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Environmental and socioeconomic challenges facing many hydrocarbon-rich nations could help them evolve from hydrocarbon-based (black) into renewables-based (green) economies. In this paper, we present a case study for application of this Black Into Green (BIG) method for Iran. We show that with international cooperation Iran could indefinitely meet its energy and freshwater needs by leveraging large-scale renewable energy harvesting systems integrated with seawater pumped storage hydropower, reverse osmosis desalination, and enhanced distribution systems. This BIG transition could be facilitated by allocating a significant portion of Iran's potential hydrocarbon-based income to acquire, develop, and deploy renewable energy technology that utilizes Iran's immense solar and wind energy potential. Our analysis shows that developing just 1% of identified sites would provide over 30 TWh of annual renewable electricity generation and storage, and 221 million m 3 /day of renewably-powered desalination capacity to meet the freshwater needs of over 85% of its population. In addition to providing renewable energy design and manufacturing technology, the international community could also work with Iran to help evolve its nuclear power program toward small modular reactors for baseload power generation. Such an arrangement would contribute to regional and global security, and greatly reduce the Middle East's carbon emissions of which Iran is the largest emitter. Results from this holistic approach could then serve as a model for the world economy to work with other resource-rich nations to reduce their environmental impact while modernizing their economies and helping them achieve the socioeconomic goals outlined in the UN's Brundtland report. • Presents strategy for a sustainable economy to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. • Case study for Iran with oil (black) exchanged for renewables (green). • Wind and solar energy with coastal pumped storage hydro and reverse osmosis. • 1% of viable sites could supply Iran with 10% of power and 45% of freshwater needs. • Distributed economic and environmental benefits meet UN sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Along with the increasing rate of using renewable energies, following the finite amount of fossil fuel resources, and the associated pollution of these non-renewable energies, photovoltaic systems have recently achieved widespread acceptance to harness solar energy in the last decades. Since photovoltaic systems have a limited lifespan and cannot be used after a while, it seems imperative to pay attention to recycling and sustainability in the supply chain network design of these systems. In this respect, this paper first reviews the photovoltaic systems literature systematically. Thereinafter, a multi-objective, mixed-integer non-linear optimization model is deployed to design a photovoltaic supply chain network addressing the system's associated costs, environmental impacts, and social values. The concerned model also considers a reverse flow in addition to the typical forward flow in the proposed supply chain for special environmental and social issues. Likewise, to optimize the presented multi-objective model, the augmented ε-constraint method is employed, being capable of warranting the Pareto optimal solutions. Eventually, the model's efficiency is illustrated by discussing a real-world case in Iran, through which prominent managerial results are acquired. • The photovoltaic systems literature is systematically reviewed. • A multi-objective, mixed-integer non-linear programming model is proposed to design a sustainable photovoltaic supply chain network. • The concerned model is able to consider a reverse flow in addition to the typical forward flow in the proposed supply chain. • To solve the proposed multi-objective model, the augmented ε-constraint method is deployed. • The efficiency of the model is illustrated by discussing a real-world case in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]