Abstract
One of the main objectives of human society in the present century is to achieve clean and sustainable energy through utilization of renewable energy sources (RESs). In this paper, the main purpose is to identify the locations that are suitable for solar energy in the Kurdistan province of Iran. Initially, solar-related data are collected, and suitable criterion and assessment methods are chosen according to the available data. Then, the theoretical potential of solar energy is assessed and the solar radiation map is prepared. Moreover, the technical potential of various solar technologies is evaluated in that study area. These technologies include concentrating solar power (CSP) and photovoltaic (PV) in power plant applications, and rooftop PV panels and solar water heaters in general applications. The results show that the Kurdistan province has the potential capacity for 691 MW of solar photovoltaic power plants and 645 MW of CSP plants. In the case of using solar water heaters, 283 million cubic meters of natural gas and 1.2 million liters of gasoline could be saved in fuel consumption. The savings in the application of domestic PV will be 10.2 MW in power generation.
Highlights
Human society has experienced great development in recent years, but this growing development has been associated with high energy consumption, which has been mainly met by fossil fuels [1]
As can be seen in the table, the results indicated that the Kurdistan province has capability to produce 691 MW of power from PV panels, and 645 MW from concentrating solar power (CSP) plant, which are more than total power demand of the province
Solar resource-related data were collected in Kurdistan province and an appropriate assessment method was selected based on available data
Summary
Human society has experienced great development in recent years, but this growing development has been associated with high energy consumption, which has been mainly met by fossil fuels [1]. Perhaps, complete data and research among different countries are related to the US, which have been published in the form of various reports In this regard, reference books and guidelines published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which is related to the generation and measurement of solar radiation data [23], and its potential survey [24] that can be used in the rest of the world. Iran is in a situation that includes different climate and has the potential to exploit various renewable sources Considering these resources for energy production could provide technical, economic, environmental and social advantages for the country [27]. More attention should be paid to RESs and more research is needed to develop the use of such resources
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