BRICS+ Series: Iran's Solar Energy Takeoff
Iran is rapidly emerging as a renewable energy powerhouse, making bold strides in solar energy expansion that signal a transformative shift—not just for the country, but for the broader BRICS+ alliance. In the past Iranian year alone (ending March 2025), Iran added an impressive 600 megawatts (MW) of solar power to its national grid—four times the previous annual average. This surge represents a turning point for both Iran's energy policy and the global South's efforts to build energy resilience and independence.
Government-Led Push with Private Sector Vision
At the heart of this transformation is Iran's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organisation (SATBA), which has launched an ambitious roadmap to install 5,000 MW of renewable capacity. Speaking on state television, SATBA's deputy head, Alireza Parandeh Motlaq, explained that this push is aimed at addressing rising domestic electricity demands, particularly from households and industry. Although these solar plants are initially government-funded, the long-term plan is to hand them over to the private sector—ushering in a new era of green entrepreneurship.
In a parallel move, private investors are showing keen interest, submitting proposals to develop a staggering 38,000 MW in renewable energy capacity. This level of engagement from Iran's private sector highlights a crucial shift: renewable energy is no longer just a state project—it's an economic opportunity.
Smart Policies for a Greener Future
The new energy policy also includes regulatory incentives that reward industrial players for installing on-site renewable sources. Facilities that generate part of their own electricity using solar or other green technologies are now exempt from mandatory power cuts. Households, too, are being brought into the energy revolution. With rooftop solar panels, families can sell surplus electricity back to the government for roughly $0.074 per kilowatt-hour—a smart solution for citizens and the state alike.
Solar Expansion Across Provinces
The momentum is visible on the ground. In a recent milestone, SATBA launched 297 MW of solar projects across five provinces—Golestan, Bushehr, Fars, East Azarbaijan, and Kish Island. The rollout is part of a broader plan to construct 3,000 MW of capacity through modular 3-MW plants spread across 856 sites nationwide. The initial phase, backed by a substantial $96 billion government investment, demonstrates Tehran's commitment to decentralising energy access while strengthening the national grid.
Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi confirmed that a further 500 MW boost is underway under the administration of President Masoud Pezeshkian. He assured the public that all new solar installations are on track and will soon begin feeding into Iran's energy network.
A Strategic Win for BRICS+ Cooperation
This surge in renewable infrastructure is not just a domestic victory—it's a strategic one for BRICS+. Iran's expanding green energy sector dovetails with the bloc's broader agenda to reduce dependence on Western-dominated energy markets and diversify sources of power across the Global South. With climate change intensifying and energy security becoming a critical concern, Iran's success could serve as a blueprint for other BRICS+ nations seeking sustainable growth without sacrificing sovereignty.
Iran's renewable transformation opens new corridors for intra-bloc trade and technological cooperation. With international sanctions limiting Iran's access to Western markets, collaboration with fellow BRICS+ members—especially China, Russia, and India—offers vital alternatives for importing components, financing projects, and sharing innovation.
Iran's pivot to solar power is more than just a domestic policy shift—it is a diplomatic and economic statement. For BRICS+, it's a beacon of what's possible when emerging economies take charge of their energy futures. As the sun shines brighter over Iran's solar fields, the Global South gains a powerful new symbol of self-reliance and shared progress.
Written by:
*Dr Iqbal Survé
Past chairman of the BRICS Business Council and co-chairman of the BRICS Media Forum and the BRNN
