A set of grid codes should be programmed to increase Iran’s power capacity by adding the electricity output from wind turbines to the national power grid, said a professor of power systems at the Imperial College London.
“Wind turbines can be connected to [Iran’s] power network as a reliable source of energy production,” Bikash Pal said on the sidelines of the 3rd Iran Wind Energy Conference held on June 16 in Tehran, Tasnim news agency reported.
Power supply by wind plants improves the reliability and monitoring of electricity networks, according to Pal. He added that Iran’s Energy Ministry has plans to generate a “significant amount” of electricity from renewables.
A grid code specifies technical requirements for safe, secure and economic connection of power generation facilities, such as wind turbines and solar plants, to a public electric network.
Pal is part of a team working to establish a 900-megawatt wind plant in the North Sea region. Once completed, the project will allow for electricity exchange between Britain and Norway.
Iran’s electricity industry ranks 14th in the world and first in the Middle East in terms of electricity generation with an installed capacity of nearly 73,000 MW.
The country is the largest exporter and importer of electricity in the Middle East and exports electric power to Armenia, Pakistan, Turkey, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Azerbaijan and Armenia supply electricity to Iran under a swap agreement.
According to the International Energy Association, wind may produce 20 percent of European electricity by 2040. The global wind energy market was worth $130 billion in 2013 and more than $165 billion in 2014. In addition, installed capacity from wind power worldwide amounted to nearly 370,000 MW by the end of 2014.
