Iran explores solar energy

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Source: CCTV.com | 12-02-2008 11:15

Iran is known for its large oil and gas reserves and its nuclear energy program. And now Tehran is also exploring the potential of alternative sources of power.

Iran is known for its large oil and gas reserves and its nuclear energy program.(CCTV.com)

In southern Iran the sun shines almost without interruption allowing scientists to experiment with harnessing its power and converting it to electricity at the country's first solar power plant near the city of Shiraz.

The plant is completely designed and built by Iranian experts.

Peyman Kanan, Chief Executive, Power Plant, said, "We haven't used any experts from other countries or any foreign contractor in designing and developing the plant."

The plant operates by catching the intense sunlight through its sun-tracking parabolic troughs.

Then the concentrated sunlight heats a tube of thermal oil.

The hot liquid, in turn, heats up water to make steam that runs an electricity-generating turbine.

Peyman Kanan, Chief Executive, Power Plant, said, "Making the parabolic troughs (solar thermal energy collector) mirrors was a very difficult process. There is only one company in the world that provides the solar plants with these mirrors. We have successfully made these mirrors in Iran with precise measurements."

The plant is still at research level, but engineers expect to make it operational between late 2009 and early 2010, and input electricity into the national electricity grid.

The Shiraz plant will generate 250 Kilowatts of electricity, which is not a considerable amount of energy, but the team hope that it would lead to more Iranian built solar power stations in the future.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei