Iraq to use solar to power presidential palace

• Addressing power supply gap
• Iraq public buildings targeted
• 126,000 solar panels purchased

Iraq will install solar panels at the presidential palace in Baghdad as the first stage in a plan to switch nearly 6,000 public buildings to renewable power, according to officials.

The project is intended to ease reliance on conventional electricity, protect the environment and tackle a power supply gap caused by gas shortages and the damage to power networks during internal hostilities over the past two decades.

Officials said the project would be executed in parallel with another plan to install solar power on houses, for which around one trillion dinars ($770 million) has been allocated.

“We have identified nearly 6,000 public buildings to be converted to solar power,” said Nusair Qassim, chairman of a national team for the introduction of renewable energy and energy efficiency. 

“We will start with the presidential palace where the first solar energy station will be built with the aim of slashing power consumption.”

Qassim told the official Iraqi news agency at the weekend that contracts have already been awarded for the installation of solar power on nearly 540 government buildings.

He said the solar panels will be installed in locations including rooftops and car parks.

• TotalEnergies starts building Iraq’s largest solar plant
• Iraq must act fast to avoid a domestic energy crisis
• Neighbours to supply Iraq with 3GW of electricity this summer

Qassim added that the project would get under way within 20 days and that “an advanced solar energy garage” would be installed near the presidential palace.

He said the facility will generate two megawatts, which will reduce the palace’s conventional power consumption by 70 percent. 

Iraq suffers from a power supply deficit of about 10MW due to a sharp decline in gas and electricity supplies from neighbouring Iran, lack of maintenance, growth in domestic consumption due to high population growth and damage to facilities.

Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, the prime minister, said this year that Baghdad would stop imports from Iran by 2028 after projects to develop the country’s own gas resources and build solar power parks are completed.