Demand side management for electricity in Iran: cost and emission analysis using LEAP modeling framework

In recent years, escalating cost of generating electricity, substantial investments with the purpose of building power plants, and environmental pollution related to the power generation have underlined the importance of optimal power supply and demand management. Given that, by employing Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) software, the present study set out to optimize the energy system of Iran through two model capabilities, namely electric sector optimization and simulation. To do so, the energy system was initially evaluated by optimizing Iran's demand for electricity by the Demand Side Management (DSM) scenario. Then, Iran's electricity sector was optimized to generate electricity at the lowest cost by setting emission roof with different scenarios, especially the Optimized scenario. The social cost and GHG emission were evaluated in both steps. The prospective social costs of the electricity generation sector based on Optimized and DSM scenarios were calculated to be 5.1 and 4.8 Billion U.S. Dollars in 2035. Regarding the environmental results of the study, the emission rates of pollutants based on Optimized and DSM scenarios were reported to be144 and 429 $${\mathrm{MtCO}}_{2}$$ for the same year.