Iran’s Invisible Opportunity for Energy and Security

The report posits that Iran's nuclear power program is economically unviable and creates security ambiguities that could be resolved by shifting toward energy efficiency and renewables. It suggests that international cooperation in these sectors would align with Iran's economic interests, reduce the domestic case for nuclear power, and potentially halt a regional nuclear arms race. The author highlights Iran's significant wind and solar potential and compares this transition to experiences in Argentina and Brazil.

• Iran's nuclear power program is described as economically inefficient and costly compared to alternatives. The Bushehr reactor, which provided only 1.5% of Iran's 2014 electricity, had an estimated direct cost of $11 billion (2014 $).
• The author argues that nuclear power is inherently ambiguous because the materials and technologies used for civilian power can be repurposed for military weapons, making the phase-out of nuclear power a key condition for nonproliferation.
• Iran possesses significant renewable energy potential, including world-class wind resources with over 30 GW of economic potential and solar resources comparable to Arizona.
• The report suggests that a shift toward renewables could stabilize the Middle East by reversing an incipient nuclear arms race, noting that other Gulf states like Saudi Arabia have also found little business case for nuclear power.
• Iran's high carbon intensity and role as a major emitter make its energy transition globally significant for climate protection. In 2011, it was the seventh-biggest national carbon emitter.
• The author cites Argentina and Brazil as examples of countries that transcended military nuclear ambitions and are now becoming leaders in renewable energy.

APA

Lovins, A. B. (2015). Iran’s Invisible Opportunity for Energy and Security. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_IransInvisibleOpportunity_RMIposting_30Sep2015s.doc.pdf

Chicago

Lovins, Amory B. Iran’s Invisible Opportunity for Energy and Security. RMI, 2015. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_IransInvisibleOpportunity_RMIposting_30Sep2015s.doc.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lovins |first1=Amory B. |title=Iran’s Invisible Opportunity for Energy and Security |publisher=RMI |date=29 September 2015 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_IransInvisibleOpportunity_RMIposting_30Sep2015s.doc.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lovins2015irans, author = {Lovins, Amory B.}, title = {{Iran’s Invisible Opportunity for Energy and Security}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2015}, month = sep, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_IransInvisibleOpportunity_RMIposting_30Sep2015s.doc.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }