Technical Potential of Using Solar Photovoltaic Systems for Public Transportation Sector of Tehran

This paper explores the technical feasibility of deploying large scale solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to provide electrical energy for Tehran's rapidly growing transportation sector. Specifically Tehran's partially completed construction of an underground rail transit system (Metro) was analyzed. A comparative analysis between the existing fossil-fuel-based power infrastructure and a newly proposed renewable energy infrastructure based on PV is presented. Technical, environmental, and economic issues are considered for both the existing system and planned improvements. The results for this citywide case study for Tehran are presented as a model for other major Iranian cities that are currently expanding their transportation infrastructure systems. This preliminary investigation shows that by offsetting the energy of the Tehran Metro with a 60 MW solar photovoltaic array, it is possible to save 20 GWh/year of electricity and eliminate 60 million kg of CO2 per year from enteringthe atmosphere along with pollution associated with the fossil fuel combustion currently used to power the Metro.

Keywords:

Photovoltaic , Transportation Energy , Renewable Energy , Tehran , Solar Energy