China, EU, Turkey Ramp Up Wind Energy

As China positions itself as the number three global provider in wind energy, the European Union, including the UK, and Turkey are making plans to ramp up their renewable energy efforts in 2010.

China has become the third largest global wind energy provider in 2009, reaching 20 gigawatts (GW) of capacity, according to the official New China press agency, reports Instal Biz.

China overtook over Spain for third position, following behind the U.S. and Germany. China plans to increase its percentage of renewable energy from 9 percent in 2009 up to 15 percent in 2020, reports Instal Biz.

If China continues to make renewable energy investments, wind energy may be able to supply up to 50 percent of its electricity needs by 2030, according to a study by the Global World Energy Council.

China recently came under fire for hindering the adoption of an official document mandating greenhouse emission reductions at the UN climate change summit in Copenhagen, reports Instal Biz.

The UK is expected to launch a £100 billion ($161 billion) green power program when Prime Minister Gordon Brown awards development contracts to build offshore wind farms, targeting about one third of UK’s energy coming from wind power by 2020, as it makes plans to cut emissions, reports Times Online.

Industry experts don’t expect construction to start on the new sites until at least 2015, citing that each of the sites are bigger than any of those in operation today, reports Times Online. The biggest wind farm is slated to produce 10 GW of power, more than 10 times the capacity of total global offshore wind power in operation today, according to the article.

However, analysts are questioning the wisdom of relying on untested power sources — currently there is less than 1 GW of installed offshore wind power — in one of the harshest operating environments, reports Times Online.

The UK also recently proposed new planning rules that will allow home owners, offices, schools, stadiums and railway stations to install solar panels without planning permissions, as well as ease planning rules for other renewable sources.

Despite the challenges, 2008 was the first year that investment in wind outstripped investment in all other types of energy infrastructure in Europe, according to the European Wind Energy Association, reports Times Online.

While the UK beefs up its offshore wind power installations, the EU is making plans for its first electricity grid dedicated to renewable power. The Guardian reports that nine countries are drawing up plans to link their renewable energy projects, including wind and solar farms and hydro-electric dams, around the North Sea.

The supergrid network, comprised of up to thousands of kilometers of undersea cables that could cost up to €30 billion ($43 billion), would solve the unreliability issue often associated with renewable power due to unpredictable weather, reports The Guardian.

The nine countries participating in the supergrid – Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland and the UK — hope to have a plan in place by autumn to build a high-voltage direct current network within the next decade, reports The Guardian.

A North Sea grid could link into grids proposed by a larger German-led plan for renewables called the Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII) with a goal to provide 15 percent of Europe’s electricity by 2050 or earlier via power lines across desert and the Mediterranean, reports The Guardian.

The $400-billion DII plan calls for the use of concentrated solar power (CSP) in southern Europe and northern Africa, according to the article.

Turkey is also increasing its efforts in renewable energy, in part due to an energy efficiency law passed by the Turkish government in 2007 and financial assistance received in 2009 from the World Bank, which is investing $600 million in renewable sources including biomass, hydro, wind and geothermal, reports the Green Prophet.

Denmark eyes wind energy market in Turkey for trade and investment

Challenged by the limited size of the domestic market and squeezed by the increased risk of losing market share and its competitive edge in innovative technology products, Denmark has been forced to embark on a rush to find new markets, looking in particular at the fast developing Turkish economy, Danish authorities have told Sunday’s Zaman here in the capital of Copenhagen.
“With a population of 72 million, Turkey is a very significant consumer market for our export-oriented economy,” said Steen Hommel, department head at The Trade Council attached to the Danish Foreign Affairs Ministry. “As our economy is heavily related to exporting Danish goods to generate income back at home and sustaining the social security system, we need to find new emerging markets. Turkey definitely fits that target profile,” he added.

