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Renewable Energy Resources in Iran   

Prof. Hassan Zohoor 

Fellow, The Academy of Sciences of IR Iran; Member, Center of Excellence in Design, Robotics and Automation, Sharif University

of Technology, Iran; Member, American Society of Mechanical Engineers

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Abstract  

In this paper, renewable energy resources are classified into two groups. The first includes the resources whose use does not result in their eradication. The second comprises the resources whose maximum use equals their reformation in nature. Concerning the second group, if the pace of wastage exceeds the speed of the replacement, the relevant energy resource will be considered exhaustible.

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The renewable energy resources of the first group include 1) sun radiation energy, the main energy resource which results in water flows, wind, waves, environment temperature and radiation, 2) the energy of the earth temperature that results in geothermal energy, and 3) kinetic and potential energy of planets that cause tides in the seas and oceans.

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The renewable energy of the second group is the accumulated solar energy that results in biomass energy, which is obtained from the woods, animal wastes and other similar things. 

In IR Iran, all the resources are present, and the country is rich in some of them. A number of these renewable energy resources in Iran can potentially provide a significant part of the energy of the country.  

This paper will study the capacity of water flows, wind, solar, ocean, geothermal energy, and biomass energy in IR Iran; and in some cases, statistics and figures will be presented. Ultimately, some figures pertaining to the use of renewable energy resources in Iran will be provided.

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World Total Primary Energy Consumption in 2002

The consumption of commercial primary energy of the world in 2002 shows 2.6% increase with respect to the preceding year and equals to 9405 MTOE (Mega Ton crude Oil Equivalent). Iran with the consumption of 116.2 MTOE has allocated to itself the most energy consumption rank in the Middle East. Some energy figures are shown in Table 1.

 

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Table 1. The Percentages of Commercial Primary Energy Consumption with Respect to Resources  

Description Oil Natural Gas

Coal Nuclear Hydro Electricity

World total

37.5 24.3 25.5 6.5 6.3

Mid. East51.5 45.9 2.1 0.0 0.5

Iran 45.8 52.6 0.69 0.0 0.95

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World Total Primary Energy Consumption in 2025

It is expected that the world energy consumption rises to 640 Q Btu (Quadrillion Btu) (15085 MTOE) in 2025 as compared with 404' Q Btu (9522 MTOE) in 2001. This shows 58% increase in that period. The consumption of hydro plants and other renewable energies will soar to 50 Q Btu (1179 MTOE) in 2025 with 56% increase as compared with 32 Q Btu (754 MTOE) in 2001. Most increase of this energy will be in hydro plant energy.

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Table 2. Hydro Electricity Consumption of the World, Mid. East, & Iran in 2002  

Description TWh (Tera Watt Hour)

Changes with respect to the preceding year (%)

Whole Share (%)

World 2616.9 1.3 100

Mid. East 8.4 27 0.3

Iran 4.8 38.5 0.2 

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World Operational Capacity of Windmill in 2002 = 32037.4 MW

World Solar Energy in 2002 = 1330 MW

World Present Operational Capacity of Photovoltaic Plants in 2002 = 1327.7 MW

World Geothermal Energy in 2002 = 9500 MW th

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Table 3. Major Economic Energy Indicators  

Description Population (Million)

National Gross Production (Billion USD with the fix

price in 1995)

Ratio of the whole supplied primary energy to GDP (TOE to Thousand

USD with the fix price in 1995)

World 6102.6 34399.8 0.29

Mid. East 168.9 588.2 0.66

Iran 64.5 110.6 1.08

 

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Table 4. Per Capita Supply of Energy, Oil and Electricity in 2002

Description

Per capita energy supply (per capita TOE)

Per capita oil supply (per capita TOE )

Per capita electricity supply (per capita

KWh)

World 1.64 0.57 2326

Mid. East

2.31 1.2 2642

Iran 1.86 0.92 1689

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Description Coal Crude Oil

OilProduct

s

Natural Gas

Nuclear

Electricity

Hydro Electri

city

Geothermal energy,

Solar Energy& etc.

