Investigating the importance of renewable energy in the successful energy transition in Iran based on SWOT analysis

As the population grows, the demand for energy worldwide is increasing. According to studies, a high percentage of energy needed in the world is provided by fossil fuels. Climate change, the extinction of important species of animals, droughts, or successive floods are problems caused by excessive consumption of fossil fuels. One of the appropriate and intelligent solutions is the transition from fossil energy to renewable energy. Iran, has a high potential for the use and development of renewable energy. In this article, based on SWOT analysis, we have tried to examine the weaknesses, strengths, opportunities, and threats of renewable energy deployment in Iran. Finally, strategies for the development of renewable energy in Iran are presented. Strategies to strengthen the activities of the public and private sectors to invest in energy production and conduct related research projects to reduce greenhouse gases, investment in technologies needed to use renewable energy, investment in renewable energy to produce energy at low prices, and strengthen the energy stock market, and investment in the localization of equipment needed to exploit renewable energy are the best strategies for the development of renewable energy.


Introduction
The energy sector plays a vital role for a country as an indicator of economic development, with fossil fuel consumption as the primary source of climate change due to emissions. After the oil crisis in 1973 and the sharp rise in oil prices, industrialized nations changed their policies to increase energy security [1]. Since then, renewable energy has played an essential role in the energy policies of these people with a significant investment in alternative energies, including wind, solar, geothermal energy, etc. There is a strong relationship between energy, economy, and environment in the world, and our country, which has led to a shift towards a green economy. According to the United Nations, a green economy is a model that reduces environmental risks, enhances human beings, and upgrades social equality. It is a type of economy in which economic growth and development for the ecological environment are based so that with the assumption that the two goals of development and environmental protection can be created in certain conditions. Green energy has been one of the critical stages in the growth of the green economy where increasing the use of renewable energy reduces greenhouse gas emissions as well as the risks of rising fossil fuel prices. Counter to fossil fuels, renewable energy sources are infinite, ensuring the steadiness of energy consumption for future generations.
Iran has a very high potential for the development of renewable energy. However, a big challenge remains in creating the necessary infrastructure and technical knowledge to expand it. Therefore, the achievement of renewable energy technologies is one of the main challenges for policymakers in the energy sector. The SWOT method is one of the best management analyzes that can be used to examine the challenges in the country for the development of renewable energy. In the SWOT method, the strengths and weaknesses and the opportunities and threats in using this type of energy are examined, and finally, the best strategy and solution will be presented.

Literature review
Numerous studies have been conducted on the technology transfer from non-renewable energy and fossil fuels to renewable energy with the potential in Iran. Ghorashi and Rahimi [2] examined the status of renewable and fossil energy and, comparing the use of each in Iran's energy mix, concluded that Iran should move towards clean energy. They recommended technology transfer through joint scientific and investment collaborations to cover the technological gap in this field. They remarked subsidies for fossil fuels as a global obstacle to developing clean energy systems where gradual elimination of these subsidies in Iran is promising. In this study, the legal requirements of the government to purchase electricity generated by renewable energy systems of private companies are presented as a primary incentive to encourage investment in the transfer and use of renewable technologies.
In 2016, Loiseau et al. [3] gave an overview of the green economics' definitions and evaluated these concepts. Depending on the different concepts, methods, and tools presented in the context of the green economy, there are different degrees of substitution and trade between economic and environmental outcomes where a more or less systematic change in human lifestyles is necessary. In this study, the concept of green economy, approaches, and related tools have tried to contribute to their definitions and relationships as a prerequisite for the operation of the green economy.
Taghavi et al. [4] also examined the role of the green economy in the development of the energy sector in Iran. They have stated that the green economy has been introduced as a necessary precondition for achieving sustainable development. It includes three economic, social, and environmental development factors that are entirely consistent with sustainable development. The results show that the most significant cause of destruction and pollution of the environment among human factors is production, conversion, and energy consumption. While not only will global energy consumption not remain stable, forecasts suggest that in the coming years, we will see an increase in consumption due to population growth, a desire for prosperity, and an expansion in the world's per capita GDP. The most critical consequence of consuming this amount of energy is an increase in the emission of carbon dioxide and other environmental pollutants.

SWOT management analysis method
Strategic planning is a systematic procedure that helps the strategic management process. Strategic planning models are innumerable, but almost all of them are based on the SWOT analysis [5].
The SWOT analysis method ( Figure 1) is a useful analytical model that systematically analyzes the identified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and ultimately identifies appropriate strategies [6].

Investigation of internal factors (strengths and weaknesses)
The strengths of the renewable energy field of Iran are as follows: • Increasing the security of energy supply in the country following the diversification of energy supply resources • Possibility of creating decentralized networks and operations in small areas and villages • Lack of production of pollutants, including water and air pollutants, and reduction of social costs of energy consumption in the country • The longevity and low depreciation of renewable resources and their natural reproduction cycles • Low costs of maintenance and operation of renewable energy • Banks' investment policies in the growth of renewable energy • Guaranteed purchase of generated electricity • Tax

