Generating Electricity Using Photovoltaic Solar Plants in Iraq

The environmental pollution, climate change, and increasing demand for energy across the globe need to have a very serious attention from all political, economic, and technical aspects to avoid the collapse of the environmental and social systems in various countries of the world. Electricity is considered the key element of national and international development in the whole world. There may be sustainable energy resources in each country and appropriate solutions can be provided to all challenges that hinder their utilization through the implementation of advanced technologies that allow optimal use of these energies (International Energy Agency. 2010. World energy outlook. International Energy Agency, Paris. ISBN: 978-92-64-08624-1).

Iraq, called officially the Republic of Iraq, is a parliamentary, federal republic according to the Constitution of Iraq. This country consists of eighteen provinces; the capital of Iraq is Baghdad. Iraq is overlooking the Arabian Gulf; it is one of the West Asian countries; and this state is a member in the Arab League and in the Organization of Islamic Countries. Iraq is an oil-rich country and one of the founders of the OPEC. Iraq is considered as the cradle of the first civilizations in the world, Sumer civilization, which included all the space between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and extended its borders to Syria and Persia (Iran today). Its authority extended to the southeast region of Anatolia (now Turkey) also. The Iraqi civilizations of Mesopotamia connect ancient civilizations in Egypt and India. Iraq has been home to many civilizations, the most important of the Sumerian, Babylonian, Chaldean, Assyrian, Medes, Seleucids, the Parthian Empire, Empire and Romania, and the Sassanids, and Manathira, the Caliphate, and the state of the Umayyad, Abbasid state, and the Mongols, the Safavid state, and Afsharid Dynasty, and the Ottoman Empire, then the British Mandate, and then the Kingdom of Iraq, at the end the republic.

Due to the increase in the population and the increase in demand for energy in general and electric power in particular in addition to the fluctuation of oil prices accompanied by the possibility of depletion and increase the complaint of the impact of emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, all eyes for serious and direct thinking in the use of renewable energies, especially solar and wind that can be used in generating electricity in huge capacities [1–4].

Throughout the years, nonrenewable sources of energy have been, and still remain, the world’s number one source of energy. According to a BP review (Barnett A et al (2007) Milestones toward 50% efficient solar cell modules. In: 22nd photovoltaic eurbean solar energy conference, Milan-Italy), fossil fuels satisfy about 86% of the world’s energy consumption as of 2014, with nuclear energy contributing 4.4%, leaving the shares of hydropower and other renewables at about 6.8% and 2.5%, respectively, i.e., less than 10% of the total world’s energy requirements are satisfied by renewable sources. Figure 4.1 compares between the renewable and non-renewable energies (Al-Waeli et al. Energy Convers Manag 148:963–973, 2017).

As the photovoltaics are fixed outdoor exposed to external meteorological conditions, which vary from one area to another, the atmospheric condition can be considered as the major factor in the impressive performance of the cells. Therefore, the efficiency and productivity of the PV cell vary from one location to another. The experts and photovoltaic manufacturers have identified parameters at which the PV modules give the maximum performance. These parameters are the solar intensity of 1000 W/m ² , a temperature of 25 °C, and the air mass of 1.5. These air requirements are limited, and their presence together may be difficult if not impossible, for every area of their own conditions, which may increase or decrease compared to these requirements.

Iran, Iraq’s neighbor to the east, has very old historic roots. Iran is characterized by the importance of its geopolitical location as a meeting point for three Asian destinations (West, Central, and Southern Asia). Iran overlooks the Caspian Sea to the north, and the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman to the south. Tehran is the political, cultural, and commercial center, capital, and the largest city in the country. Iran is a regional power [1, 2] and an important partner in international energy security and the global economy because Iran has the second-largest reserves of natural gas in the world and the fourth largest proven oil reserves [3].

God has given Iraq many gifts. These gifts have contributed to the development of Iraqi society over its long history by changing its lifestyles and transforming it from a primitive area to an urban and suburban area. The great impact of the formation of communities and cities on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates for thousands of years and the exploitation of fertile land in agriculture and grazing, so-called the land of Iraq “the land of blackness” because of the large areas of cultivated land and the spread of green areas throughout [1].

The task of preserving the Iraqi environment, improving its properties, solving its problems, and harmonizing with its national, regional, and international requirements is one of the most important challenges facing Iraq. The environment in Iraq suffers from many problems caused by natural and human factors as well as the wrong policies of previous governments, which resulted in several wars and international sanctions and unfair and abhorrent economic blockade. All these factors have affected the environment, and the restoration of the former environment needs to combine the efforts of the citizens and the government with the development of sophisticated and deliberate strategies [1].