Other Renewable

Resources &Combustible

Wastes

Electricity

Heat Total

Total primaryenergy supply

2341.64

3732.38

-89.4

3

2122.02

691.90

221.50

50.60 1093.50 0.66 0.27

101165.03

Total energyconsum

ption

514.85

10.55

2997.57

1137.07

— — 6.48 993.45 1092.13

242.51

6994.61

Non-energy consum

ption

10.61

— 187.85

— — — — — — — 198.46

Table 5. The World Energy Balance of 2001

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Table 6. Energy Balance of the Country in 2002

Description

Crude Oil & Oil products

Natural Gas

Non-comme

rcial Fuels

Hydro Electricity

Total Electricit

y Total Energy

Internal Production

1206.7 478.8 5.5 2.0 12.6 0.05 — 1705.6

Import29.1 33.3 3.2 — — — 0.6 66.1

Export

-864.2 -8.0 -0.1 — — — -0.5 -872.8

International Ship Fuel

-0.1 — — — — — — -0.1

Total Energy in

Internal Access

478.0 504.0 8.3 2.0 12.6 0.05 0.1 1005.0

Oil Refinery Waste

-7.9 — — — — — — -7.9

Consumption Fuel -56.7 -173.9 — — -12.6 -0.05 — -243.2

CoalRenewable Energies

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Oil Refinery Waste -7.9 — — — — — — -7.9

Consumption Fuel

-56.7 -173.9 — — -12.6 -0.05 — -243.2

Electricity Production

— — — — 4.9 0.02 84.4 84.4

Waste of Transmission

and Distribution

-4.9 -9.4 — — — — -14.3 -28.5

Consumption of

Energy Section

-7.4 -37.2 — — — — -5.0 -49.6

Access Net Energy

401.1 283.6 8.3 2.0 — — 65.2 760.2

Consumption401.1 283.6 8.3 2.0 — — 65.2 760.2

Housing andCommercial

98.9 173.8 0.1 2.0 — — 32.7 307.6

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Industry 54.8 89.0 — — — — 22.2 166.0

Transportation208.8 0.03 — — — — 0.01 208.9

Agriculture 22.0 — — — — — 7.5 29.5

Other Consumptions

— — — — — — 2.8 2.8

Non-energy Consumption

16.6 20.7 8.2 — — — — 45.4

Statistical errors also consist of difference in measurement system in crude oil.

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Table 7. The Share of Energy Resources and Their Annual Growth in Iran in 2002

Report Energy Resources Share

Annual Growth

Crude Oil 70.749 -7.45

Natural Gas 28.072 16.77

Coal 0.322 -1.10

Non-commercial Fuels (Forest and Mellows)

0.117 -23.77

Water Energy 0.739 59.26

Other Renewable Energies 0.003 -5.82

Total Production 100.00 -1.41

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Renewable Energy Resources in Iran

 

1. Water Flow Energy

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Table 8.. Estimation of Total Theoretical Potential and the Number of Hydro Electricity Power Plants of the Country in 2002

Power Plants Number Theoretical Potential

(MW)

Big 41 18449.6

Medium 186 3937.0

Small, Mini and Micro

1217 17116.4

Total 1444 39503

 

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Table 9. Estimation of the Capacity of Big and Small Hydro Electricity Projects in the Country and Their Situation in 2002

 Projects

Large & Medium Hydro Electricity

Small, Mini & Micro Hydro Electricity

No. of Power Plants

Power (MW)

No. of Power Plants

Power (MW)

In operation 16 3027.1 8 9.694

In the process of implementation

9 6979.5 12 15.225

Ready for implementation & in the process of study

19 7018 185 566.3

In the process of recognition

83 5640 945 1426.992

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Table 10. Number of Small, Mini and Micro Hydro Power Plants and Their Potential in the Process of Recognition

Power Plants Number Power (MW)

Small (1000-2000 KW) 452 1189.401

Mini (100-1000 KW) 429 234.825

Micro (up to 100 KW) 64 2.766

Total 945 1426.992

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2. Wind Energy

In 2002, 31 wind turbines with the capacity of 31.6 million KWh per year were utilized in three regions of the country. Also, one wind power plant of 600 KW with the capacity of 142 MWh in a year began its operation. A 10 KW-wind power plant, which in the case of full operation will produce 20 MWh electricity per year, has recently come to operation.

