Doing Solar Business in Iran: New Challenges and Opportunities

This webinar is on August 19, 2016. If you will not be able to attend, but interested in the presentations or webinar records, feel free to register anyway and send us a quick note.

Iran is a booming market for solar energy. Coinciding with the end of sanctions against Iran, the association published a comprehensive report last year on the photovoltaic industry in Iran. In a new development, German companies can apply for Hermes export credit guarantees that facilitate doing business in Iran. With these guarantees, companies can protect themselves against the risks involved in foreign investment. Furthermore, the government in Tehran has announced new and more attractive feed-in tariffs. The new feed-in remuneration is valid until the end of the following Iranian year (21 March 2017).

In Iran, new remuneration has been introduced for systems with a capacity of 30 MW. Compared to the year 2015, the Tariff have dropped between 18 and 43 percent. Despite this decline, market observers see the remunerations as attractive, as long as favorable financing instruments are found. With the end of sanctions, the country has now also reconnected with the international banking system. As a result, the financing of projects and the transfer of funds has become much easier. Nevertheless, companies interested in becoming active in Iran must work together with a domestic business partner. In addition, financing must be organized directly by the project developer. Because of the extremely high interest rates in Iran, it is highly recommendable to take out a loan with a German or European bank.

Companies interested in engaging in the solar business in Iran should attend the first Intersolar Summit in Tehran on 15 November 2016. This webinar gives companies a first insight about challenges and opportunities.

Mohammad Hassan Ghafouri, Founder of the Iran-Wind Group, a group of young professionals in renewable energy, aiming at helping to develop renewable energy in Iran by removing the barriers and strengthening the capabilities of the renewable energy companies in Iran by holding workshops and seminars for them; as well as Founder and Managing Director of AYSA Engineering Company, an Engineering and Consulting Company in Iran, Tehran offers services in the field of Wind and Solar Energy Consulting.

Luz Alicia Aguilar is a graduate in Economics (M.S.) from the University Flensburg in Germany (2009). During her studies, she completed internships at the wind turbine manufacturer Vestas Central Europe and at the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) at the energy department. After her studies, she worked for Eclareon and the Berlin Energy Agency in Berlin and was in charge of managing projects at international level. From 2013 until 2015 she worked for the German-Mexican Chamber of Commerce and was in charge of the environmental department in Mexico-City. Since October 2015 she works as an international project manager at the German Solar Association. Her tasks include the management of international projects, including among others PV Financing and Enabling PV Iran. She speaks fluently Spanish, German and English.