Turkey - Wind energy key to meeting rising power demand

Turkey has wind potential to produce 160 TWh (48,000 MW) of electricity, which is twice the current electricity consumption

Turkey must exploit its huge wind energy resources if it wants to meet its increasing power demand while becoming less dependent on energy imports, delegates heard at a workshop on integrating wind power organised by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) in cooperation with the Turkish Wind Energy Association (TWEA/TÜREB) in Ankara.

Turkey's installed wind capacity tripled during 2007 from 50 MW to almost 150 MW. It tripled again during 2008 to reach 433 installed MW, and by the end of 2009 it had almost doubled to 801 MW. Moreover, the government announced a 30% objective for renewable energies by 2023 with plans to push wind energy up to 20,000 MW of installations for the same year.

"With an average growth in power demand of 8% each year, this means that if the 20,000 MW target is met, wind power will cover one fifth of Turkey's power demand by 2023" said Christian Kjaer, Chief Executive of EWEA. "Wind is clean, indigenous and above all can start producing power quickly – crucial for a country whose power demand is soaring. With huge wind energy potential, ambitious government targets and a recent track-record of rapid wind energy growth, Turkey could be one of the future wind energy movers and shakers, but numerous administrative hurdles must be overcome to attract more investments and manufacturing to the country."

According to the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Turkey has wind potential to produce 160 TWh (48,000 MW) of electricity, which is twice the current electricity consumption.

"Wind power is an opportunity for Turkey, and Turkey offers a market opportunity to wind energy investors and developers," said Murat Durak, Chairman of TÜREB. "However, in order to exploit this potential, permitting procedures must be optimised and the government must put in place a legal framework that offers stability and certainty to those who want to invest for the next 15 years. With such conditions Turkey will get enormous benefits in terms of energy security, jobs and economic growth, " he concluded.

In 2009, 39% of all new electricity generating capacity built in the EU was wind power, ahead of coal, gas and nuclear. The sector saw investments of about €13 billion in the EU. Annual installations of wind power have increased steadily over the last 15 years, with an annual average growth of 23%. A total of 74,767 MW is now installed in the EU, providing 4.8% of electricity demand.

Alstom enters the Turkish wind energy market with a contract for a 24 MW wind farm

Alstom has signed a contract with Güriş Construction and Engineering Co. Inc. through Güriş’s subsidiary, Eolos Wind Energy Generation Co. Inc. for the construction of a new wind farm in Turkey - Alstom’s first wind power contract in the country.

The 24 MW Senkoy wind farm, to be built near the city of Hatay, in the southern part of Turkey, will comprise eight Alstom ECO 100 wind turbines of 3MW each and is expected to become operational in late 2011 or early 2012. Under the terms of the contract, Alstom will supply, install and commission the wind farm, and provide operation and maintenance services for the first five years.

Turkey’s electricity consumption is increasing by an average of 8-9% per year. To help meet this demand the country is increasingly turning to renewable energy sources as a means of improving energy security and curbing its dependence on imported gas.

Turkey has around 46.5 GW installed generation capacity of which just over 1.1 GW is wind power. Recent years have seen the start of a wind energy boom in the country. In 2009, 343 MW of new capacity was added, representing a year-on-year growth rate of 75%. Installed capacity is expected to grow at between 500-1000 MW per year, reaching more than 5000 MW before 2015. Turkey targets 20,000 MW of wind power capacity by 2023.

With an estimated annual production of approx 83 gigawatt hours (GWh)*, the Senkoy wind farm will avoid the production of over 66,000 tonnes a year of CO2 and meet the electricity needs of around 41,000 average Turkish households.
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The contract is further success for Alstom’s 3MW ECO 100 wind turbine, which represents a major advance in turbine power capacity and higher energy yield. Senkoy is Güriş’s second wind farm, and this is the first time Güriş buys wind turbines from Alstom. “With the ECO 100 of Alstom, the estimated yearly energy production of the Senkoy farm is almost 10% higher than originally calculated when developing the project,” commented Müsfik Yamantürk, CEO, Güriş.

