of land in Baft, which has one of the highest altitudes in Iran at 2,300 meters above sea-level, it is the ninth solar farm in the desert province, the Energy Ministry’s news website Paven reported.
Completed at a cost of $4.6 million by the private sector, the plant has been designed and built by domestic experts and engineers.
It will help reduce greenhouse gases by up to 10,000 tons annually and save the consumption of 4 million cubic meters of natural gas and over 3,000 cubic meters of water, according to Financial Tribune.
With the launch of the photovoltaic station, the solar capacity in Kerman has reached 59 MW.
Furthermore, 926 rooftop-mounted systems are already functioning in the province, with a total capacity of 8,228 kilowatts.
Located in the southeast, Kerman is among the largest provinces in Iran. Having a dry climate, it has sufficient solar radiation and many solar farms and rooftop photovoltaic systems have been installed there in recent years.
With an average of 330 sunny days per year, the sun-drenched province provides an ideal location for the construction of solar power plants. The province has become a leading producer of solar energy in the country.
Besides curbing environmental pollution, solar energy decreases production costs compared to thermal power plants that have long created serious concerns among environmentalists, climate change activists and the common people around the globe.
Of the total 81,000 MW national capacity, 750 MW are derived from renewables, mainly solar and wind.
The oil- and gas-rich nation has accelerated efforts in recent years to increase the low share of renewables in its power mix. The government expects to increase renewable capacity to 5,000 MW by 2022.