Examining external factors (opportunities and threats)
The opportunities of the renewable energy field of Iran are as follows: • High energy production potentials, especially wind and solar resources due to their abundance and proper geographical location • Increased willingness to invest by the private sector following the reform of the pricing system of various energy carriers, given their real cost • Existence of guaranteed purchase of electricity generated from renewable resources generated by the private sector • Creating opportunities for energy exports to the global market • Creating job potential and increasing gross domestic production • Improvement in interactions and communications between public institutions and the private sector in the implementation of renewable energy policies • Reduction of greenhouse gases • Adaptation to the environment and increase people's health • Iran's membership of the International Renewable Energy Agency and the positive global approach to the use of renewable energy • Possibility of development and transfer of technologies and development of renewables industry in the country • Active programs to support research and academic projects in the field of renewable energy • Utilization of natural and free resources • The rising trend of fossil energy prices • Power generation during peak hours • The global movement towards energy efficiency and resource conservation plans for future generations and sustainable management and use of resources • Strict regulation of environmental pollution control in Iran The threats to the renewable energy field of Iran are as follows: • Iran has rich fossil energy resources, and the government does not pay attention to the need to develop renewable energy in the country • Postponement of renewable energy sector development projects due to lack of needed capital • Lack of foreign investors in the field of energy production from renewable sources due to sanctions • Lack of access to and use of new technologies in the world regarding renewables due to sanctions • Poor performance in terms of technology and finance with other countries in the field of exploitation and development of renewable resources • The high impact of exchange rate fluctuations on the costs of technological requirements for renewable energy • Existence of sanctions and increase of the dollar exchange rate against the Rial for the supply of raw materials • Lack of proper infrastructure for the national electricity grid to connect to renewable energy power generation systems • Economic risks and their adverse effects on investment and renewable technology transfer planning and international sanctions • The unfavorable financial situation of the country and lack of necessary budget in the renewable industry for R&D • Administrative bureaucracies in Iran to obtain licenses and tax issues • Low price of electricity from fossil fuels compared to renewable electricity • Impossibility of timely supply of materials and equipment due to economic sanctions • No allocation of low-interest and long-term incentive loans to renewable energy systems

The best strategies
The desired strategies are obtained for decision-making and analysis of the existing problem. This matrix always leads to four categories of strategy (SO), (WO), (ST), and (WT). The table below has selected the best solution for each of the four categories of strategies derived from the SWOT matrix [7,8].

Strategies and policies and to improve the situation of renewable energy utilization in the country
Suitable strategies and policies should be used to improve the situation of renewable energy in the country. Possible policies in this area are applied in a three-step approach. In the short term, policy incentives should be presented to allure investors to this area of business, remove barriers to project implementation, and move projects toward commercial exploitation. In the med-and long term, after the internal capacity has reached a reasonable and acceptable growth, the policy environment should improve competition and significantly increase the scale of activities. Classified the strategies for achieving these policies into four main groups: financial instruments, legal instruments, technology development, education, and public awareness-raising [9]. Some of these policies include: • Use incentives such as guaranteeing the purchase of generated electricity from suppliers • Use of legal instruments such as the adoption of laws related to the renewable energy development • Development of renewable energy technologies in the country by supporting research and development • Apply mechanisms to promote education and increase public awareness of renewable energy • Encourage the private sector to participate in renewable energy investments.

Conclusions
One of the most critical challenges facing human societies has been energy supply. Depletion of fossil fuels, diversification of energy sources, environmental problems due to fossil energy consumption, and energy security, and the renewability of new energy sources such as solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, etc. have attracted attention of the world to develop the utilization of renewable energy. Today, the primary method to overcome the energy problems of communities and reduce environmental problems is to use renewable energy extensively. This is a path that most countries are following strongly and have made adequate progress in this way. In recent years in Iran, efforts have been made to emphasize the government's general policies on optimizing fuel consumption and reducing energy intensity. In addition, according to the law of the Fourth Development Plan, one-hundredth of the energy consumed in the country by the end of this plan had to be provided from renewable energy sources, of which only 20% has been achieved. As a result, it can be said that there was no proper performance. The main problem in developing and using renewable energy in Iran is the high investment requirement. To solve this problem, the government must support private and non-governmental investment to provide the basis for a broad partnership of the use of new energy. This will reduce the long-term cost of saving national capital, increase GDP, increase national income, create job opportunities, and protect the environment. In addition, the small number of specialists and renewable energy experts, especially in project management and the acquisition of related technologies, is one of the most important reasons for the slow growth rate and utilization of these energies. Paying attention to the training and education of specialized personnel and investing in various dimensions of this issue will be one of the basic steps to replace fossil fuel resources with clean energy resources that pollute the environment. Finally, examining the necessary infrastructure, economic policies, investment, financing, structural and managerial challenges to enter the green economy. Like developed countries, Iran can have a successful energy transition. [1] A. Taheri

Abstract
As the population grows, the demand for energy worldwide is increasing. According to studies, a high percentage of energy needed in the world is provided by fossil fuels. But fossil fuel reserves are dwindling. Also, according to studies, these fuels produce a lot of environmental pollution. Climate change, the extinction of important species of animals, droughts, or successive floods are problems caused by excessive consumption of fossil fuels. One of the appropriate and intelligent solutions is the transition from fossil energy to renewable energy. Iran, has a high potential for the use and development of renewable energy. In this article, based on SWOT analysis, we have tried to examine the weaknesses, strengths, opportunities, and threats of renewable energy deployment in Iran. Finally, strategies for the development of renewable energy in Iran are presented. Strategies to strengthen the activities of the private and public sectors to invest in energy production and conduct related research projects to reduce greenhouse gases, investment in technologies needed to use renewable energy, investment in renewable energy to produce energy at low prices, and strengthen the energy stock market, and investment in the localization of equipment needed to exploit renewable energy are the best strategies for the development of renewable energy.