Solar power strengthens rural health services in Chabahar

Seven rural health facilities now benefit from reliable, clean energy through UNICEF-supported hybrid solar systems installed in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and relevant electricity authorities.

UNICEF, with generous funding from the Government of the Republic of Korea, has supported the installation and commissioning of seven hybrid solar power systems in rural primary health care facilities across the Chabahar region of Sistan and Baluchestan Province.

The systems, each with a capacity of 5 kW, have been installed in health houses serving more than 6,000 people in the villages of Tal Mishan, Dak Talang, Nadkan, Voshnam, Gazmanzel, Rado Bala and Faqirzehi. The facilities are located across Chabahar, Konarak, Qasr-e Qand, Dashtiari and Zarabad districts, including some of the most remote and underserved communities in south-eastern Iran.

Reliable electricity is essential for the safe delivery of health services. Power interruptions can disrupt vaccine cold storage, medicine preservation, patient registration and routine health care operations. Equipped with backup capacity, the new hybrid solar systems help health workers maintain essential services during outages and protect temperature-sensitive vaccines and medicines.

Clean energy for self-sustained health systems

The initiative also contributes to environmental sustainability by reducing reliance on fossil-fuel-based electricity. Collectively, the seven systems are expected to generate approximately 70,000 kWh of clean electricity each year and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 49 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. This environmental benefit is comparable to planting almost 2,000 trees.

Beyond improving energy security, the project is developing an innovative sustainability model that could help health facilities generate income from surplus electricity. Under the proposed mechanism, excess power produced by the solar systems could be exported to the national grid through dedicated metering systems and purchased under guaranteed power-purchase arrangements.

Revenue from the sale of surplus electricity would be directed back to the health facilities to support priority operational and maintenance needs. Current projections indicate that each health house could generate approximately 60 million Iranian tomans in additionalincome during the first year of operation, with potential increases over time.

A sustainability model for future expansion

Once finalized, the model could be scaled across Iran’s health system and adapted for other public services, including schools. By combining reliable clean energy with a potential self-financing mechanism, the model offers a practical approach to strengthening essential services in underserved communities.