By John Lee.
Rwanga Foundation has unveiled plans for the Kulak Solar Village, Iraq's first fully off-grid, solar-powered community. Located southeast of Erbil, the pilot village will include 32 homes and house nearly 200 residents, serving as a model for rural climate resilience and energy self-sufficiency in one of the world's most climate-vulnerable regions.
Entirely powered by solar energy, the community will feature 24/7 electricity, solar irrigation systems, and training in regenerative agriculture. The project responds to intensifying environmental pressures in Iraqi Kurdistan, including desertification and extreme temperatures exceeding 50°C.
Idris Nechirvan Barzani, Founder and President of the Foundation, described the initiative as "a bold vision for a different future," turning Iraq's environmental vulnerability into a platform for sustainable innovation.
The village forms part of the Foundation's wider Green Kurdistan campaign, which has planted over 200,000 trees since 2020, and its Empowering Sustainable Livelihoods programme that supports cooperative farming and training.
Rwanga aims to have the Kulak Solar Village fully operational by the end of 2025, with plans to replicate the model across Kurdistan and central Iraq by 2030 in collaboration with regional authorities and international partners.
(Source: Rwanga Foundation)
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