On the Way of Policy Making to Reduce the Reliance of Fossil Fuels: Case Study of Iran

Abstract

Nowadays, fossil fuels are well known as a predominant source of energy in the planet. Located in the Middle East region, Iran holds one of the largest fossil fuel reservoirs in the world. The country has abundant oil and natural gas fields in various regions; some of them are shared between other countries and have not reached their operational capacity yet. Meanwhile, during recent years and due to global warming followed by environmental global contracts such as Kyoto protocol, using fossil fuels is being criticized to a large extent around the world. Therefore, the global interest has been focused toward clean energy resources. Furthermore, endowed with sundry geographical pattern throughout its land, Iran has adequate renewable energy potentials. So, there will be a serious paradox affecting its whole energy policy: more exploration and extraction of conventional fossil fuels or take advantage of renewable and sustainable energy resources? In this paper, energy structure of Iran is generally overviewed, followed by study of renewable energy potentials in various parts of the country. Afterwards, policy making in renewable energy market, systems, and applicable strategies are elaborated. Furthermore, a number of barriers obstructing the development path of renewable energy schemes and initiatives are presented and discussed in detail.

Exploring Wind Energy Potential as a Driver of Sustainable Development in the Southern Coasts of Iran: The Importance of Wind Speed Statistical Distribution Model

“…According to the Ministry of Energy reports, Iran planned to reach a 4500 MW goal in wind energy capacity in 2023 [13]. Although wind energy shares 43% of Iran's electricity production based on renewable energies (greatest among all other types) [14], as shown in Figure 1, there is a lack of installed wind capacity in Iran's energy resources especially in southern coastal regions regarding their area and population. [15] and updated by authors based on [16]).…”

Investigating Carbon Emissions from Electricity Generation and GDP Nexus Using Maximum Entropy Bootstrap: Evidence from Oil-Producing Countries in the Middle East

“…According to the World Bank statistics presented in Table 4, the electricity generation relied 93.9% on oil, natural gas, and coal resources in 2015 (last available statistics). In addition, sanctions against the energy sector do not allow the country to upgrade its infrastructure, which in turn cause inefficiency, a waste of energy, and environmental issues [48].…”

Techno-Economic Assessment for Installation of INVELOX Wind Turbines in Northern Iran

“…𝑬 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝟖𝟕𝟔𝟎 * 𝑷 𝒓 𝑪 𝒇 (39) where 𝑷 𝒓 and 𝑪 𝒇 are the rated power and capacity factor of the wind turbine, respectively. Therefore, the cost of electrical power generated by the wind turbine in terms of money/kWh is calculated as: (41) where EUAB (Equivalent Uniform Annual Benefit) is calculated by: 𝑬𝑼𝑨𝑩 𝑪 𝒊 𝟏 𝒎 𝟏 𝑰 𝒏 𝟏 𝑰 𝟏 𝑰 𝒏 𝟏 𝑰 𝒏 𝟏 𝑰 𝟏 𝑰 𝒏 (42) The power purchase tariff regulated by Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Organization for wind farms with a capacity above 50 MW is 3,400 Iranian Rials per kWh [10]. Based on the current inflation rates, the PBP of this project was estimated to be less than 10 years.…”