Denmark’s export-dependent economy has been hit hard by the world economic crisis, suffering its deepest recession in more than four decades with a 4.3 percent contraction in its gross domestic product (GDP) last year. Exports declined by 10.7 percent last year with a 16.7 percent drop in industrial products. Though the recession is officially over for Denmark today, the economy still lags behind the pace that global trade is picking up. It recovered half of the original decline in exports and stabilized, more or less, but the prospects are still not encouraging for the government. Looking for more trade “That is why it is so vital that we have to produce trade to generate income,” said Claus Hermansen, minister counselor at the Foreign Affairs Ministry for energy and environment. Hermansen, who is also team leader for energy and environment at The Trade Council, part of the Foreign Ministry with 380 specialists working in 86 missions abroad, is very keen to exploit newly developing opportunities in renewable energy in Turkey. “We will cooperate with the Turkish government and state institutions on sharing our expertise in cutting-edge renewable technologies,” he underlined. Denmark is well known for its leading role as a market player in renewable technologies especially in wind and biomass. It generates about one-fifth of its electricity production from harnessing wind power, built both on land and offshore, making Denmark the world leader in wind energy. “The Danish manufacturers have a market of 30 percent of the world market in wind power products,” said Maj Held Sallingboe, communication manager with the Danish Energy Industries Federation, Denmark's largest trade organization for energy technology companies. While Danish company Vestas is the world's biggest wind turbine manufacturer, state-owned DONG Energy operates a 209 megawatt (MW) offshore wind farm called Horns Rev 2 in the North Sea. DONG also plans to build larger wind farms, one with a 400 MW power capacity and another with a 630 MW capacity. Today there are close to a thousand companies actively working in clean-tech industries, offering employment to 60,000 people. “A large proportion of these companies are extremely reliant on export markets -- with export ratios at more than 90 percent,” said Hermansen. Though the largest market is the European Union, 20 percent of Danish products go to non-EU countries. The export of energy and environmental technologies was worth 8.6 billion euros in 2008 and is expected to be over or around the same ballpark figure for last year as well. “While the Danish clean energy sector receives a share of 11 percent in total exports, the wind industry share alone stands at 8.5 percent in the overall export portfolio,” Sallingboe points out, stressing that the Danish wind industry is a model of how to translate a green energy strategy into a more nature-friendly environment. The government is already committed to a goal for renewable energy constituting at least 30 percent of gross energy consumption in 2025. Eyes on Turkey “We are looking into more secure markets because of the economic crisis that took its toll on 24,000 people employed in the wind industry in the country,” said Jens Holst-Nielsen, senior advisor with the Confederation of Danish Industry, which represents 11,000 companies across the country. Turkey, with its great potential for wind energy and new legislation on the horizon offers great opportunities for Danish companies that want to sell equipment, technology and expertise. The Trade Council's liaison officer in the Danish Consulate General in İstanbul, Seda Kayrak, says many companies from Denmark are interested in the Turkish renewables market. Some of them will be participating in the Danish World Wind Energy Conference & Exhibition to be held in İstanbul from June 15 to 17. On Nov. 1, 2007, the Energy Market Regulatory Agency (EPDK) issued a new call for license applications for wind farms. In just one day, they received a record number of 756 wind power plant applications totaling 78,000 MW -- about twice the existing total energy supply in Turkey -- but since then none of these projects have been granted a license. Many foreign and domestic companies have shown quite an interest in the renewable energies market in Turkey, but they are holding off their investments until legislative changes are approved by the Turkish Parliament, making clear what government subsidies would be there in terms of price guarantees. Experts argue that Turkey, which relies heavily on imported energy resources, has a huge potential for wind power, putting estimates from 50,000 to as high as 150,000 MW in electricity generation. The European Wind Energy Association has estimated that Turkey could meet 20 percent of its electricity demand from wind power with a target capacity of 20,000 MW, even assuming an average 8 percent annual growth in power consumption. Today it has the 13th highest wind power capacity in Europe, and it could very well position itself as one of the top three biggest wind energy producers in Europe in the near future. So far only about 1,000 MW of capacity is generated by wind farms in operation in Turkey, accounting for 1 percent of the total electricity consumed. Turkey currently ranks 19th in terms of its global wind power capacity. Only around 30 percent of the total energy demand is met by domestic sources, mostly from hydro-power and coal-fired plants. The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources has set a target of up to 20,000 MW of wind energy by 2023. A number of Turkish companies, acting alone or in joint ventures with foreign partners, have already started constructing wind farms, and many others have expressed a desire to invest in wind energy. Just last week Turkish renewable energy company Gama Enerji A.Ş. announced it would establish two new wind farms in Turkey before the end of 2011. The company received a 44 million euro loan from the Turkish Industry and Development Bank (TSKB) to finance the building of the two new farms, located in the western provinces of Çanakkale and İzmir. TSKB General Manager Halil Eroğlu said they have received loan applications for 200 renewable energy projects in Turkey thus far and that 83 of these projects have already been given financial support by the TSKB. “These 83 projects cost $4.1 billion in total, and we have provided $3.1 billion of this amount,” he stated. The European Investment Bank (EIB) also allocated a total of some 300 to 400 million euros to renewable energy projects in Turkey. Global players have also shown interest in the Turkish market. One current example is the US renewable energy developer Renewable Energy Systems (RES), which entered the Turkish wind power market last year with the acquisition of a 500 MW portfolio of power projects worth 750 million euros. The projects, which are at different stages of development, are due to be completed over the next three to four years and are supported by the Turkish Investment Support Promotion Agency. Hamburg-based company REpower Systems AG announced in April that it had agreed to contract out wind turbines to Turkey-based Al Yel Elektrik, a subsidiary of Akuo Energy SAS. This is to be the first time in which REpower will supply turbines to Turkey. The turbines will generate a total of 148.28 MW and will result in REpower's “biggest wind farm in Europe to date.” Danish company Vestas also announced in April that it had received an order from Turkey's Galata Wind Energy Ltd. for the Sahres wind project. Vestas will deliver 31 V90-3.0 MW wind turbines starting in the fourth quarter of 2010. The project is expected to be completed by mid-2011. Legal hurdles Industry advocacy groups argue that legislative complications put the brakes on tapping into renewable energy resources in Turkey. Lack of a clear regulatory framework would deter some investors from committing, while the delay in handing out licenses has put off large investment projects. Although the Energy Market Regulatory Agency (EPDK) claims regulations are not yet ready and that legislation is still pending at the Environment Commission in Parliament, industry observers claim the pricing controversy is hampering the passage of legislation. According to them, the problem centers around the uncertainty regarding pricing. The current law on electricity production from renewable sources guarantees that the government will buy this electricity at a price of 5 to 5.5 euro-cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for all types of renewable energy. This implies that if the producers cannot find buyers in the market, the government is willing to present itself as a buyer. Industry advocacy groups argue this guaranteed price is significantly lower than the free market price of 7 euro-cents per kWh, which makes it difficult for renewable energy projects to obtain credit. A new bill guarantees a price of 8 euro-cents per kWh for electricity produced from wind, but it was not advanced to the floor for a vote because of a disagreement amongst Cabinet ministers over subsidies. Legislators are working on an updated proposal that would reduce the guaranteed price by 1 or 2 euro-cents. Natural gas contracts hampering renewables’ chance Of course Turkey’s commitment to purchase a certain amount of natural gas from Russia and Iran also prevents renewable technologies from developing. The so-called “take or pay” agreements on natural gas that the state-owned Turkish Pipeline Corporation [BOTAŞ] has with these countries reduces the incentive for the government to move forward because according to the terms of the contract, Turkey has to pay for a particular amount even if it does not use it. In November 2008 BOTAŞ was forced to pay $704 million to Iran for unused natural gas, and it is predicted that the total cost of the “take or pay” condition will total $1.5 billion for the last two years. More electricity available from renewable energy sources would mean lower gas imports for the generation of electricity and even bigger losses for BOTAŞ. Turkey is currently renegotiating these contracts to make them more flexible and planning to move away from natural-gas-fired plants to renewable and nuclear power plants in the medium and long term. It is facing serious challenges in satisfying its growing energy demand as the country’s electricity consumption is increasing by an average of 8-9 percent every year. It is also a security issue for Turkey as it has very limited oil and gas reserves. Building plants on renewable energy resources means curbing dependence on imported gas from Russia and Iran, thereby making Turkey more independent. What is more, EU hopeful Turkey would also bring its standards in line with European norms and upgrade its environmental policy. Ankara also ratified the Kyoto Protocol as an Annex I country, putting pressure on policymakers to place more emphasis on the role of renewables in the country’s future energy mix.