*Chloe Maluleke
Associate at BRICS+ Consulting Group
Russian & Middle Eastern Specialist
**The Views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Independent Media or IOL.
** MORE ARTICLES ON OUR WEBSITE https://bricscg.com/
** Follow @brics_daily on Twitter for daily BRICS+ updates and instagram @brics_daily
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Eyewitness News
3 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
BRICS' criticism brings Trump 10% tariff threat
RIO DE JANEIRO - US President Donald Trump threatened China, India, and some of the world's fastest-emerging economies with higher import tariffs, hitting back at BRICS' criticism of his trade policies as the bloc meets Monday. The 11-nation grouping - which also includes US allies Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia - is concluding a two-day summit in Rio de Janeiro. On Sunday, BRICS leaders described Trump's stop-start tariff wars as "indiscriminate", damaging, and illegal, drawing a quick rebuke from the pugilistic US president. "Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy," Trump wrote on social media. BRICS members account for about half the world's population and 40 percent of global economic output. Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, the BRICS have come to be seen as a Chinese-driven counterbalance to US influence. But it is an expanding and often divergent grouping - bringing together arch US foes like Iran and Russia, with some of Washington's closest allies in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Some US allies inside the bloc had tried to blunt criticism by not mentioning Trump by name in their summit statement. Saudi Arabia - one of the world's biggest purchasers of US high-tech weapons - even kept its foreign minister away from Sunday's talks and a BRICS "family photo" of leaders, seemingly to avoid Washington's ire. But such diplomatic gestures were lost on the US president. In April, Trump threatened a slew of punitive duties, before backing off in the face of a fierce market sell-off. Now he is threatening to impose unilateral levies on trading partners unless they reach "deals" by August 1, with BRICS nations seemingly getting higher tariffs than planned. It cannot have helped that BRICS leaders also condemned the recent US and Israeli bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities - a show of solidarity with fellow member Iran. Beijing on Monday insisted BRICS was not seeking confrontation with the United States. "China has repeatedly stated its position that trade and tariff wars have no winners and protectionism offers no way forward," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said. Beijing also defended the bloc as "an important platform for cooperation between emerging markets and developing countries". "It advocates openness, inclusivity, and win-win cooperation," Mao said. "It does not engage in camp confrontation and is not targeted at any country," she said. The political punch of this year's summit has been depleted by the absence of China's Xi Jinping, who skipped the meeting for the first time in his 12 years as president. The Chinese leader is not the only notable absentee. Russian President Vladimir Putin, charged with war crimes in Ukraine, also opted to stay away, participating via video link. He told counterparts that BRICS had become a key player in global governance.
Eyewitness News
3 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Mantashe takes swipe at countries threatening to impose higher import tariffs on trade partners
JOHANNESBURG - Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe has taken a thinly veiled swipe at countries threatening to impose higher import tariffs on trade partners, labelling the threats as bullying. Mantashe's concerns about the impact of higher tariffs on miners come ahead of an expected 30% duty on South African products shipped to the US set to take effect at the end of the week. READ: Mantashe punts critical minerals as a key driver for SA's economic development, job creation Speaking at an engagement on the G20 critical minerals framework in Sandton on Tuesday, he called on captains of industry to find alternative markets for the country's critical minerals. The US relies on South African metals and minerals that are essential for its economy and national security, making them the biggest South African exports to the US. But for US President Donald Trump, doing business with the superpower means taking a hard stance - you're either with the US or you're against it. During this year's instalment of the BRICS meeting in Brazil in June, Trump threatened BRICS allies with higher tariffs on goods into the US, above the universal baseline on all trading partners. Mantashe said: "We must not be apologetic for initiatives that take us forward, we must never. If being a member of BRICS attracts tariffs from the US, it tells us that we must diversify our markets more and more aggressively and not focus on where tariffs are imposed on us." Platinum group metals and chrome were on a list of exemptions before the US paused its previous tariff threats, but a levy on diamonds and other minerals raised concerns about lower export earnings for South Africa. It's unclear at this stage what parameters will apply to the 1 August tariffs.
