Would Iraq be a good place for solar panels? I saw on the news about how the power plants in Iraq are all screwed up. I thought since it’s a desert (very sunny most of the time) that it would be a perfect place to build a couple of large scale solar power plants. I realize solar power doesn’t work at night, but it seems to me the Iraqis mostly need electricity for air conditioning, which is during the day so it work out pretty good. Anyone agree or disagree?
That’s a very good idea, and I’m sure it has been discussed by the United States government, but there are a few problems:
1. Iraq is NOT the safest place in the world right now; acts of vandalism to government projects are common
2. In order to be able to make enough solar plants to make a significant impact on the average Iraq citizen’s bills, you would need a major investment. America’s taxpayers don’t want to pay for it, and Iraq’s government is just barely holding itself together. There is no one willing to pay for it.
3. New technology = doubts and rumors. I doubt they have as many educational standards in Iraq right now as in the United States, the citizens might mistrust the new technology, because they might not know much about it.
I know every one of these factors can be rebuked, but they are factors to think about before making a decision.
5 responses to Would Iraq be a good place for solar panels?
That’s a very good idea, and I’m sure it has been discussed by the United States government, but there are a few problems:
1. Iraq is NOT the safest place in the world right now; acts of vandalism to government projects are common
2. In order to be able to make enough solar plants to make a significant impact on the average Iraq citizen’s bills, you would need a major investment. America’s taxpayers don’t want to pay for it, and Iraq’s government is just barely holding itself together. There is no one willing to pay for it.
3. New technology = doubts and rumors. I doubt they have as many educational standards in Iraq right now as in the United States, the citizens might mistrust the new technology, because they might not know much about it.
I know every one of these factors can be rebuked, but they are factors to think about before making a decision.
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Books. Lots, and lots of books.
Yes, any desert type environment would be
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They’d only get blown up.
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Ofcourse lot of Sun there
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Yes and no. Yes there is plenty of available sunlight. However: 1) The desert environment (Sand Storms)had a tendency to scour the panels that had been attempted in Iraq. 2) The support infrastructure is not there. People have no idea as to how to maintain solar energy systems there. 3) Iraq is rife with corruption that is based on the oil production and distribution network therefore hesitant to change from what has become a profitable model for those in place to control it. 4) The price of petroleum products in Iraq is subsidized and therefore, even when bought on the black market, relataively inexpensive when compared to the west. 5) Vandalism and violence is rife, and those involved in the petroleum market would be a potential source of disruption for any major solar power initiative. 6) Thievery is also rampant and systems have been proven to be easy prey. This has been established through a number of projects from solar powered street lights (Often cut down and ending up on personal property to keep the outdoors lit at night).
Many solar projects have been established there but due to all of the above they have largely been proven as falling somewhere between ineffective and abject failures.
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