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Renewable Energy

in Islamic Republic Of Iran

Renewable Energy

in Islamic Republic Of Iran

Ministry Of Energy of IR IRAN

To be presented at Renewable Energy 2006

9-13 October 2006Makuhari Messe

Chiba , Japan

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Why Renewable Energy? Why Renewable Energy?

Although Iran is a main oil producing country, due to

following reasons, RE is important:

To be in line with the world efforts to curb the world environmental problems

To improve energy accessibility for remote and isolated places in the country

To pave the way, among other things, for controlling urban air pollution

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Main Policies Main Policies

Supporting private sector for dissemination of RE applications that are approaching economical viability, such as wind, geothermal and biomass energy.

Supporting manufacturers for transferring and localization of RE technologies which are expected to become competitive in medium terms, e.g. PV systems and solar thermal power plants.

Supporting the research centers to expand their research programs for RE technologies that are becoming competitive in longer than 10 years period.

Providing sustainable and accessible energy to the poor and isolated areas. It is worth mentioning that at present more than 96% of people in rural areas of the country have access to national electrical grid.

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Policy Related ActivitiesPolicy Related Activities

Building capacity;training, supporting research centers, encouraging manufacturers to produce required RE equipments, organizing suitable institutional

framework, …

Legislation for RE development;the government is obliged to purchase electricity from private RE

power plants with the price of three times higher than the amount paid by end users.

Raising public awareness;

Pilot projects by the government; to clear the ground for the private sector to come forward.

Potential assessment studies; of RE resources with continuous upgrading of the results.

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Goals in the Fourth 5 Year Development Plan 2005-2009Goals in the Fourth 5 Year Development Plan 2005-2009

Small Hydropower 150 MW

Wind Farm 445 MW

Geothermal Power Plant 55 MW

Solar Thermal Power Plant 17.25 MW

Fuel Cell 1 MW

Photovoltaic 13 MW

Biomass Power Plant 26.5 MW

Total 707.75 MW

Solar Water Heater (1,000,000 m2) 50 MWth

Total (including Solar Water Heaters) 757.75 MW

More than 700 MW700 MW of RE Power Plants would be installed in the country, which include:

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Some of RE ProjectsSome of RE Projects

In past 10 years, RE Development in

Iran has been undertaken so many

progress, and many projects have

been defined and started, which are:

a) Implementeda) Implemented

b) Ongoingb) Ongoing

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aa)) Some of the implemented projects:

RE resources mapping for solar and wind energy, tidal and wave power, geothermal and biomass energy

Feasibility studies for solar thermal power plants, solar water heaters, solar dishes, wind turbines, wave and tidal power plants, photovoltaic systems, and so on

1-1- Study and data gathering Study and data gathering projects

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2-2- Installation of wind power plants in Iran in Iran

This project consists of installation of

46.72 MW wind turbines in two different

locations of Manjil and Binalood (also

design and manufacturing of a 600 kW

wind turbine by an Iranian company is

performed in this project).

a)a) Some of the implemented projects:

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a)a) Some of the implemented projects:

3-3- Installation of PV systemsPV systems

The purpose of this project is to create ability to design, manufacture and assemble grid connected as well as off-grid PV systems with available domestic capacities.

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a)a) Some of the implemented projects:

4-4- Installation of 77000 m2 Solar water heatersSolar water heaters

Solar water heaters are installed in urban and remote areas

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a)a) Some of the implemented projects:

5-5- Small hydropower plantsSmall hydropower plants in different locations with total capacity of around 60 MW60 MW

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Installed Capacity

Year Source

1996

(kW)

1999

(kW)

2002

(kW)

mid 2006

(kW)

Solar Photovoltaic 5 47 170 175

Water Heater - - 119 5000

Wind Energy 1100 10100 11800 47320

Small Hydropower 4940 7740 9694 58464

Total Renewable Energy

6045 17887 21783 110959

In addition, up to now, large hydro power plants with total capacity of about 6000 MW have also been installed in the country.

Up to the present time the total capacities of the installed RE systems exceeds 110 MW as stated in the following table:

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b)b) Some of the ongoing projects:

1-1- Two parabolic trough solar thermal power plantssolar thermal power plants with the total capacity of 17.25 MW

This project consists of a 250 kW parabolic trough solar thermal power plant which has been designed and is under construction and an integrated solar combined cycle with the solar share of 17 MW.

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1- Continue

Recently the first loop of the solar collectors of the 250 kW power plant has been tested successfully.

b)b) Some of the ongoing projects:

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2-2- Geothermal power plantGeothermal power plant with final capacity of 55 MW55 MW

b)b) Some of the ongoing projects:

This power plant is going to be installed near Mount Sabalan in the north-west of Iran

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3-3- 398 MW Wind farm398 MW Wind farm in five different locations

b)b) Some of the ongoing projects:

1st location: 55.68 MW Manjil Wind Farm

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b)b) Some of the ongoing projects:

2nd location: Binalood Wind Farm in the north- east of Iran:

total capacity 17 MW

These projects consist of 660 kW turbines where some parts including turbine blades are manufactured in Iran.

3- Continue

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3rd location: Jarandaq Wind Farm 100 MW

4th location: Binalood Wind Farm 100 MW

5th location: Siapush Wind Farm 125 MW

For these three sites private investors have completed their feasibility studies and are in the final stage of contract agreement.

The power purchase agreements of these projects are available and had been presented to the investors together with the available wind data.

b)b) Some of the ongoing projects:

3- Continue

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b)b) Some of the ongoing projects:

4-4- 90 MW Small hydro power plants in different regions

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a) With public investment: 10 MW (under study)

b) Private power plants:

1- City of Mashad , landfill technology 0.4 MW (PPA preparing)

2- City of Sari , plasma technology 15 MW (under way)

3- City of Shiraz , landfill technology 1.1 MW (under way)

5-5- 26.5 MW Biomass Municipal Solid WasteMunicipal Solid Waste power plants:

b)b) Some of the ongoing projects:

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6-6- PV systems for 40 isolated village householdsPV systems for 40 isolated village households

b)b) Some of the ongoing projects:

In this project 40 off-grid PV systems each with the capacity of 1.1 kW would be installed and tested in different village households in order to pave the way for installation of about 12000 of those systems in the isolated and remote areas of the country with total installed capacity of 13 MW.

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Main Achievements Main Achievements

Enabling Iranian enterprises for RE systems design and also

manufacturing of wind turbines, hydro power plant equipments,

solar water heaters, parabolic trough concentrators, PV cells,

panels and systems

Experiencing geothermal drilling in harsh climate areas

Building confidence in private sector investors for producing

electricity, especially through wind farms

Considerable up bringing of the knowledge of universities in RE

fields

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Conclusion Conclusion

Due to capital intensive nature of renewable systems its large scale application is a burden to the national economy and therefore a supportive international financing mechanism is required.

RE technologies are mostly immature and need improvement as well as breakthrough which is only possible through regional and international research cooperation and assistance.

We must work harder to prepare ground for private sector effective investment in the field of renewables which is a key factor in making RE cost-effective and competitive as well as bring about innovation, creativity and dynamism.

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