When people talk about electricity, many think of huge dams, wind turbines, or solar panels. But the reality, especially in countries like Iran, is quite different: diesel fuel – heavy, dark, and cheap – plays a crucial role in both household lighting and industrial power generation. But how does this relationship work in practice? And why has the use of diesel fuel for electricity generation become such a serious environmental problem?
This article provides a clear and easy-to-understand answer to the question: “What is the relationship between fuel and electricity?” and analyzes the consequences of this unhealthy relationship.
Table of contents
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Combustion-based power generation: The role of petroleum fuels in the power generation cycle
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Why are power plants switching to diesel fuel? (Economic reasons)
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Hidden costs: Environmental and health disasters
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Possible solutions: How can this cycle be broken?
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Summary: Electricity reaching cities
1. Combustion-based power generation: The role of petroleum fuels in the power generation cycle
To understand the relationship between heating oil and electricity, it is important to first understand the process of electricity generation in thermal power plants. The basic operating principle of these power plants is simple: ****
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A large amount of heat is released during combustion.
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At this temperature, water is heated and forms steam under extremely high pressure.
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The steam is directed towards the huge turbine blades, setting them into rotation.
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Finally, the generator connected to the turbine rotates and generates electricity.
Heating oil plays a crucial role in the first phase of this cycle. This heavy fuel, a byproduct of crude oil refining, is burned in power plant boilers to generate the heat needed to convert water into steam.
Due to its high concentration and extremely high viscosity, heating oil must be preheated in a special tank before being fed into the boiler. This dilution makes pumping and injection easier. The heating oil then breaks down into small particles in the combustion chamber and burns, releasing an enormous amount of heat.
In short, heating oil is indispensable for many thermal power plants. In countries where affordable natural gas and clean fuels are unavailable, or where natural gas is scarce in winter (for example, in Iran), heating oil is developing into a key element of the energy sector as an economical and readily available alternative.
2. Why are power plants switching to diesel fuel? (Economic reasons)
If diesel fuel poses such a serious problem, why is it still being used? The answer can be summed up in one word: economy.
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Extremely low price: Heating oil, a byproduct of petroleum refining, is currently the cheapest fossil fuel. Since it undergoes virtually no refining, its production costs are low. For large power plants that consume thousands of tons of fuel daily, these price differences can lead to significant savings in operating costs.
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Supply: Iran has abundant crude oil reserves, and its refineries produce large quantities of diesel fuel as a byproduct. This fuel is therefore readily available.
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Natural gas shortages during peak season: Most power plants in Iran are primarily designed to run on natural gas. However, gas consumption by households and businesses increases significantly during the winter months. In such cases, the government is forced to reduce natural gas deliveries to the power plants to maintain pressure in the pipelines. As a result, the power plants inevitably resort to diesel as an alternative fuel to continue generating electricity and prevent power outages.
In short, these three factors provide a strong economic justification for the use of diesel fuel, regardless of its actual and hidden costs.
3. Hidden costs: Environmental and health disasters
This section reveals the dark side of the relationship between fuels and electricity. Lower fuel prices have no real impact; all citizens pay a very high price in the form of health problems.
The combustion of heating oil in power plants releases large quantities of hazardous pollutants into the atmosphere. This dangerous pollution is caused by the chemical composition of the heating oil:
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High sulfur content: Heating oil can contain up to 3.5% sulfur or more. During combustion, sulfur combines with oxygen to form sulfur dioxide (SO₂). This toxic gas is the main cause of the following problems:
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Acid rain: destroys forests and increases the acidity of soils and freshwater.
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Acute respiratory illnesses: such as asthma, exacerbation of bronchitis , and bronchitis.
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Fine particulate matter (PM2.5): Large quantities of these particles are produced during the incomplete combustion of diesel fuel. PM2.5 particles are extremely small and can penetrate the lungs and bloodstream. These particles can have the following effects:
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Cardiovascular diseases ( heart disease and stroke)
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Lung cancer
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This is harmful to the nervous system. In the polluted climate zones of large cities like Tehran, Ahvaz, and Arak, nearby diesel power plants
contribute significantly to the formation of these particles.
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Toxic heavy metals: Fuels contain metals such as vanadium, nickel, and sodium . These metals are released during combustion and are highly toxic and carcinogenic to humans, animals, and the entire ecosystem.
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Nitrogen oxides (NOx): These gases also contribute to the formation of secondary particles and photochemical smog and irritate the lungs.
The connection between diesel fuel and electricity is therefore clear: We consume electricity, and power plants burn diesel fuel to generate it. This leads to air pollution and endangers our health. It is an undesirable trade-off in which the costs (social and health consequences) far outweigh the benefits (cheap electricity).
4. Possible solutions: How can this cycle be broken?
Breaking this vicious cycle requires political will, investment, and a change in mindset. Key solutions include:
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Improving the infrastructure for natural gas supply and demand management: By expanding pipeline capacity and implementing strict demand management measures during the cold season (e.g., building insulation and tiered pricing), it can be ensured that power plants receive their full natural gas quotas even on the coldest days without the need for additional diesel fuel.
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Modernizing outdated power plants: Many power plants in Iran are old and inefficient. Building new, highly efficient power plants with advanced emission reduction systems, such as sulfur dioxide absorbers and selective catalysts to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions , could significantly reduce fuel consumption and pollution.
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Development of renewable energy sources: Large investments in solar, wind, and biomass energy can reduce dependence on fossil fuels. These energy sources not only do not pollute the environment but also do not consume water (water is the main resource consumed by thermal power plants).
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Increased diesel prices and introduction of emission taxes: By abolishing implicit diesel subsidies and introducing emission taxes, the economic justification for using diesel is eliminated, forcing power plants to switch to cleaner fuels.
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Public control and transparency: The establishment of an online monitoring system for emissions from power plant chimneys and the publication of this data will increase pressure on the public and regulatory authorities to reduce fuel consumption.
5. Conclusion: Electricity reaching cities
Heating oil and electricity are like two sides of the same coin: one represents light, the other darkness and disease. Their relationship is a prime example of market failure, where the price of a good (heating oil energy) does not reflect its true costs (pollution and disease).
Every winter, while we rejoice in the uninterrupted electricity supply to our homes, we must ask ourselves whether this stability is guaranteed by oil-fired power plants in the suburbs. Recognizing this connection is the first step toward demanding and implementing change. As citizens, we have the right to clean air and the responsibility to steer energy systems toward a future where electricity generation doesn’t come at the expense of our health. The future of energy lies in renewables and clean technologies; we must not fall into this vicious cycle or this outdated model.