I have yet to see a problem that can’t be fixed by putting up solar panels.
Hope and change. I have yet to see a problem that can’t be fixed by putting up solar panels.
I believe we can all agree that what Iraq, a miserable war-torn hellhole in a permanent state of civil war (yes, long before we got there) whose only real resource comes out of the ground, needs is a climate policy.
Iraq’s prime minister Sunday promised sweeping measures to tackle climate change — which has affected millions across the country — including plans to meet a third of the country’s electricity demands using renewable energy.
If Iraq can’t change the weather by putting up solar panels and windmills, who can?
Climate change for years has compounded the woes of the troubled country. Droughts and increased water salinity have destroyed crops, animals and farms and dried up entire bodies of water. Hospitals have faced waves of patients with respiratory illnesses caused by rampant sandstorms. Climate change has also played a role in Iraq’s ongoing struggle to combat cholera.
Iraq has had sandstorms, droughts and disease outbreaks long before there was an Iraq.
Iraq also hopes to provide one-third of the country’s electricity demand through renewable energy instead of fossil fuel.
Are suicide bombers a renewable resource?
Fossil fuels are about the only thing Iraq has going for it. So time for some solar panels.
Iraq’s Central Bank has approved a ID1 trillion ($680m) fund for renewable energy projects in the country.
Also in October 2021, a consortium of Norway’s Scatec, Egypt’s Orascom Construction and local company Bilal signed agreements to develop 525MW of solar capacity in Iraq.
The 525MW of PV solar capacity will be developed in the provinces of Babel and Karbala in southern Iraq. The value of the project will be about $500m.
Definitely a priority for a nation with a poverty rate of 25% in the middle of a permanent war.
Westman says
Isn’t this the same country where electric motors disappeared as quickly as they were placed on oil rigs?
Looks like convenient target practice for warlords:
“Say, Ahmed, I’ll bet you can’t hit that panel from 2km!”
Ahmed: “Mohammad, I have a better idea, why don’t we just take some back home?”
Mohammad: “OK, then we shoot some, Allah willing.”
David M says
I prefer solar panels to those stupid & ugly wind turbines anyway. I just looked it up & wind turbines kill about 500,000 birds a year in the US. The leftists want to save the planet but are happy to kill millions of birds a year with wind turbines to do it? Gee that makes sense, go back to technology from 1887 that kills animals to save the planet.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
One thing – w/ all that desert land that Iraq has, they do have enough real estate that those solar panels need to be effective. Of course, it’s another question whether using solar energy instead of oil will resolve their issue of less rainfall. But yeah, it’s funny to see a muslim country go woke on climate change
I doubt that Iraq has a lot of wind going for it to install wind turbines. Although on that front, there has been newer tech that avoids those bird slaughtering blades, and instead rotates on a vertical rather than a horizontal axis
E T says
Solar panels last 25 years, producing less each year. Made with some hazardous materials and assembled with adhesives and sealants that make breaking them apart challenging. Then they can just have solar panel grave yards. But they are not cutting down trees to plant solar panels like the Global climate clowns in the West are doing.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Precisely! Countries like Iraq or Australia have enough desert real estate to fill it up w/ solar panels and provide all the power needed (although I daresay they’ll still not be industrial strength power). But when put in Western countries, it usually occupies real estate that can be pretty useful for a variety of things, from agriculture to commercial purposes. Similarly, India has a bunch of windmills on its border w/ Pakistan on what’s essentially some marshy area, and otherwise unusable
David M says
Here in Australia they want to replace our traditional coal fired power stations with renewables, but it is estimated to cost 1 trillion to re-wire the entire country to do it. We will be paying for that too. Yesterday they announced all our power bills are going up 20-30%.