Iraq’s first solar-powered village begins operating

Iraq’s first fully off-grid solar-powered community, developed by the Rwanga Foundation, was inaugurated earlier this week. The village features almost 200 solar panels that will power homes, a mosque, a school and a community hall.

The Rwanga Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in the Iraqi city of Erbil, has inaugurated the country's first fully solar-powered village.

The Kulak solar village, located in the Harir district in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, will offer inhabitants round-the-clock electricity. Local press has reported the solar village features 195 solar panels that will provide power to 36 homes, a mosque, a school and a community hall.

According to a statement from the Rwanga Foundation, solar-driven irrigation might also be possible and there are plans to provide hands-on training programs in regenerative agriculture.

The foundation adds that the initiative arrives as the region faces escalating environmental challenges, including extreme heatwaves, water scarcity and rapid desertification. According to a United Nations ranking, Iraq is the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change in the world.

There are plans to replicate the Kulak model across rural areas in Kurdistan and central Iraq before the end of the decade, with the foundation planning to work in partnership with regional authorities and international organizations.

“Our vision is to see this model grow across Iraq – one village at a time – until sustainability becomes the standard, not the exception,” said Idris Nechirvan Barzani, founder and president of the Rwanga Foundation.

Figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) state Iraq's cumulative solar capacity stood at 42 MW at the end of last year.