09 May 2010, Sunday

ABDULLAH BOZKURT COPENHAGEN

A Spanish association expressed the country's eagerness to invest in Turkey’s wind energy sector on Thursday.

"Spain is very experienced in wind energy, and Spanish companies want to invest in other countries," said Alberto Cena, the technical director of the Spanish Wind Energy Association, or AEE. Cena, who is visiting Istanbul to attend a conference, added that the association wanted to construct wind facilities and carry out new projects in Turkey.

The director said he wanted to carry a message to Turkish executives that investment costs in wind energy were lower than they thought.

In regards to their dependency on other countries’ energy, Turkey and Spain are very much alike, said Cena said. "Therefore, the two countries must think of using natural energy opportunities like wind energy," he said.

According to the Spanish companies, the biggest problem in Turkey, when it comes to renewable energy, is the unclear laws. Those uncertainties have to be eliminated in order to make way to lure investments, Cena said.

Pointing out the similarities between Turkey and Spain in terms of geography and wind conditions, Cena added that Turkey could be a passage for Spanish companies to open out to other international markets.

Spain is the world's fourth biggest producer of wind power, after the United States, Germany and China. Wind energy has reached 20,000 megawatts in Spain today, and Spain meets 14 percent of its electricity demand from wind energy. The largest producer of wind power in Spain at the end of 2009 was Iberdrola, with 25.5 percent of capacity, followed by Acciona on 20.9 percent and NEO Energia with 8.3 percent.

The Energy Market Regulatory Authority, or EMRA. provided licenses for wind turbines that will have 3,350 megawatts of installed capacity, Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said in February.

In 2002, Turkey had next to none wind energy recourses, he said. In 2009, wind energy capacity of the country reached 802 megawatts, Yıldız said. He added that figure will increase to 2,200 megawatts within the next two years.

As of November 2009, Turkey added wind turbines with installed capacity of 374 megawatts. Also by that date, hydroelectric power plants with 564 megawatt-capacity also stepped in by that time, and geothermal energy plants with installed capacity of 47.4 megawatts were added to the country’s energy resources.

The objectives of the association are to overcome the technical and statutory barriers that affect the growth of wind power and to maintain and consolidate the retributive regime of the electrical production of wind origin that allows the sustainable development of the sector. It also aims to become the meeting point for the main characters of the wind power market and the only valid interlocutor of the sector as well as generate opportunities to attract investment for the development of wind energy.

Turkey Looks to Exploit Wind Energy Potential

Vienna, Austria [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Turkey is set to double the amount of its electricity supplied by wind power with the construction of the biggest wind farm to date. The wind farm in southeast Turkey will have an installed capacity of 135 megawatts (MW) when it is completed in 2009.

"We have terrific geographic conditions for solar and wind power in Turkey. Exploiting it is already economically and technically possible, but the problem is that the government favors fossil fuels and nuclear energy."

-- Tanay Sdk Uyar, Vice President, World Wind Energy Association

General Electric (GE) Energy will be supplying 52 of its latest generation of turbines with a capacity of 2.5 MW each.

"Turkey is a fast growing and very interesting market for the wind business of GE," Frank Hoersting, Communications Leader of GE Energy, Renewable Energy, Europe, told RenewableEnergyAccess.com.

The wind turbines have 3 rotor blades, each with a diameter of 100 meters, and are able to operate at wind speeds as low as 19 mph as well as sweep about 8,000 square meters, the company says, making them 12% more efficient.

But in spite of the huge potential of the Turkish wind power sector—the country is surrounded by the Aegean, Mediterranean and Black Sea—so far Turkey has made a slow start in exploiting its wind energy potential.

In 2006, only 19 MW of wind power capacity were installed, and this year, installed wind capacity increased to a little under 140 MW.

There are ten wind farms—mainly on land—clustered together in the west of the country and in the Aegean region, including in Çanakkale, close to the site of ancient Troy, Çeþme, Akhisar and on the island of Bozcaada,

Tanay Sýdký Uyar, Vice President of the World Wind Energy Association and Associate Professor of Renewable Energy at Marmara University, said that Turkey had a huge potential for renewable electricity from wind, solar and geothermal sources. He estimated that Turkey could install a wind capacity of 100,000 MW of electricity.

Currently, Turkey has a total installed capacity of about 40,000 MW for electricity from all energy sources.

"Wind power could supply Turkey's electricity needs twice over within five to ten years if the government had the political will to develop this sector," he told RenewableEnergyAccess.com.

However, Uyar said that the government was slow to give licences to build new wind parks.

A backlog of applications to build wind farms with a total operating capacity of 8,000 MW is still waiting for approval from the government. So far the government has issued about 40 licences for wind parks, each with an installed capacity of between 20 and 60 MW.

The country's capacity for solar energy is also estimated to be huge, with an average of 7.2 hours of sunshine each day, according to the Research Institute for Electricity Affairs (EIEI) in Ankara.

Also, Uyar said that geothermal energy has the potential to supply 5 million households with heating.

In 2005, Turkey passed a new renewable energy law to bring it into line with European Union legislation to support renewable sources, including wind power, by giving a government guarantee to purchase electricity at a set price for a period of 7 years.

But the tariff of about 5 euro cents per kWh of electricity is much lower than in most other European countries, and economic studies say it discourages investment in the renewable energy sector.

"We have terrific geographic conditions for solar and wind power in Turkey. Exploiting it is already economically and technically possible, but the problem is that the government favors fossil fuels and nuclear energy," Uyar said.

Turkey is locked into long-term agreements to purchase natural gas at fixed prices and also nuclear energy technology and these agreements are a financial disincentive to developing renewable energy, Uyar said.

The government is planning to build 3 nuclear reactors with a total capacity of 4,500 MW by 2012.

