power-starved iraq goes solar - solar street lamp

In a city where electricity is constantly lacking but there is no shortage of sunshine, the new hot topic is solar energy.
A team of engineers appeared on the main road in Baghdad, connecting panels and bulbs to rows of towering steel bars to make solar energy
Electric street lights.
Workers who recently appeared in the upscale Karada district to approach-
Religious fever.
Sajad Hussein announced in an inquiry from curious residents: "We are lighting up the city with solar energy . ".
"People say it's a gift from God.
"The surge in oil prices has sparked interest in solar energy and other renewable sources across California and the United States, which is also increasing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to combat global warming.
But Iraq's decision to adopt clean energy has little to do with cutting costs or the environment: policy makers in Iraq want to improve security, and the State Grid does not have enough electricity to illuminate urban streets.
The lack of reliable power for Iraqis is one of the biggest setbacks of the war. The U. S.
The government has promised $4.
91 billion is used to repair damaged power infrastructure and bring new generating units online.
But most Iraqis rely on electricity for only a few hours a day.
In the face of another long, hot summer without enough electricity, an Iraqi journalist faces an American journalist. S.
The general asked at a news conference in the spring to know why the military did not use the sun for the state grid. Brig. Gen.
American Commander Jeffrey DokoS.
The Army Corps in Iraq says the cost is too high.
"A rough standard worldwide is that the cost of building a power plant to generate 1 MW is about $1 million," he said . ".
"The cost of solar energy per megawatt is several times, probably $6 million or $7 million per megawatt. "But U. S.
Iraqi officials agree that solar energy is useful in a more limited range, such as powering street lights without the need to rely on dysfunctional power systems.
Iraq's power grid has been in disrepair for years after years of sanctions. S. -
Led troops invaded on March 2003. The U. S.
These efforts have increased daily power generation by about 2,200 MW, which is currently about 5,500 MW.
But demand has grown far beyond supply.
Iraqis are snapping up refrigerators, air conditioners and other energy
Consumer equipment has been on the market since the fall of Saddam Hussein. U. S.
With new hospitals, schools, water treatment plants and other facilities on line, the rebuilding work has increased the pressure on the state grid.
Basic service guarantee is near
Continuous power supply, which has little impact on commercial and residential consumers.
Despite the increase in production capacity, production levels rarely reach their potential.
The tower is often attacked, causing the entire network to be interrupted.
Severe drought has reduced the output of hydropower plants by nearly 30%.
The industry is also plagued by fuel shortages.
Iraq ranks third in the world
Proven oil reserves are the largest.
But China has limited refining capacity and imports a lot of diesel to keep the turbine running.
However, Aziz Himari, a spokesman for the power sector, said there was no shortage of sunshine.
Iraq is a desert country with a summer temperature of up to 120 degrees.
"This provides us with more possibilities for generating electricity," Shimari said . ".
Light is an important condition for "safety, so people go out at night.
The ministry plans to install 5,000 solar units-
Electric street lights in Baghdad cost $1,800 to $2,000.
It is also planned to install 1,000 units in each of Iraq's 18 provinces. The U. S.
The military purchased more than 1,000 extra lights for Baghdad and funded similar projects in faruja, Ramadi and other cities.
Officials say the lights being installed by the Baghdad military are bulletproof and cost about $6,200 each.
Grocery store owner Mohammed Abbas was in a good mood as the city's municipal staff installed the new lights in front of his Carrada store.
"The light provided us with half the security," he said on a hot afternoon, reaching out to the fridge to take out ice cream for a braids little girl.
"I'm open until 10 in the evening. m.
Now that the light is on, I can continue to be on later.
"At the dry cleaner next door, Basil Darwood is not very sure about the benefits of the system.
"Even if the street is lit up, our store is dark without electricity and no one can see us," Dawood said . ".
What we really need is strong national strength.
"Baghdad has an average of 13 hours a day of electricity, but most of it is consumed by government and basic services.
On a wonderful day, Abbas and Darwood have six hours.
The two said they spent half of their profits on alternative energy.
Abbas pays about $180 a month for feed from a privately run community generator that supplies an additional 8 to 10 hours a day.
Dawood has his own generator, but he says it's too expensive to run during the day.
That day, when the lights flashed countless times, he sat in the chair in front of the silent washing machine, wiping the sweat with paper towels, waiting for the power to return to normal operation.
Supporters say solar energy
Electric street lights will reduce the load on the State Grid and will not be attacked because they operate independently.
But a hot and dry climate will challenge maintenance.
Each pole is equipped with a photovoltaic battery panel connected to the battery, which is charged during the day and automatically turned on at night to power the orange bulb.
But officials say the panels are not working well in the dust and dirt layers that may accumulate in a few days.
Extreme high temperatures reduce the life of the battery.
A soldier recorded his deployment in Iraq in a blog titled "David's War Diary"-davidswardiary. blogspot. com --
Commented on the "beautiful solar-
An electric street light was installed at Camp Virginia in Kuwait, and on November he stopped on his way home.
"They made excellent road marks because of the distance so close," he wrote . ".
However, the lighting comes from noisy gas-
Generator lighting system placed along each row of solar energy
Electric street lights.
Asked what she thought about the new lights nearby, Karada resident Menai Karim shrugged.
When she filled her shopping basket at the abbass store, she said: "They are useless . ".
"They are not very smart.
But it's better than nothing. "--alexandra. zavis@latimes.