Güriş is one of the largest construction companies in Turkey, with more than 50 years experience and approximately 6,000 employees. The company is active within the fields of water resources, energy, industrial production, transportation, buildings and pipelines in various regions such as the Gulf, Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe, Russian Federation and Turkey.

“The fast growing Turkish wind energy market holds huge potential and this project is a promising step for us in the country,” commented Alfonso Faubel, Alstom Wind Vice President. ‘We’re very pleased to bring Güriş the benefits of our new generation of wind turbines, and to support Turkey’s push to increase its installed wind power capacity. “

Alstom has been active in the Turkish power market for more than 50 years and has helped the country develop both thermal and renewable energy generation. More than 50% of the country’s installed electric capacity includes Alstom equipment.

*One gigawatt hour (GWh) equals one million kilowatt hours. A kilowatt hour (KWh) is equivalent to the energy consumed by a 100 watt light bulb burning for 10 hours.

About Alstom’s Wind business
Alstom offers integral wind farm solutions, covering site development activities, system or key component design and manufacturing, assembly, installation, and O&M services for a wide range of onshore wind turbines spanning 1.67 MW to 3 MW. Through Alstom’s two wind turbines platforms ECO 80 and ECO 100, the company proposes the appropriate choice of wind turbine to match different wind farm locations and wind speeds. All Alstom’s wind products feature the company’s ALSTOM PURE TORQUE concept, a unique mechanical design concept, which protects the gearbox and other drive train components from deflection loads. To date the company has installed or is installing more than 2,081 wind turbines in more than 110 wind farms, corresponding to a total capacity of more than 2684 MW. Alstom’s wind business is present in Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, UK, Japan, India, and has established local teams in China, Brazil and the United States. Furthermore, the industrial footprint, originally mainly based in Spain, is under international development with the opening of two new units, one in Brazil (State of Bahia) and one in the United States (Amarillo, Texas) that will be fully operational by 2011.

Press contacts

Murat Çetinbakýþ (IMAGE PR)
Cell: +90 5 33 433 62 43

Nathan McConnell (Alstom Power)
Tel.: +41 56 205 40 32

Gama & GE Launch First Wind Projects in Turkey

Gama Energy A.S., a joint venture between Gama Holding A.S. and GE Energy Financial Services announced that their first wind energy projects in Turkey, the 22.5-megawatt (MW) Sares and 10-MW Karadag wind farms in the country's western region. The projects, costing a total €54 million, feature GE's 2.5-megawatt wind turbines.

Turkey's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources aims to generate 20 percent of its electricity production from renewable resources by 2020.

Gama Energy is developing and investing in the projects while TSKB, the Industrial Development Bank of Turkey, is arranging and leading €44 million in debt financing. Additional details of the financial transactions were not disclosed. GE Energy is supplying 13 turbines and will operate and maintain them under a services agreement.

The projects’ power will be sold to the merchant market or will benefit from the Turkish regulated feed-in tariff. Construction of the Sares wind farm begins next week and is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Construction of the Karadag project is planned to begin later this year, with completion during the first quarter of 2011.

“This investment demonstrates Gama Energy’s ability to develop and execute high-quality energy projects,” said Andrew Marsden, managing director of Europe at GE Energy Financial Services. “In addition, this investment is in line with GE’s ecomagination program to help customers meet their environmental challenges, and it contributes to our global growth.”

Turkey’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources aims to generate 20 percent of its electricity production from renewable resources by 2020. In wind energy, the country has developed just 600 megawatts of an estimated potential 88 gigawatts.

Wind energy experts request higher tariffs

Turkey's current renewable energies law could be made better to encourage greater investment in renewable energy, participants of the 9th Wind Energy Conference and Renewable Energy Exhibition say. Hürriyet photo

Turkey should improve its current Renewable Energy Law to encourage growth for the renewable energy industry, experts speaking at the 9th Wind Energy Conference and Renewable Energy Exhibition said.

The three-day conference at the Haliç Congress Center, which saw global experts and representatives from the wind energy industry, wrapped up on Friday.

