According to a new study, Iran can transition to a fully renewable electricity system and financially benefit from it by 2030.
Researchers at Lappeenranta University of
Technology (LUT) show that major oil-producing countries in the Middle
East and North Africa (MENA) region could turn their abundant renewable
energy resources into lucrative business opportunities in less than two
decades.
According to the study, a fully renewable
electricity system (100% RE) is roughly 50-60 percent cheaper than other
emission-free energy options for the MENA region.
For example, new nuclear power costs around EUR 110
per megawatt hour. Fossil-CCS option costs around EUR 120 per megawatt
hour. But the cost of the fully renewable energy electricity is around
EUR 60 - 40 per megawatt hour, based on financial and technical
assumptions of the year 2030.
The cost of wind and solar electricity would reduce
further to EUR 37 - 55 per megawatt hour if different energy resources
were connected with a super grid that allows the transmission of high
volumes of electricity across longer distances, the study finds.
For Iran, the price could go as low as EUR 40 - 45
per megawatt hour. Such low costs show that the transition of the
current fossil-based electricity system towards a fully renewable
electricity system can cover all electricity needs in the decades to
come.
“The low cost renewable electricity system is a
driver for growing standards of living, continued economic growth, in
particular also for energy intensive products, and finally more peace,”
emphasizes Professor Christian Breyer.
Transforming the electricity system fully to
renewables for Iran requires 49 gigawatts (GW) of solar photovoltaics
(PV), 77 GW of wind power and 21 GW of hydropower.
Most of the hydropower already exists, but the solar
and wind capacities would require new investments. Wind power can be
installed in many parts of the country and solar PV systems in all parts
of Iran for an attractive cost.
Both technologies can be easily added to the
existing energy infrastructure, which is mainly based on flexible fossil
natural gas fired power plants plus hydropower.
“The picture that emerges from that study is that
the fossil fuel industry can transform its business to meet the COP21
target of a net zero emission energy system. This requires fundamental
change in how we think carbon, but it could potentially open major new
business opportunities,” says Breyer.
The results were published at the 11th International
Energy Conference held in Tehran, Iran, and presented during COP22 in
Marrakech to official representatives of the MENA region.
The study was done as part of the Neo-Carbon Energy
research, which is funded by the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation,
Tekes, and is carried out in cooperation with Lappeenranta University of
Technology (LUT), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. and
University of Turku, Finland Futures Research Centre.
source: http://www.solarserver.com
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