Uyar also said that more needed to be done in Turkey to make energy use more efficient.

"There is a huge amount of energy waste. Turkey can cut its electricity needs by 50% if it uses more up-to-date energy efficient technology and so help keep down carbon emissions," he said.

The share of energy that comes from renewable energy sources in Turkey is tiny. In 2006, the country had an installed biomass capacity of 35 MW and 15 MW of geothermal energy.

In addition, Turkey had an installed capacity of 13,100 MW of hydro power, 38,867 MW of thermal power, 11,850 MW of natural gas, 7,491 MW of lignite, 1,845 MW of hard coal, 2,230 MW of oil.

Wind Power Turkey 2010

Wind Power Turkey 2010 is THE premier Turkish wind energy event and the second official, exclusive, annual congress brought to you by the Turkish Wind Energy Association.

Wind Power Turkey 2010 will provide the largest networking platform for key players from the wind industry to identify potential business ventures and form strategic partnerships to help drive growth in this emerging market.

The inaugural Wind Power Turkey 2009 conference, was held in Istanbul in December 2009 and was attended by 200 participants and sponsored by Askaynak/Lincoln Electric, Alstom, Anemos, Megajoule, RES, PowerWind and Coli and Normed. The exhibition was a complete sell-out.

Turkey’s wind market holds huge potential with the Turkish government announcing that it is going to revise the procedures for granting licences and remuneration system for renewable energies in 2010. A complete overhaul in the consenting and incentive systems is needed to attract more investment and manufacturing to the country.

The EWEA recently announced that Turkey must exploit its huge wind energy resources if it wants to meet its increasing power demand while becoming less dependent on energy imports. Turkey’s installed wind capacity tripled during 2007 from 50MW to almost 150MW. It tripled again during 2008 to reach 433MW installed and by the end of 2009 it had almost doubled to 801MW. The EIE see 10,000MW potential for offshore wind and higher potential for onshore wind than currently in operation, with 11,193MW potential in 2013 and 20,000MW potential in 2023. The MENR (Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources) has set a target of up to 20,000MW of wind energy by 2020.

Wind Power Turkey 2010 is taking place as part of TIREC – the Turkish International Renewable Energy Congress.
Delegates will have the opportunity to attend the plenary TIREC keynote sessions and benefit from extensive networking with 400+ renewable energy experts.

Award: Environment certificate for new Siemens location in Turkey

Siemens CEO Peter Löscher himself was there and officially opened a new facility in the Turkish city of Gebze. Siemens Energy produces medium and high voltage power distributors there. SRE was responsible both for the construction of the production, the offices and warehouse buildings. The new Siemens production site will receive the highest environmental award (LEED-Gold) in the New Construction category.

The new Siemens site in Gebze (in the Kocaeli province east of Istanbul) is a complex covering an area of 35,000 sqm. It comprises production areas (16,000 sqm), as well as office and work areas (6,000 sqm). It also includes a canteen, a cafeteria, meeting rooms, a sports center, a health unit, an exhibition hall, staff rooms and technical infrastructure for the Energy Sector.

With the new building, the Siemens Sector is expanding its production capacities and optimizing its workflows. The modular design of the production building allows for different types of production and expansion in the future. The building complex is a paradigm for environmentally friendly construction and energy efficient technology. Its energy consumption is almost 25 percent below that of a comparable building, which means cost savings of about 295,000 Euros a year. Due to the reuse of rain water for irrigation and efficient fittings, the drinking water consumption is also 72 percent lower.

The building complex will be the first newly built Siemens site worldwide and at the same time the first production plant in Turkey to receive the coveted LEED Certificate (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) in gold.

Siemens AG
Siemens Real Estate
Otto-Hahn-Ring 6
D-81739 Munich
Tel.: +49 89 636-00
feedback.sre@siemens.com

TurkishGBC Activity Update - March 2010

TGBC (ÇEDBİK) became a founding member of the International Sustainability Alliance (ISA). The ISA is the joint initiative of world leading centres of scientific excellence, Green Building Councils, real estate owners, operators, developers, funders and investors and other built environment stakeholders. It has been established and will be managed by the BRE Trust, a research and education charity whose mission is to improve the built environment for all. Members will have access to a suite of tools, comprehensive data, benchmarking, advice, training and information, enabling them to become leaders in this important area and to manage the risk of poor performance of assets in the context of increasingly tough environmental legislation. TGBC (ÇEDBİK) attended Ecobuild in London. Vice President of The Turkish Green Building Council Dr. Duygu Erten and General Coordinator of the council Bengi Atun attended Ecobuild in London. Various conferences were attended and connections made with respect to further collaboration in the field of sustainable building. A Meeting was held during the conference with BRE Global regarding the next steps in the TGBC’s adaptation of BREEAM to Turkey. TGBC (ÇEDBİK) participated in the WGBC Policy Task Force Meeting held on March 5th during Ecobuild. Dr. Duygu Erten and Bengi Atun participated in the Policy Task Force Meeting held by WGBC and gave their input with respect to the formulation of a strategy to bring sustainable buildings to the forefront of international policy in the combatting of climate change and global warming. TGBC completed a 6 part education series on “Green Building Principles” delivered by LEED AP’s. The TGBC ran a six part course focusing on the main evaluation criteria of LEED including sustainable sites, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, water efficiency and Indoor Air Quality. Each session was delivered by an experinced LEED AP. The education was very successful as indicated in the surveys conducted throughout the course. A certificate of attendance was given to those who participated in the course which will also serve as one of the prerequisites required for entering the LEED Green Associate Exam. The TGBC will continue running similar courses in the future and has opened up a pre-registration corner for it in its website. TGBC took part in a walk in İstanbul to celebrate the “European Sustainable Energy Week”. The walk took place on the 26th of March, from Galatasaray to Taksim, in the historic district of Beyoğlu as part of the ‘İstanbul Sustainable Energy Week’ events. The walk was sponsored by the Municipality of Beyoğlu as part of the events of “The European Sustainable Energy Week”. The slogan for the walk was “sustainable energy one step at a time”. The European Sustainable Energy Week was started in 2005 by the European Commission and is celebrated each year with events, between the 22nd and 26th of March, in Brussels and other European cities. TGBC gave an interview to “Bileşim Yayıncılık” regarding energy certificates in buildings and certification systems like BREEAM and LEED. Various environmental certification systems were explained with a focus on the two used in Turkey, namely BREEAM and LEED. The current status of the sustainable building market in Turkey was explained and the activities of The Turkish Green Building Council to promote sustainable building in Turkey was highlighted. TGBC has acquired 10 new members, amongst which are Schneider Electric, Arkitera Architectural Center, a product manufacturer, Polystyrene Manufacturers Association, an accoustical firm, an architectural practice and four individual members. United World conducted an interview with TGBC regarding sustainable buildings in Turkey. Turkish Green Building Council (ÇEDBİK) is an 'Emerging Council' established in 2007 aiming to be a full member council in 2010.

