Assessing environmental vulnerability of renewable energy infrastructure to dust storm hazards in arid regions: A case study of Iran

• Dust-related hazard maps renewable energy risks in arid regions. • Central & southern Iran hold high solar, but face severe dust storm risks. • Wind potential peaks in northwest, northeast, and southeast low-dust areas. • 37% of Iran falls under high to very high renewable energy dust risk. • Framework supports risk-aware, sustainable renewable energy. Arid, semi-arid, and hyper-arid regions in the Middle East and North Africa hold significant renewable energy potential, yet frequent dust storms critically constrain solar and wind systems by reducing yield, accelerating degradation, and increasing maintenance costs. This study presents a spatial framework to assess dust storm–related risks to renewable energy infrastructure, using Iran as a case study. The study aims to identify where high renewable energy potential coincides with elevated dust-storm hazard and to support risk-informed infrastructure planning. The framework integrates key spatial criteria, including energy potential, climate, accessibility, economics, and environmental factors, alongside data from existing facilities and national development plans. Dust-related hazards are captured through parameters describing storm frequency, intensity, persistence, and mitigation effects. Energy potential and dust hazard layers were combined under dust-oriented, potential-oriented, and trade-off scenarios to produce national risk maps. Results show high solar potential in central and southern Iran, and high wind potential in the northwest and northeast. Approximately 37% of the country falls under high to very high dust-risk zones, mainly in central, southern, and eastern regions, while northern areas show lower risk. Current infrastructure aligns mostly with lower-risk zones: 39% of solar plants are in low-risk and 32% in medium-risk areas; 70% of wind farms are in very low-risk zones. The proposed framework offers an effective tool for risk-aware planning, supporting sustainable site selection, infrastructure resilience, and adaptation to dust hazards, with potential applicability to other arid regions.