Mail & Guardian
13 hours ago
- Mail & Guardian
Africa, the US and the East: In search of balance in a changing world
Africa's choice should not be limited to East v West but rather to move from dependence to balance through diversified partnerships based in mutual respect and shared benefit. Photo: File In the shifting theatre of global geopolitics, Africa often finds itself framed as the prize in a contest of giants, courted, cajoled or overlooked, depending on the mood of the hour in foreign capitals. Yet perhaps the time has come to reframe the narrative. What if Africa were not the object of this great power drama, but its most quietly pivotal actor? With the Trump administration now six months into its term, we are beginning to discern not just a change in tone from Washington, but a potential recalibration in substance. The sharpness of the rhetoric, the transactional language and the clear scepticism towards multilateralism and traditional alliances — these are more than stylistic flourishes. They raise profound questions about how the US views its role in the world and how it perceives Africa's place within that worldview. Yet we must be careful not to conflate noise with novelty. The deeper question is whether this administration's approach is a radical departure from past US policy towards Africa or merely a blunter continuation of old patterns, patterns marked by episodic engagement, selective interest and a tendency to speak at Africa rather than with it. What is new might not be the content, but the candour. Africa, for its part, must decide how to engage with this changing landscape. Should it wait, reactively, for signals from Washington? Or should it lean forward, setting the terms of engagement, articulating its own priorities and navigating the shifting alliances with a clear-eyed sense of purpose? This is not a theoretical exercise. The choices being made now, about trade, diplomacy, infrastructure and digital sovereignty, will reverberate for generations. One of the most striking shifts in the global economic order today is the growing trend toward de-dollarisation. It is a term that has quietly entered the lexicon of economists and policymakers and yet its implications are anything but quiet. At a recent event in Johannesburg that I was privy to, the conversation around bypassing the dollar in trade transactions, settling directly from rand to renminbi or some other Brics country's currency, captured this shift with unusual clarity. This is not simply a matter of convenience or efficiency because, from a business point of view, it makes absolute economic sense. But it is also a political and philosophical statement about autonomy. For decades, the dollar has functioned not just as a currency, but as a mechanism of influence, a means through which global power is exercised and, at times, withheld. To move away from dollar dependency is to assert a kind of economic self-determination. This trend is not confined to currency. Alternative payment systems are being developed to reduce reliance on Swift, the interbank messaging system that effectively allows the US to enforce financial sanctions across borders. Such innovations challenge not just institutions, but the very architecture of global finance. How might the US respond to such shifts, especially under an administration that views both Brics and Chinese influence with deep suspicion? Would it resort to even greater punitive tariffs, or even secondary sanctions, to dissuade countries from participating in what it sees as rival systems? Moreover, these are not hypothetical concerns, they are questions African policymakers must weigh with urgency and care. But amid this complexity lies a remarkable opportunity, Africa need not be a passive participant in a game of titans. It can, and must, be a strategic actor in its own right. The binary of 'East versus West' is a false choice, because what Africa should seek is not alignment, but balance. Not dependence, but diversified partnerships rooted in mutual respect and shared benefit. That requires not only a shift in diplomacy, but also in mindset, because for too long, Africa has been spoken about in terms of charity, aid or crisis, but today's realities demand a different frame, one of investment, innovation and intellectual engagement. Africa is not merely catching up to the world — in many ways it is imagining the world anew. Consider the digital economy, where African startups are leapfrogging legacy infrastructure with mobile-based solutions, or the energy sector, where decentralised solar power is redefining access in rural communities. These are not stories of marginal progress, they are signals of a continent thinking for itself, building for itself and increasingly, financing itself. That said, we should not romanticise the challenges, because the road ahead is uneven and the risks are real. Global power remains asymmetrical and navigating that terrain requires more than idealism, it demands strategy, unity and an unflinching appraisal of our own vulnerabilities. But nor should we underestimate our leverage. In a multipolar world, Africa's 54 votes at the UN, its vast natural resources, its youthful population, its mineral deposits and its growing markets make it a partner no global power can afford to ignore. So the question becomes, how do we use this leverage? Do we trade it cheaply for short-term gains or do we invest it wisely in long-term sovereignty? And perhaps even more fundamentally, what kind of global future does Africa wish to help shape? If we can answer that, not with slogans, but with substance, we might find that Africa's most powerful position is not as a swing state in someone else's game, but as a steward of its own destiny. This is the moment to step into that role, with clarity, courage and quiet confidence. Not to choose sides, but to choose ourselves. Daryl Swanepoel is the chief executive of the Inclusive Society Institute. This article draws on his opening remarks in a webinar on Africa-US relations and its nexus with China hosted by the institute.