Green buildings not distant dream

ISTANBUL - Low environmental impact "green" buildings have already been operating for many years in many parts of the world. Now these eco-friendly buildings, designed to use resources like energy and water efficiently, are becoming a reality for businesses in Turkey as well. The first green building in Turkey will be the Siemens factory now under construction in Gebze in the Marmara region. Siemens is preparing to acquire a globally recognized green certificate from The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Rating System, or LEED. In a press release about the building, Siemens Turkey CEO, Hüseyin Gelis, said the factory would be the most environmentally friendly building in Turkey. "It is foreseen that 2009 will be a difficult year for Turkey energy-wise. Everyone says we must build new plants to produce energy, but actually, the first thing to do is increase energy efficiency. We, at Siemens, aim to reduce our energy consumption by 25 percent over the next five years," he said. There are currently five or six green buildings under construction in Turkey. Most of these buildings aim to receive a green certificate from globally recognized organizations like LEED from the United States or BREEAM from the United Kingdom. There is no national green certificate in Turkey that would provide a blueprint and an incentive for green construction. Much of Turkey’s progress in this area is due to the Green Building Association, or ÇEDBİK, which was founded by Ali Nihat Gökyiğit and Duygu Erten in 2007. ÇEDBİK organized the first of a series of training sessions about green buildings and global environmental certification systems at the Yıldız Technical University in Istanbul on Jan. 10. Erten, one of the co-founders of ÇEDBİK, said one of the main goals of her association is to fill an important gap and "create a leadership certificate in environment and energy design that would support the standardization and application of this certificate system in new buildings throughout the nation." Erten is one of the first people in Turkey to become a "green assessor," a professional eligible to determine how green is a building. Erten said green buildings could only become standard practice in Turkey if the government lends a hand. "A large part of the responsibility falls upon the Public Works Ministry. Many countries now require each new building to be in line with sustainable construction practices. If you ask me, TOKİ, the Housing Development Administration of Turkey, should be constructing only green buildings from now on." She said some Turkish construction companies are very interested in developing green projects. Among them is Soyak Construction. Their Mavişehir project in İzmir is an example of the company’s commitment to sustainable living. Head of the corporate communications department at Soyak, Fatma Çelenk, said they have "used environmentally friendly materials in every step of the construction process for Mavişehir," including for air conditioners that utilize eco-friendly gases, energy-saving lighting systems, modern insulation systems, double-glazed windows that filter ultraviolet rays, and batteries with sensors that save water by up to 50 percent. "We have worked with a British consulting firm to make sure we meet the green construction standards of Building Research Establishment (BRE)," said Çelenk. Another recent initiative comes from the Ankara OSTIM Industrial Area, which is renovating its administrative building to meet the highest level of green building standards, the LEED platinum standard.

With a push from society, green buildings can cut CO2 emissions

Imagine buildings that have high-efficiency windows and insulation in walls; water that is collected, used, purified and reused on site; construction materials and interior finish products with zero or low emissions; careful integration of natural and artificial light sources; and energy generated from photovoltaic or solar panels…

These are just a few features of green buildings, also known as sustainable or green construction, developed to meet humanity’s need for more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly construction practices.

“As we were trying to decide which topic will be the hottest one in the next 10 years, we decided that it would be the topic of green buildings,” said Barış Onay, assistant general manager of the Building Information Center (YEM), which provides information for professionals of building products and technologies.

Onay said they increasingly allocate more resources and space to the topic because there is demand for it, mostly because of the fact that the building sector is the number one source in contributing to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide, blamed for climate change.

“Number two is transportation, and number three is industry,” he stated.

There are a number of motives for building green buildings, including environmental, economic and social benefits.

“Buildings that are painted green are green only in color,” Onay said, adding that building green involves creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource efficient throughout a building’s lifecycle, from site to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction.

Another aspect in that regard is green retrofitting, which is about making existing buildings more energy efficient.

According to various research done, green buildings can reduce energy use by 24-50 percent, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 33-39 by percent, water use by 40 percent and solid waste by 70 percent. And there are business benefits, too, such as decreases in operating costs, increases in building value and return on investment.

Eight countries -- the United States, Australia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Canada -- came together in 1999 in California to establish the World Green Building Council.

In 2007 Turkey established the Association of Environmentally Friendly Green Buildings (ÇEDBİK).

Technology is available, but…

Onay pointed out that technology to have green buildings in Turkey is possible and that Turkish professionals are able to utilize it. However, he stated that the problem is in the implementation because there needs to be demand for those environmentally sensitive buildings.

“There are so many shanty settlements in Turkey. It has become almost a state policy. We cannot talk about green buildings when there are so many irregular, illegal activities when it comes to the building sector,” he said, adding that for Turkish society he is hopeful for the next generation, which will develop more sensitivity toward the issue since it will become more of a matter of survival.

For now, he said, even some simple measures like having proper insulation in buildings can save people from losses in terms of both lira and energy.

There are still some Don Quixotes who exist against all odds. One construction firm, Varyap, is building the Meridian project, which is a candidate to be the first building to have the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certificate from the United States.