“The rate of the feed-in tariff should be increased from 0.055 euros to 0.08 euros,” said Professor Tanay Sıdkı Uyar, vice president of the World Wind Energy Association, or WWEA, speaking Wednesday.

A feed-in tariff promotes renewable energy production by guaranteeing a reasonable amount of return on each kilowatt-hour of electricity produced, creating incentives and removing investment barriers. This accelerates the convergence between energy from community level or large-scale renewable sources with large-scale conventional sources such as fossil fuels. It is paid for by energy consumers as an addition to their electricity bill.

“This is a marginal cost and creates a huge benefit, therefore it's an effective instrument,” said Kai Schlegelmilch, from the German federal ministry for environment, nature protection and nuclear safety.

“If you get the economic conditions right it's harder to argue against,” Schlegelmilch said, adding that Germany has benefited from the feed-in tariff system. “There's investment security, which creates turnover and jobs, which eventually leads to a strong lobby for the industry, which helps it mature.”

The German renewable energy industry is one of the largest in the world, creating 16 percent of Germany's energy supply and employing over 300,000 people, he said.

Turkey's current renewable energies law “could be made better” to encourage greater investment and development in renewable energy, said WWEA Secretary-General Stefan Gsanger, adding that the licensing obstacle is “more of an issue,” referring to the bottleneck of licenses since the surge of applications in November 2007.

Energy firm wants ‘favorable price’

Meanwhile, speaking to Bloomberg, the chief executive of Polat Enerji, a Turkish wind power utility half-owned by France’s EDF Energies Nouvelles, or EDF-EN, said the firm would invest more once the government passes a law bringing incentives to wind power producers.

“Depending on assage of the new law and other conditions in the investment environment, we may consider new investment beyond 2012,” Zeki Eriş said Tuesday. “We need a favorable electricity sale price so that our investments are justified.”

Producers sell electricity to wholesale buyers or the government’s power distribution grid operator TEDAŞ in a government-brokered market at around 5.5 euro-cents per kilowatt-hour, Eriş said. “This is below the levels at which wind power investments can be justified. It should be at least 7.5 euro-cents,” he told Bloomberg.

Turkey’s Smart New Connection to Europe

While Turkey’s clean, smart energy solutions and its pending grid connectivity to Europe are praiseworthy, can we cut back demand too?

Critics of GE’s Ecomagination program – which is said to offer cleaner, smarter power solutions – claim that GE is simply airbrushing an unsustainable model, perpetuating the very consumer culture that needs to be curtailed if homo sapiens expect to survive its own damage to this planet. This model has been exported not only to Masdar City, where GE has set up a major hub, but most recently to Turkey. And therefore, by extension, to Europe, since this month Turkey will connect to Europe’s power grid using GE’s smart grid technology.

Turkish power

“The connection will allow for expanded energy and economic opportunities. The Turkish Electricity Transmission Company (TEIAS) will now be able to buy and sell power in the European electricity market and the connection will strengthen the reliability and availability of energy throughout all of Europe,” according to a marketwatch press release.

The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) experiences among the highest energy demands worldwide. As such, it has become essential to create a delivery model that is efficient without crippling the environment.

To this end, ENTSO’E countries are “driving a single market model through the synchronization of more networks,” according to the report.

World bank

Meanwhile, Turkey benefits from this connection by being able import and export energy across its borders. There is hope that through the World Bank Clean Technology Fund, with a little help from GE technology, Turkey will generate 20% of its energy through sustainable means by 2020.

Already, according to GE, Turkey has developed two wind farms – the Sares and the Karadag – using GE’s larger wind turbines and generating enough electricity to power 59,000 homes, but has developed only 600 MW of its potential 88 GW of renewable energy sources to date.”

“Smart grid solutions are opening energy opportunities in new ways every day,” said Bob Gilligan, vice president–digital energy for GE Energy Services. “Our communications and control technologies are enabling international trade and power-sharing breakthroughs that seemed nearly impossible just a few years ago. When Turkey joins the European energy community, it will be a vital step forward for power systems on both sides of the connection.”

