Hala Faez Abdulhadi Al-Jawaherey, Qassim Ammar Ahmood AL-Janabi, Atheer Saieb Naji Al-Azawey
Abstract
The interconnection between RE deployment and environmental sustainability is becoming a focal point for achieving sustainable development in Iraq, Iran, and Turkey. Iraq has a lot of solar energy potential and favorable wind corridors; nonetheless, the role of renewable energy in the total generation of electricity remains around 2%, due to insufficient policy support, lack of funds, and technological issues. In turn, both Iran and Turkey have developed certain policies aimed at promoting the adoption of sustainable energy and have included such tools as feed-in tariffs and the active engagement of the private sector, leading to a higher share of REs in energy production. Moreover, renewable energy can have significant positive impacts on the environment in terms of greenhouse gas reduction, enhanced air and water quality, and the formation of the circular economy with the help of biomass and waste to energy. For that matter, renewable energy deployment needs an appropriate policy, financial incentives, training, and raising public awareness. From the viewpoint of power supply stability, hybrid renewable energy systems, smart grids, and geospatial information system-assisted location choice eliminate the disadvantages of intermittency inherent to renewable energy. The conceptual transition assumes that carbon dioxide can be treated as a convertible residue, and therefore the national energy supply system may become low-carbon, decentralized, and sustainable with the aid of expanding renewable energy resources in Iraq.