The Iranian Deputy Minister for Energy, Dr. Sattar Mahmoudi, and the Managing Director of the Renewable Energy Organization of Iran (SUNA), Dr. Seyed Mohammad Sadeghzadeh, welcomed more than 400 attendees, twice as many as expected, at the first Intersolar Summit Iran in Tehran on November 15, 2016. Main discussions were about grid-integration solutions, financing and foreign investments.
Tehran, November 24, 2016 – The development of the PV markets in Iran was seen mostly positive by all speakers and attendees of the first Intersolar Summit Iran, taking place in Tehran. PV can contribute to the growing energy demand in general and especially to the higher peak load profiles which utilities are continuously facing. There is also the advantage that PV power plants can be built in very short time frames compared to conventional power plants. But major challenges and concerns remain.
Finding suitable land and remains difficult for foreign investors, followed by getting the land license to build and operate a PV system. The Intersolar Summit also focused on environmental impacts on module and system performance. Due to Iran’s location the climate is influenced by the subtropical aridity of the Arabian desert areas and the subtropical humidity of the eastern Mediterranean area. These climate conditions influences the output and durability of PV Systems.
The challenges for PV grid-connections were presented by Mr. Saed Raei, Manager of Grid Connection Sector from the Iran Power Generation and Transmission Company (TAVANIR) and regional electricity companies and Distribution System Operators (DSO’s) such as Mr. Bahman Ghazi Zadeh, Manager of the Regional Electricity Company of Zanjan Province and Mr. Homayoun Berahmandpour, Head of Bulk Power Transmission. Up to today, grid connection of PV power plants might be challenging due to different procedures in each province. Therefore it is recommended that international and local investors of renewable energy work closely together with the Renewable Energy Organization of Iran (SUNA). To reach more understanding for the new grid challenges, it was also recommended to offer training for DSO’s and Transmission System Operators (TSO’s) from the Government.
