Iran’s Invisible Opportunity for Energy and Security

This report argues that Iran has a strategic opportunity to replace its costly and ambiguous nuclear power program with a modernized energy strategy focused on energy efficiency and renewable energy. The author contends that shifting away from nuclear power would reduce the risk of proliferation, lower the likelihood of renewed sanctions, and improve regional stability by discouraging a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.

• Iran's nuclear power program is economically inefficient and costly compared to renewable alternatives. The Bushehr reactor, which provided only 1.5% of Iran's 2014 electricity, had an estimated direct cost of $11 billion (2014 $). Furthermore, the author estimates that the wider cost of the nuclear program in lost oil revenue and foreign investment due to sanctions ranges from over $100 billion to $500 billion.
• Iran possesses world-class renewable energy potential that could realistically displace nuclear power. The country has wind resources with over 30 GW of economic potential and solar resources comparable to Arizona. Additionally, improving the Iranian grid could reduce its 15% losses, which would save the equivalent of a large nuclear power program at a fraction of the cost.

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} }