Jahangir, Mohammad Hossein ， Behrad, Alireza ， Goodarzi, Kamyar
2026-05-01 ENERGY STRATEGY REVIEWS 2026 65(卷), null(期), (null页)
Access to reliable electricity remains limited in many remote regions of Iran, particularly in mountainous and arid areas, where grid expansion is costly. Although previous studies have evaluated renewable systems for specific areas, the combined effects of climate variability and the distance to grid extension on electrification planning have not been systematically measured. This study provides a techno-economic comparison of grid extension and hybrid renewable systems (PV-wind-diesel-battery) for typical rural settlements in Delfan, Taleghan, and Zahedan. Using HOMER software, system configurations are optimized with consistent demand and cost assumptions. Results show that grid extension remains financially favorable up to approximately 70 km at typical infrastructure costs (approximate to 10,000 USD/km), whereas hybrid renewable systems become competitive beyond this range. Decentralized setups reduce CO2 emissions by 25-40% compared to primarily grid-based systems. The findings offer quantitative, distance-based guidelines and climate-aware insights to support rural electrification planning across Iran's diverse regions.