A demand-side assessment of sustainable energy security in Iran

Abstract

Iran, as one of the top oil-exporting countries, by supplying almost all kinds of energies, is not facing serious problems with energy supply, but the demand side has some problems such as acceptability and accessibility. Therefore, the current study analyzes sustainable energy security in the energy demand subsystem of Iran using a hierarchical method during 2007–2015. Three different dimensions—accessibility, affordability, environmental acceptability, and efficiency—were selected to assess sustainable energy security in the energy demand subsystem. These dimensions are estimated for residential, which is subdivided into rural and urban areas, industrial, agriculture, and transport sectors. The results indicate that almost all indicators have improved from 2007 to 2015 and the overall sustainable energy security index for the energy demand subsystem has increased gradually over time. The sustainable energy security index for Iran’s demand subsystem has increased by about 5% from 2007 to 2015. However, the proficiency of Iran’s energy demand subsystem does not need much scope for improvement as its overall SES index is around 95% of the targeted value. The SES index for the rural areas, compared to the urban areas is lower, and exact strategies must be considered to provide affordable and clean energy in this area. It suggests that to improve the sustainable energy security index and access to affordable, clean, and sustainable energy in the future, the government in association with the private sector do more attempts to increase the efficiency of renewable energy production.