Iran's new Pezeshkian administration plans to cut off all government buildings from the national power grid in the coming months, requiring them to switch to clean energy sources to meet their electricity needs. 

The move is part of the government's efforts to address a worsening energy crisis, with officials warning that electricity shortfalls could reach as high as 26,000 megawatts (MW) per day during the sweltering summer peak. Tehran receives 2,800-3,200 annual sunshine hours—averaging 8 hours daily—making it an ideal candidate for government solar adoption. With solar irradiance levels of 4.5-5.5 kWh/m² daily, the capital's semi-arid climate and predominantly clear skies create conditions that surpass many regions already successfully implementing solar technology. 

“The government has started with itself to overcome the energy imbalance,” government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani wrote on her official account on X, formerly Twitter.

Iranian officials often use the euphemism “energy imbalance” to refer to chronic shortages and structural deficits in energy supply.

Her remarks came just days after President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that “all executive bodies” were now obliged to source their electricity “exclusively” from renewables.

Pezeshkian noted that he personally followed up on the issue with his ministers “on a daily basis,” calling the energy crunch “the number one priority” of his government.

Under a plan drawn up by Iran’s Renewable Energy and Electricity Efficiency Organisation (SATBA), government buildings must be fitted with solar panels, state news agency IRNA wrote.

In the next phase, universities, schools, and sports stadiums will also be brought into line with the solar panel mandate, according to an official directive.

To make this rollout possible, Iran has turned to China. According to an agreement signed between Tehran and Beijing in October, Iran will pay for Chinese-made solar panels with proceeds from its oil exports to China — a workaround aimed at dodging the fallout from banking sanctions and liquidity constraints.

Iran’s Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi said on April 20 that SATBA, which operates under his ministry, was overseeing the construction of 7,000 MW of renewable power plants. An additional 4,500 MW are being developed by the Iranian private sector, with both batches expected to come online by March 2026.

Still, renewables have a long way to go. SATBA’s latest figures show that just 1,400 MW feed into the grid, only 1.7% of Iran’s total capacity of 80,000 MW, assuming every operational power station were running flat out.

Iran is fast-tracking solar panel imports to expand its clean energy capacity as it grapples with a growing electricity shortfall.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said solar panel imports had been officially registered, and efforts to bring them in were “taking shape rapidly.” He added that his government was working to ensure “no issues would arise at Iranian customs” for incoming shipments, as has often been the case in previous years due to customs duties.

According to BarghNews, Iran has reached an agreement with China—the country’s sole buyer of crude oil —to channel part of its oil revenues held in the Asian economic powerhouse into financing solar power equipment imports, including panels and inverters. The deal, finalised during Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi’s visit to China in October, will provide loans to Iranian investors in the renewable energy sector.