Onay said some builders of malls in Turkey are trying to obtain the BREEAM, which is the BRE Environmental Assessment Method, a certificate from the United Kingdom.

There is also one effort to develop Turkey’s first green building at İstanbul Technical University’s (İTÜ) Ayazağa campus.

“It will be an example for tomorrow’s architects and engineers, for them to touch and see what it is and how it is done,” Onay said for the project coordinated by YEM.

The “Ecobuilding” will have active and passive energy producers such as photovoltaic panels, solar termic collectors, heat pumps and wind generators. Rainwater will be collected and purified for use. Bathroom faucets with sensors and solid waste treatment are only a few other features to be employed in the building.

02 May 2010, Sunday

YONCA POYRAZ DOĞAN İSTANBUL

Turkey Blowing and Going on Wind Energy

Turkey is set to double the amount of its electricity supplied by wind power with the construction of the biggest wind farm to date. The wind farm in southeast Turkey will have an installed capacity of 135 megawatts (MW) when it is completed in 2009.

General Electric (GE) Energy will be supplying 52 of its latest generation of turbines with a capacity of 2.5 MW each.

"Turkey is a fast growing and very interesting market for the wind business of GE," Frank Hoersting, Communications Leader of GE Energy, Renewable Energy, Europe, told RenewableEnergyAccess.com.

The wind turbines have 3 rotor blades, each with a diameter of 100 meters, and are able to operate at wind speeds as low as 19 mph as well as sweep about 8,000 square meters, the company says, making them 12% more efficient.

But in spite of the huge potential of the Turkish wind power sector—the country is surrounded by the Aegean, Mediterranean and Black Sea—so far Turkey has made a slow start in exploiting its wind energy potential.

In 2006, only 19 MW of wind power capacity were installed, and this year, installed wind capacity increased to a little under 140 MW.

There are ten wind farms—mainly on land—clustered together in the west of the country and in the Aegean region, including in Çanakkale, close to the site of ancient Troy, Çeþme, Akhisar and on the island of Bozcaada,

Tanay Sýdký Uyar, Vice President of the World Wind Energy Association and Associate Professor of Renewable Energy at Marmara University, said that Turkey had a huge potential for renewable electricity from wind, solar and geothermal sources. He estimated that Turkey could install a wind capacity of 100,000 MW of electricity.

Currently, Turkey has a total installed capacity of about 40,000 MW for electricity from all energy sources.

"Wind power could supply Turkey's electricity needs twice over within five to ten years if the government had the political will to develop this sector," he told RenewableEnergyAccess.com.

However, Uyar said that the government was slow to give licences to build new wind parks.

A backlog of applications to build wind farms with a total operating capacity of 8,000 MW is still waiting for approval from the government. So far the government has issued about 40 licences for wind parks, each with an installed capacity of between 20 and 60 MW.

The country's capacity for solar energy is also estimated to be huge, with an average of 7.2 hours of sunshine each day, according to the Research Institute for Electricity Affairs (EIEI) in Ankara.

Also, Uyar said that geothermal energy has the potential to supply 5 million households with heating.

In 2005, Turkey passed a new renewable energy law to bring it into line with European Union legislation to support renewable sources, including wind power, by giving a government guarantee to purchase electricity at a set price for a period of 7 years.

But the tariff of about 5 euro cents per kWh of electricity is much lower than in most other European countries, and economic studies say it discourages investment in the renewable energy sector.

"We have terrific geographic conditions for solar and wind power in Turkey. Exploiting it is already economically and technically possible, but the problem is that the government favors fossil fuels and nuclear energy," Uyar said.

Turkey is locked into long-term agreements to purchase natural gas at fixed prices and also nuclear energy technology and these agreements are a financial disincentive to developing renewable energy, Uyar said.

The government is planning to build 3 nuclear reactors with a total capacity of 4,500 MW by 2012.

Uyar also said that more needed to be done in Turkey to make energy use more efficient.

"There is a huge amount of energy waste. Turkey can cut its electricity needs by 50% if it uses more up-to-date energy efficient technology and so help keep down carbon emissions," he said.

The share of energy that comes from renewable energy sources in Turkey is tiny. In 2006, the country had an installed biomass capacity of 35 MW and 15 MW of geothermal energy.

In addition, Turkey had an installed capacity of 13,100 MW of hydro power, 38,867 MW of thermal power, 11,850 MW of natural gas, 7,491 MW of lignite, 1,845 MW of hard coal, 2,230 MW of oil.

Turkey’s got some renewable energy projects brewing see our recent article on renewable energy prospects for Turkey. Competing with oil from the Middle East, it now appears that the Turkish government has decided to favor more projects dealing with wind and other renewable energy programs. In an abstract for an article in the Turkish Digest called “On Wind Energy in Turkey,” the article had some positive points in favor of wind.

“As wind energy is an alternative clean energy source compared to the fossil fuels that pollute the atmosphere, systems that convert wind energy to electricity have developed rapidly.”

No surprise to us.

Turkey’s developing interest in wind energy was aided considerably by an energy efficiency law that was passed by the Turkish government in 2007, that allows 10 years of electricity generation by renewable sources as guaranteed by the Turkish government. With the passage of this law, installed wind power has risen to 131.35 MW in Turkey and it is expected that this value was to be expected be increased to 808.81 MW by the end of 2008.

