Jordan to power 6,000 mosques with solar energy

Jordan will start powering 6,000 mosques with solar energy if a new government initiative is approved.

Rooftop systems will be installed on 120 mosques in 2015 using government funding and private investment with tenders floated to install systems at other mosques around the country

Ahmad Abu Saa of Jordan's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, said: "Mosques use large amounts of electricity and the project will help to significantly reduce their electricity bills as around 300 days in the year are sunny. Based on the funds that we secure, we will go ahead with the project. The more finance we get the faster the project will be implemented."

Jordan's government invests over JD50 million (£46m) on mosques annually which includes utility bills, renovation, staff salaries, and building new mosques.

According to reported, solar is a popular option for tackling energy bills of mosques, which can total over £900 a month.

Worshippers at the Abu Ghaweileh Mosque in the capital Amman have already donated around JD16,000 (£14,600) to install a solar system that now sells power to the grid.

Jordan imports about 96 per cent of its energy and has seen electricity rates increase as consumption rises.

With prices expected to spiral and oil and gas markets being impacted by political upheaval, Jordan has embarked on a series of clean energy projects and is expected to connect around 1.7GW of renewable power capacity to the grid by the end of the decade.