Iran holds 10% of the global oil reserves and 15% of the natural gas. It is the second largest producer and exporter of oil and gas in Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The con.
Is solar energy a viable source of energy in Iran?
Particularly, Iran enjoys a high potential for solar radiation up to 5.5 kWh/m 2 /day where implementation of solar power plants is completely feasible and affordable, . Due to great access to solar energy, several studies have evaluated the potential of generating electricity from this abundant and clean source of energy.
Does Iran have a solar power plant?
Iran now is the world's 14th biggest of solar power plants. The country's total potential for producing solar and wind energy is estimated to be around 40,000 GW h and 100,000 MW h . Electricity production in Iran was about 212.8 (billion kW h) and electricity consumption was 206.7 (billion kW h) in 2012, .
Iran's potentials for solar-based electricity generation At present, Iran is producing only 0.46% of its energy from renewable energy sources. In 2016, the country's renewable-based electricity generation sector was mainly comprised of 53.88 MW wind, 13.56 MW biomass, 0.51 MW solar and 0.44 MW hydropower .
What are some important solar projects in Iran?
The Yazd integrated solar combined cycle power station is another important solar project in Iran which is a hybrid power station situated near Yazd, which became operational in 2009, , , , , , , , , , . It is the world's first combined cycle power plant using solar power and natural gas.
Zandi et al. (2017) proposed four scenarios to use solar PV systems in residential sectors of Iran. All the scenarios were studied using RETScreen software. In addition, the economic aspects and environmental impacts of the scenarios were examined.
Installation of nearly 18,000 solar water heaters was another activity in the field of household, official and commercial applications of solar energy. Moreover, about 77,000 m 2 of solar collectors were installed during Iran's third and fourth national development plan, , , , , , , , , , .