TEHRAN- The Deputy Minister of Energy and head of the Organization for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SATBA), referring to the Ministry of Energy's policies in the field of renewable energy, said: "The development of rooftop solar power plants is one of the priorities of this ministry, and in this regard, efforts are being made to facilitate the construction process of these power plants by providing facilities to applicants."

Mohsen Tarztalab added: "Furthermore, plans to supply and domestic production of the necessary equipment are on the agenda so that the development process of this sector can be pursued more rapidly."

In last September, Iran inaugurated its largest rooftop solar power plant in the Chenaran industrial town of Khorasan Razavi Province, with a capacity of 4.5 megawatts, provincial officials said.

Javad Khodaei, senior adviser to the provincial governor and deputy head of the renewable energy task force, said the facility underscores the province’s leading role in Iran’s solar sector.

The rooftop plant, built by Alis Company, covers 90,000 square meters and was completed in six months, Khodaei said at the inauguration ceremony attended by the provincial governor.

“This project marks a new record in the scale and capacity of rooftop solar power plants in the country,” he said, adding that Khorasan Razavi had already hosted earlier record-setting rooftop facilities with capacities exceeding 2 megawatts.

Iran has been expanding renewable energy projects to diversify its power mix and curb reliance on fossil fuels. Officials say solar, particularly in provinces with high exposure like Khorasan Razavi, is central to those plans.

Meanwhile in early November, Majid Parsa, head of the Tehran Education Department, had announced that 1,200 schools across Tehran province were set to be equipped with rooftop solar panel systems by the end of the past Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2026).

Parsa said the initiative followed an agreement with the Tehran Governor’s Office to install 5-kilowatt solar power systems on each participating school. He noted that the project would initially be implemented on a trial basis to assess the panels’ performance, maintenance, and integration into the power grid.

“The Education Department has already equipped five schools with pilot solar systems, which have shown promising results,” Parsa said at the time, adding that the project will expand once evaluations confirm its effectiveness.

He emphasized that solar-powered schools could play a vital role in energy conservation, providing clean electricity for their own use and potentially supplying surplus power to the grid.

Parsa added that newly built schools in Tehran are now being constructed with built-in solar infrastructure, aligning with the governor’s sustainable development plan.

In a related initiative, Akbar Hasan Beklou, managing director of Tehran Province Electricity Distribution Company, said earlier that the project aims to generate about six megawatts of solar power through these school installations, with the first phase expected to connect to the grid within three months.

Also, in last October, it was reported that in line with President Masoud Pezeshkian’s directive for all government bodies to adopt solar energy, Iran has launched rooftop solar power plants for 22 ministries and state organizations, marking a significant step toward sustainable energy transition in the public sector.

According to the Vice-Presidency for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy, the initiative was implemented using domestically produced solar panels developed by Iranian knowledge-based companies.

The project’s first phase focused on designing and standardizing rooftop solar systems for 22 ministries and public organizations, in accordance with a cabinet resolution mandating government institutions to utilize renewable energy sources.

In the second phase, the plan would be extended to critical infrastructure and major businesses that directly serve public needs, further integrating renewable energy into the country’s operational backbone.

Successful pilot installations on government buildings demonstrated the viability of this model, showing that rooftop solar systems can serve as an effective framework for achieving sustainable energy supply. Officials said the project could become a blueprint for broader adoption of clean energy solutions in residential buildings and everyday urban life.

EF/MA