Wind Energy in Turkey

Wind Energy in Turkey
Dr. Tanay Sidki Uyar, Kocaeli University, Turkey
Jens Peter Molly, DEWI
1. Introduction
The demand of electricity in Turkey grows 8 per cent every year. Until the year 2020 the power capacity
will be assumed to be five times higher than today, a really extreme development for the next 22
years. Already today Turkey must import electric energy from the neighbours to meet the actual demand.
The existing power stations with their totally installed 22.000 MW are theoretically sufficient to
generate enough energy, but especially the thermal power plants are often obsolete and therefore produce
less than nominal power. To meet the future energy needs Turkey has to install additional 43.000
MW until 2010 and in the following ten years another 45.000 MW to reach the planned 110.000 MW in
the year 2020. With the operator models BO and BOT the Turkish government hopes to attract private
investors for the installation of the urgently needed power plants. Also wind energy makes part of the
Turkish energy plan. With a contribution of 3 per cent of the electricity generation in the year 2020 or
an power installation of approximately 7.000 MW Turkey will become one of the most promising wind
energy countries of the future.
2. Present Situation
Today the initial steps are already done and Turkey is in the phase of improving its administrative and
financial conditions for wind energy projects, facing the similar problems as other countries did, when
they noticed that general laws, rules and requirements where settled long time ago without the need to
think in conditions favourable for wind energy applications. From 12-14 June 1998 the Second International
Sarigerme Wind Energy Workshop took place at the Iberhotel Sarigerme Park, Ortaca. Here
representatives of Turkish ministries and municipalities informed about the actual activities concerning
the improvement of the existing legal and administrative conditions. Besides this aspect, this event also
was a very good opportunity to meet the actors involved in Turkey and to get informed of the newest
developments in wind energy projects. Many interested manufacturers, consultancy companies and investors
used this information chance and came to attend the meeting.
The present legislation in Turkey allows auto-producers of energy, that means operators who generate
electricity and use them by their own. At the moment Wind measurements performed are for private
projects under the Build Operate and Transfer model (BOT) regulated by law No. 3096. In order to
promote the development of wind energy projects, the Ministry is preparing a draft law to allow certain
renewable energy projects to be realised by the private sector under the Build Operate model (BO).
The draft law includes also provisions to apply tax incentives to renewable energy projects realised under
the BO model.
In Turkey wind energy projects of the BOT model have to be approved by governmental authorities. On
base of a feasibility report the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources approves a wind energy project
and defines the reimbursement of the wind produced energy which will be purchased by the state
owned utility. Several steps from the beginning on of a project until the final approval by the ministry
have to be done. First of all an application report has to be accepted by the ministry. If the report is accepted,
a six months wind measurement must be performed to give a first indication of the site energy
potential. With a positive result for the energy potential the wind measurement must be continued until
at least a whole year is covered. In this second half year the more detailed design of the project can be
already started. With the theoretically calculated long term wind potential, achieved by comparing the
one year measurements with the values of existing wind measurement stations, a final feasibility report
has to be worked out and send to the ministry for evaluation and final approval of the project.
3. Wind Potential in Turkey
In 1989 around 20 meteorological stations have been validated as reference stations by using the
European Wind Atlas Methodology. Today more than 100 private investors measure at their intended
wind farm sites. Other measurements are done by EIEI (Electricity Works Survey Administration) at
DEWI Magazin Nr. 13, August 1998
60
various sites in Turkey. For the regions of high winds annual wind speed averages for 10m height
above ground level derived from long term measurements of the State Meteorological Directorate are
as follows:
Site m/s Site m/s Site m/s Site m/s
Kumköy 5.3 Çanakkale 5.1 Bandirma 6.4 Sinop 5.2
Çesme 3.8 Datça 5.8 Antakya 4.7
Tab. 1: Wind Speeds in Turkey at some sites measured by weather stations at 10m a.g.l.
As the experience in other countries show, measurements of weather stations must not be representative
for the windy sites in the respective areas, because they are taken for other ends than for wind energy.
The site wind speeds in Tab. 1 therefore are only first indications about the areas wind potential.
Based on these weather station values the estimated technical wind energy potential of Turkey is about
twice as much as the current electricity consumption of Turkey. The above mentioned long term goal of
7000 MW power installation in wind turbines in Turkey therefore is possible and realistic.
4. Present Status of Wind Farm Planning in Turkey
The first 1.7 MW wind farm is operated by Demirer Holding since February 21, 1998 at Geminyan Village
near Çesme is an initial signal of the large interest of private investors and developers to build
wind farms and to sell energy to the state utility. Many wind measurements for private BOT projects are
currently carried out to get the base for the required final feasibility reports. Divided into the different
approval steps the following wind farm projects are at work:
Wind power plants with their contracts under negotiation:
7.2 MW, Çesme Alaçati
Wind power plants with the feasibility report in evaluation by the ministry:
2x25 MW, Kocadag
5 MW, Bozcaada
Wind power plants preparing feasibility/revised feasibility report:
30 MW, Çanakkale 15 MW, Yaylaköy
43,5 MW, Kocadagi 12 MW, Senköy
30 MW, Akhasir 12 MW, Çesme
Other wind power plants which are in the application phase (first year) are:
15 MW, Yalikavak 30 MW Datça
15 MW, Beyoba 15 - 50 MW Karabiga
15 MW, Lapseki 20-35 MW Kapidag
15 MW, Bandirma 5 - 7 MW Karabiga
22.5 MW Karaburun 20 - 30 MW Belen
15 MW Datça 12 MW Karabiga
186 MW Mazidagi 70 - 100 MW Yellica Belen
All this projects with together 750 MW show that a considerable interest of private capital exists to invest
in independent power production through wind energy in Turkey.

A LEED of One's Own: New Green Building Certification in the Works for Turkey

While American readers are used to seeing the LEED label attached to eco-friendly buildings, such structures are identified in other countries by an alphabet soup of certifications -- from BEES and BREEAM to LCAid and SBtool. Next up may be a similar certificate a la Turca that takes Turkey's climate, culture, geography, and energy consumption into consideration, giving a boost to the country's nascent green-building sector.

In response to growing concerns about energy supplies, Turkey's Environment-Friendly Green Buildings Association, or ÇEDBİK, is working on a country-specific certificate based on the British Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) standards, which are commonly used in the European Union.

A Turkish Version of BREEAM
According to the Turkish newspaper Referans, "BREEAM, a system that measures sustainability of new non-domestic buildings, implements a rating system to certify buildings as passing, good, very good, perfect, and top-of-the-line. Until now, some 116 buildings have been certificated among 714 registered buildings."

The proposed Turkish version will include special parameters for earthquake safety, says ÇEDBİK Vice Chairwoman Duygu Erten, as well as a focus on allocation of water and energy resources. Green building materials, which are hard to come by in Turkey at present, will play a smaller-than-usual role in getting a seal of approval.

