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Geothermal energy resources and development in Iran

Author

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  • Noorollahi, Younes
  • Yousefi, Hossein
  • Itoi, Ryuichi
  • Ehara, Sachio

Abstract

Interest in geothermal energy originated in Iran when James R. McNitt, a United Nations geothermal expert, visited the country in December 1974. In 1975, a contract among the Ministry of Energy, ENEL (Entes Nazionale per L'Energia Elettrica) of Italy and TB (Tehran Berkeley) of Iran was signed for geothermal exploration in the north-western part of Iran. In 1983, the result of investigations defined Sabalan, Damavand, Khoy-Maku and Sahand regions as four prospected geothermal sites in north-western Iran. From 1996 to 1999, a countrywide geothermal energy resource exploration project was carried out by Renewable Energy Organization of Iran (SUNA) and 10 more potential areas were indicated additionally. Geothermal potential site selection using Geographic Information System (GIS) was carried out in Kyushu University in 2007. The results indicated 8.8% of Iran as prospected geothermal areas in 18 fields. Sabalan as a first priority of geothermal potential regions was selected for detailed explorations. Since 1995, surface exploration and feasibility studies have been carried out and five promising areas were defined. Among those prospective areas, Northwest Sabalan geothermal filed was defined for detailed exploration to justify exploration drilling and to estimate the reservoir characteristics and capacity. From 2002 to 2004, three deep exploration wells were drilled for evaluation of subsurface geological conditions, geothermal reservoir assessment and response simulation. Two of the wells were successful and a maximum temperature of 240 °C at a depth of 3197 m was recorded. As a result of the reservoir simulation, a 55-MW power plant is projected to be installed in the Sabalan field as a first in geothermal power generation. To supply the required steam for the geothermal power plant (GPP) 17 deep production and reinjection wells are planned to be drilled this year.

Suggested Citation

  • Noorollahi, Younes & Yousefi, Hossein & Itoi, Ryuichi & Ehara, Sachio, 2009. "Geothermal energy resources and development in Iran," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(5), pages 1127-1132, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:13:y:2009:i:5:p:1127-1132
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    Cited by:

    1. Hafeznia, Hamed & Pourfayaz, Fathollah & Maleki, Akbar, 2017. "An assessment of Iran's natural gas potential for transition toward low-carbon economy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 71-81.
    2. Sadeghi, Behnam & Khalajmasoumi, Masoumeh, 2015. "A futuristic review for evaluation of geothermal potentials using fuzzy logic and binary index overlay in GIS environment," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 818-831.
    3. Ghorbani, Afshin & Rahimpour, Hamid Reza & Ghasemi, Younes & Zoughi, Somayeh & Rahimpour, Mohammad Reza, 2014. "A Review of Carbon Capture and Sequestration in Iran: Microalgal Biofixation Potential in Iran," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 73-100.
    4. Calvert, K. & Pearce, J.M. & Mabee, W.E., 2013. "Toward renewable energy geo-information infrastructures: Applications of GIScience and remote sensing that build institutional capacity," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 18(C), pages 416-429.
    5. Kazemiani-Najafabadi, Parisa & Amiri Rad, Ehsan, 2020. "Optimization of an improved power cycle for geothermal applications in Iran," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    6. Hosseini, Seyed Ehsan & Andwari, Amin Mahmoudzadeh & Wahid, Mazlan Abdul & Bagheri, Ghobad, 2013. "A review on green energy potentials in Iran," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 533-545.
    7. Khojasteh, Danial & Khojasteh, Davood & Kamali, Reza & Beyene, Asfaw & Iglesias, Gregorio, 2018. "Assessment of renewable energy resources in Iran; with a focus on wave and tidal energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 2992-3005.
    8. Atefeh Abbaspour & Hossein Yousefi & Alireza Aslani & Younes Noorollahi, 2022. "Economic and Environmental Analysis of Incorporating Geothermal District Heating System Combined with Radiant Floor Heating for Building Heat Supply in Sarein, Iran Using Building Information Modeling," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-24, November.
    9. Morteza Aien & Omid Mahdavi, 2020. "On the Way of Policy Making to Reduce the Reliance of Fossil Fuels: Case Study of Iran," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-28, December.
    10. Mollahosseini, Arash & Hosseini, Seyed Amid & Jabbari, Mostafa & Figoli, Alberto & Rahimpour, Ahmad, 2017. "Renewable energy management and market in Iran: A holistic review on current state and future demands," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 774-788.
    11. Cherati, Davood Yazdani & Ghasemi-Fare, Omid, 2021. "Practical approaches for implementation of energy piles in Iran based on the lessons learned from the developed countries experiences," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    12. Bakhoda, Hossein & Almassi, Morteza & Moharamnejad, Naser & Moghaddasi, Reza & Azkia, Mostafa, 2012. "Energy production trend in Iran and its effect on sustainable development," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 1335-1339.
    13. Mazandarani, A. & Mahlia, T.M.I. & Chong, W.T. & Moghavvemi, M., 2011. "Fuel consumption and emission prediction by Iranian power plants until 2025," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(3), pages 1575-1592, April.
    14. Alizadeh, Reza & Soltanisehat, Leili & Lund, Peter D. & Zamanisabzi, Hamed, 2020. "Improving renewable energy policy planning and decision-making through a hybrid MCDM method," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    15. Noorollahi, Younes & Pourarshad, Meysam & Veisi, Alireza, 2021. "The synergy of renewable energies for sustainable energy systems development in oil-rich nations; case of Iran," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 561-568.

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