The German founder and president of Energy Watch Group, an international network of scientists and parliamentarians, said renewable energies will create a bright future for Iran.
Hans-Josef Fell, who was speaking at the 11th International Energy Conference in Tehran, voiced his support for Iran’s plan to desalinate seawater using solar power, Shana reported.
EWG, which was founded in 2006 by Hans-Josef Fell, a former German parliamentarian, and other parliamentarians from other countries, conducts research and publishes studies on global energy developments concerning both fossil fuels and renewables.
“The overall costs of water desalinated by solar energy will be cheaper than using gas,” Fell said, adding that electricity derived from solar energy can replace current sources of energy in the future.
Referring to high mountains in Iran posing a challenge for delivering desalinated water to remote areas, the official said he advocates Iran’s plan to use solar power to desalinate seawater.
The Middle East nation has a diverse climate of vast windy lands and more than 300 sunny days throughout the year, which makes it ideal for producing electricity from wind and solar energies, but its total output from renewables does not exceed a few hundred megawatts.
“In 2000, Germany pledged to double the share of renewable energy in its produced energy basket, 70% of which have so far materialized. Renewables are much cheaper now and competing with fossil energies, such as nuclear, oil, gas and coal,” he said.
According to the German official, two nuclear power plants in the country have reduced their output due to the high production costs, this is while renewable energies have made significant progress over the past years.
Fell stressed that plans have been devised to consume renewables for heat, transportation and in industries, adding that with more investments, the realization of a 100% renewable consumption would be possible for some countries.
Noting that investment in the oil industry has declined considerably because of the slump in oil prices, Fell said there is “no prospects” for fossil fuels in future and countries should move toward developing renewables.
According to Bloomberg, oil prices dropped to a 12-year low in February, but since then it grew 85%, standing at around $50 per barrel now, on signs the worldwide surplus is easing amid declining production from the US to Nigeria.
