Investigating the Role of Renewable Energies in Physical Development of Rural Areas (Case Study: Villages of Ardestan Township)

Renewable energies are one of the most important sources of clean energy without harmful effects on the environment, which can be optimally used in remote areas, especially in rural areas. In this research, the potential of renewable energies including wind and solar energy for rural development in Ardestan township was investigated. For this purpose, daily statistics of solar radiation intensity and sky cloudiness and wind speed and direction statistics with a 3-hour time period of Ardestan station were used. The Weibull distribution probability function was used to estimate the radiation of Angstrom's equation and to predict and estimate the power of wind turbines. The results showed that Ardestan has a high talent for using solar energy due to the lower cloudiness coefficient. In about 90% of the year in Ardestan, wind blows with a speed between 8.8-3.6 m/s from the south and southwest. So, by applying the density coefficient in relation to temperature and height, the practical power of the turbine at a height of 50 meters reaches 528 kw/h, which has a high power for generating electricity. Due to the fact that it is not possible for the villagers to use wind turbines on a large scale, the use of solar water heaters for rural households and the use of wind power towers under the management of the township's electricity distribution company are suggested.