MNA – Iran is set to build its largest-ever solar farm with a capacity as much as 1,000 megawatts in Markazi province, central Iran, a senior official said.

Saeed Farrokhi, Markazi province’s deputy governor for economic affairs, said the photovoltaic power plant will be constructed over a 2,000-hectares area near the city of Saveh, turning it into the largest producer of renewables in the country.

According to him, “equipment and panels required for harnessing 100 MW of electricity have so far been imported,” and the project will commence in near future.

The project has been funded by a UK-based Iranian investor, Farrokhi added, providing no further details.

Renewable ventures are gaining popularity in the country; with more than 300 sunny days throughout the year, Iran has huge potential to expand solar energy infrastructure and attract foreign investments.

The country meets more than 80% of its electricity demand from thermal power plants that run on fossil fuels. Of the total 80,000 MW production capacity, only a meager amount of 670 MW goes to renewables.

Iran promised at the Paris Climate Conference to curtail greenhouse gas emissions by increasing power production from renewable sources to 7,500 MW by the end of next decade.

Figures on Iran's power sector show that 42% of the country's renewable energies come from solar power, 41% from wind farms, 13% small from hydroelectric plants, 2% from heat recovery and 2% is constituted by biomass.

According to Energy Ministry, some 445 megawatts of renewable power plants are currently under construction, in line with the government's plans to launch 5,000 MW of new renewable capacity, including solar and wind, by 2022.

Iran has also pledged to slow climate change by promoting cleaner energies. In December 2015, 195 nations, including Iran, signed an agreement at the Paris Climate Conference to move away from fossil fuels with a goal of limiting a rise in average global temperatures to well below 2 degrees Celsius.

Iran promised at the Paris Climate Conference to curtail greenhouse gas emissions by increasing power production from renewable sources to 7,500 MW by the end of next decade.

According to Energy Ministry, 2.673 billion kilowatt-hours of renewable energy were produced form June 2009 to the end of 2018, leading to the reduction of about 1.844 million greenhouse gases emissions.

Moreover, this amount of alternative energy production has reduced 759 million cubic meters of fossil fuel consumption in the country, which is one of the main sources of air pollution in Iran. The volume has also saved 588 million liters of water consumption in recent years, with the share of December alone being about 14 million liters.