Weary of paying big bills for power supplies that are often cut off, wheat grower Abdallah al-Ali is among the rising number of farmers to have turned to solar panels to keep their irrigation systems running during the searing heat of the Iraqi summer.
A member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and one of the world's leading oil producers, Iraq has struggled to provide its citizens with energy since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
In the ensuing turmoil, under-investment and mismanagement have left the national grid unable to cope with demand.
On some summer days when temperatures can exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104°F), it provides electricity for only around half of the time, according to a Reuters witness in Mosul, in the northern agricultural province of Nineveh.
The monthly power bill for al-Ali was nearly a million Iraqi dinars ($763.94). Since installing solar, he said he has been paying the national grid 80,000 Iraqi dinars and his supply has become reliable.
"Farmers are turning to solar to reduce their bills and lower the load on water pumps. The electricity from solar is stable," he said.
Apart from its oil riches, Iraq has vast solar potential that the authorities say they will use to close the gap between supply and demand, at the same time, reducing carbon emissions.
The country has a plan to install 12 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2030, according to the ministry of electricity, which includes delivering a 1 GW solar plant for Basra this year.
Peak summer demand in 2025, meanwhile, is expected to reach 55 GW, while supply stands at just 27 GW, according to estimates by Iraq's electricity minister in January.
CITIZEN POWER
Al-Ali is not the only citizen who has not waited for the government to act.
Farmers across Nineveh can use both rooftop panels and ground-mounted arrays, placed on farmland, to power irrigation systems and supply household needs.
In urban areas, panels are tightly packed on the flat roofs, which characterise Mosul homes, to maximize energy generation.
Hassan Taher, a Mosul resident and agricultural engineer, said switching to solar had transformed his home life.
"My bills are now very low, and the panels even helped reduce the heat in our kitchen by insulating the roof," he told Reuters.
The surge in demand has also been felt by local businesses.
Mohammed al-Qattan, who runs Mosul Solar, a solar installation company, said interest soared in 2024 and 2025, especially from rural communities, where he said 70% of his clients lived.
Although increasingly cost-effective, solar panel systems in Iraq still cost between 5 and 10 million Iraqi dinars, with the average 5–6 kilowatt system priced around 5 million dinars.
Many users say they recoup the upfront cost within one-to-three years, and most systems come with a 15-year warranty.
They also avoid the need for costly diesel generators, which emit high levels of carbon dioxide and other pollutants.
In urban areas, many householders take out a subscription for backup from a generator, which costs between 50,000 and 100,000 dinars per month.
"Compared to generators, this cost can be recovered within two years, and the system lasts for 30 years,” al-Qattan said of solar.
Solar systems installed are off-grid, meaning their owners are nearly self-sufficient in energy, said Ahmed Mahmoud Fathi, a director in the Nineveh branch of the state electricity company.
Users only pay the electricity department for night-time use of the national grid, which is especially attractive to farmers who use high-voltage pumps during the day and do not need electricity at night.
Omar Abdul Kareem Shukr, who heads Sama al-Sharq Company, which sells solar panels, told Reuters that even middle- and low-income citizens are buying solar systems as government initiatives have been put in place to encourage solar panel use.
The Central Bank has also introduced low-interest loans for citizens buying solar panels, although farmer Abdallah al-Ali said he had managed without.
“Currently, I rely on myself as a farmer. I heard there’s government support through a Central Bank initiative, but I haven’t approached it,” he said.