 

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3. Solar Energy

The average amount of solar energy, which reaches the earth atmosphere, is about 1.367 KW/m2, but the amount of solar energy, which reaches the earth itself, is much lower and the amount of useable energy is even lower. Each year, 5.481024 J energy reaches the earth from the sun. Thus, in one hour, the amount of energy which reaches the earth from the sun is more than the total energy consumption of the world in 2004.

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The annual average amount of solar energy on a horizontal page in Iran is estimated to be about 18 MJ/m2 per day. According to our country area, which is 1.648 × 1012 square meters, the amount of receipt energy from sun is about 1016 MJ per year.

 

The amount of receipt of solar energy of 5 hours is almost equal to the total energy consumption of the country in 2004. We can now annually provide the energy of the whole country by collecting the solar energy which is received on an area of less than twice of the size of Great Tehran, if we install the system at a suitable region in the country.

 

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In connection with solar power plant in the country, a 250 KW solar power plant project (linear type) is going to be carried out.

 

One of the easiest ways to convert light rays into electricity is using photovoltaic modules. In Iran, two photovoltaic systems of 30 and 5 KW and one 45 KW with the capacity of 46.8 MWh per year have been utilized, and the other 10 KW is going to be exploited too.

Now, 1033 families utilize solar baths.

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4. Geothermal Energy

Hydrothermal, Geopressured, Hot Dry Rock, and Magma

The studies to install a 100 MW geothermal power plant in one region of the country started in 1995. Executive activities and complementary discovery stages including geophysical, geochemical and geological studies started in 1998 and finished in 1999. Owing to the technological competence of Iranian experts, the project will hopefully to be operated in 2005. The mentioned geothermal power plant will produce 788.4 Million KWh energy per year.

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5. Ocean Energy

Wave Energy, Ocean Thermal Energy, and Tidal Energy

The thermal energy of the ocean is the biggest source of energy in oceans. This energy is almost ten times bigger than the global consumption of the world energy presently.

 

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6. Biomass Energy

Burning Wood (Direct Consumption), Ethanol, Methanol, Biogas, Pyrolysis, and Carbonization

In Iran, 382.7 thousand m3 log and 27.3 thousand m3 charcoal were produced in 2002. The amount of useful urban energy of our country is estimated 89.7 PJ (Peta Joule) and the annual average of gas excavation from the waste materials is about 7 m3 from each ton.

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Annually a total average of 16146.35 million m3 biogas (9175 million m3 methane equivalent to 3.367×1017 J energy) may be potentially obtained from animal wastages, agricultural and wood wastages, urban and rural drainages, industrial drainages, solid wastes, and litters. Therefore, the study and implementation of biogas is going to be accomplished.

 

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Conclusions 

In 2002, the commercial primary energy consumption of the world was 9405 MTOE. In that year, the figure of the commercial primary energy of Iran was 116.2 MTOE. Therefore, the energy consumption of Iran was 1.2% of the world. 

The major carrier of energy of Iran in 2002 in the internal production, was crude oil and its products amounting to 71% and the rest consisted of natural gas 28%, coal 0.32%, and non-commercial fuels, hydro electricity, and other renewable energies respectively 0.12%, 0.74%, and 0.003% .

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Totally, the share of these last three items, namely the renewable energies, was 0.86%; whereas the share of the world of these energies was 1.35% (almost one & half times of Iran).

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Regarding the consumption of energy at homes and in industries, the natural gas was the first priority, with 56.52% share, the crude oil was the second with 32.16% share, electricity was the third with 10.63% share, and non-commercial fuels stood at the fourth priority with 0.65% share, and other renewable energies had almost no share. In this respect, coal stood at the fifth priority with only 0.03% share.

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Thank you