Experimental Solar House Turkey's First Green Building
The first "ecological building" in Turkey was an experimental solar house built at Middle East Technical University in the 1970s, LEED-certified consultant Nilay Canbay told attendees at the 8th Ecocity World Summit last month as part of a talk on the Turkish green-building movement. While commercial projects larger in scope have followed, she said, examples of eco-friendly construction are still rare and isolated -- unconnected from the cities that surround them.

Generally such projects have been shopping centers, luxury apartments, and other developments geared to the high end of the market, such as the Sapphire tower in Istanbul's Levent district, the Varyap Meridian, which aspires to be the country's first LEED-certified mixed-use structure, and a pair of BREEAM-certified malls in Ankara and Erzurum built by the Dutch company Redevco.

Corporations and Hotels Getting On Board
Some corporations have gotten into the act too -- a new Turkcell R&D building in the industrial district of Gebze has a green roof and maximizes natural light, while a LEED-certified Siemens plant in the same area has reduced water use 70 percent and energy consumption 25 percent. There's also the government's "Green Star" program, which recognizes eco-friendly hotels.

A set of consistent green-building standards and a body overseeing them would help ensure that such projects truly reduce the use of energy and resources while incorporating new criteria such as sustainable site selection -- before the construction sector becomes awash in greenwash.

OLD GREEN HOUSE IN TURKEY

From a heritage building in the historic region of Cappadocia, Turkey, this hotel works with local crafts and craftsmen.


It is important to apply eco-friendly labeling carefully. This is especially true of the tourism industry that is often guilty of green-washing potential patrons to lure them to their site. We have written about eco-lodges such Feynan in Jordan and Al Karm Ecolodge in Egypt that deserve their “eco-friendly” status given their strident conservation efforts. Now we’d like to draw your attention to a boutique hotel in Ürgüp, Turkey that has partial claims to eco-friendliness and full claim to a fascinating architectural history.

















According to the UK’s Green Business Touring Scheme (GBTS), there are several criteria that must be met before a business should label itself “eco”. Some of these include: “compliance with environmental legislation”, “good environmental management” – which includes training staff and raising awareness, “social involvement”, energy efficiency, water efficiency, “environmentally friendly goods and services”, waste reduction, minimal transport necessity, “natural and cultural heritage”, and “innovation”.

Selçuklu Evi means the “The Seldjoukie house” in Turkish. This name refers to an architectural legacy left behind by the Seljuk Empire, a Persian, Sunni Muslim Empire that once conquered Anatolia. According to MuslimHeritage.com, some recognizable features of Seljuk architecture include tall gateways, ornamental stalactites, Ogival archways, and ceramic tiling. In Anatolia builders used mostly stone to build their numerous castles, mausoleums and mosques, whereas in Iran they were more prone to brick. Anatolian Seljuk stonework was said to be so beautiful that it was called “poetry in stone.”

It is this tradition to which Selçuklu Evi hearkens. The Marketing Director, Sophie Florval, calls Selçuklu Evi a perfect combination of past and present. Located in the unique geographical region known as Cappadocia – a high altitude plateau festooned with fairy chimneys – the hotel was once a collection of five houses. The hotel owners employed local craftsmen to restore the buildings to create what is now a hotel with 20 rooms, a process which took three years. Using local skills and preserving the cultural heritage both contribute to the hotel’s eco-friendliness.

The hotel also relies on locally harvested rock to keep the buildings warm in winter and cool in summer, rather than heating or air-conditioning. The rooms, some partially underground, are decorated with beds made of wrought iron and regal Turkish rugs, both crafted by local artisans. They even serve locally-produced wine from faucets in the central courtyard: white on the left, and red on the right.

Although Selçuklu Evi is certainly innovative, it is difficult to know whether it can claim further eco-accolades such as “minimal transport” or “water efficiency” given its remote and semi-arid location. Nonetheless, we think that this boutique is at least twelve steps ahead of any Four Seasons Hotel.

International architectural firm RMJM's plan for a new eco-luxury development in Istanbul -- potentially Turkey's first LEED-certified mixed-use structure -- has got the green-building blogosphere buzzing. Ninety percent of the Varyap Meridian residential and commercial complex's total area will be comprised of green space and it is expected to consume 40 percent less energy and water than comparable projects. So why am I having a hard time getting excited about it?

To begin with, it's a luxury development -- one with a five-star hotel and five-bedroom penthouse apartments. Yes, the developers say "small studio apartments" will also be available, but somehow I doubt they'll be the kind that help meet the city's dire need for affordable housing. Second, it's a skyscraper. In the suburbs. Yet another far-flung high-rise in a city whose old centers are beautifully human-scale and walkable.

Utilizing Wind and Rain
On the other hand, it's only fair to note that the $1 billion project hits all kinds of the right green notes: Wind turbines? Check. Rainwater collection? Check. A co-generation plant to produce electricity for the development? Check. View-maximizing and solar-heat-gain-minimizing orientation? Check. A "spectral tiled facade, ranging from terracotta to blue to white" that incorporates the "unique context and culture of Istanbul"? Uh. OK. If you say so.

The architects' renderings show the project bringing some much-needed green space to an area of the city hemmed in by freeways. And while the highly touted road and airport access doesn't do much for the development's eco-cred, subway projects underway in the city are expected to extend to the Ataşehir area, which is being promoted as a new financial center for Istanbul. And, of course, there will surely be a fleet of serviş buses redirected to serve employees working at the complex.

A Model for Other Developers
In addition, applying green building techniques to high-profile structures can be an effective way of creating awareness and inspiring productive competition from other developers that will eventually "trickle down" to smaller, more affordable homes and business spaces as the market for green materials grows. As Varyap CEO M. Erdinç Varlıbaş said in introducing the project, "Our aim is to ensure that we leave a better world to future generations and we believe that the Varyap Meridian project will raise the standards of the Turkish real estate market generally."

Having seen a similar pattern operate in the U.S. and other parts of the world, I can, on balance, put aside my grumbling to hope it repeats itself here in Turkey too.