Quality and reliability

The cross-border smart grid connectivity that was engineered in mere months, according to GE, will monitor the grid’s status at connection points, control generation and load automatically, and improve power sharing, quality, and reliability while reducing power outages.

While this is in part a positive development – since Turkey seeks to develop and share energy produced from wind, geothermal and other non-fossil means – there is very little mention of reducing demand. Though perhaps harmful to GE’s business plan, reduced demand would also go far towards alleviating our energy crisis.

Turkey’s New Step Towards Wind Energy in Balıkesir

On the heels of Turkey’s smart-grid connection to Europe, the country announces that it will host a new wind-turbine factory in the Western province.

News moves quickly in the blogosphere. Roughly two weeks ago we reported Turkey’s new “smart-grid” connection to Europe, which is expected to not only improve the country’s own renewable energy sector, but will allow it to boost its economy by exporting energy to Europe.

While Leviathan promotes miniature wind-turbines, and others are leasing their roof space for smaller-scale agricultural and renewable energy projects, Turkey will host a full-scale wind-turbine manufacturing plant in the western province of Balıkesir.

The project, which is a joint initiative between Turkey’s Faik Çelik Holding and Spain’s Gestamp Wind Steel, is expected to cost approximately 30 million Euros to build.

“According to a written statement from Faik Çelik Holding, the 47,000-square-meter factory in Bandırma’s organized industrial zone will be able to produce more than 450 wind turbines annually. The factory is expected to provide employment for 300 people and will start operating by the end of this year,” according to Hurriyet Daily News.

Once completed, most of the turbines will be exported to countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece, whose wind-energy market is showing reasonable signs of progress.

However, some of the turbines are expected to be used in Turkey in order to exploit that country’s strong wind resource.

Also according to the paper, the Spanish company has a substantial presence elsewhere in the world:

“Gestamp Wind Steel, a subsidiary of Gestamp, also has facilities producing wind turbines in Spain and Brazil. The company has investment projects in South America, India and China,” they wrote.

Licensing obstacle blocks wind energy development in Turkey

Xİ CHEN

ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

A record of 756 wind power plant applications totaling 78,000 megawatts of energy – about twice the existing total energy supply in Turkey, are waiting to be approved by the government since their initial applications in November 2007.

“The technical capacity is there, the investors are ready, all we are waiting for are government licenses.” Tanay Sıdkı Uyar, professor at Marmara University, as well as a vice president of the World Wind Energy Association, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

Uyar, on his way to China to attend the Fourth China International Wind Energy Exhibition and Conference, lasting till Thursday, said Turkey and China are similar in trying to utilize their wind power potential. However, in China there is more government support in legal framework and in providing land and resource to develop wind energy.

The lack of government support had already hindered wind power development in the country in the past. In 2000, about 25 potential sites for wind power projects had been identified and were undergoing evaluation, but none of 17 wind power projects that had received their approvals have proceeded because of an absence of sovereign guarantees.

“The renewable energy support law is waiting in the Turkish Parliament to be approved,” Uyar added, in reference to the underdevelopment of regulatory framework in the sector.

Turkey currently ranks 19th in global wind power capacity, but it could easily be in the top 10, according to Uyar.

Huge potential

Surrounded by the Black Sea to the north, the Marmara and the Aegean Sea to the west and the Mediterranean Sea to the south, Turkey has huge potential for wind power generation. A study carried out in 2002 concluded that Turkey has a theoretical wind energy potential of nearly 90,000 megawatts. So far only about 1,000 megawatts capacity wind farms are in operation in Turkey, generating less than 0.5 percent of total electricity consumed. In wind power, pioneer countries include Denmark, which has one-fifth of its energy consumption generated from wind.

Turkey, in contrast, relies heavily on imported energy. Only around 30 percent of the total energy demand is met by domestic sources. 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 megawatts, even assuming an average 8 percent annual growth in power consumption.

“More importance has been given to hydropower and coal power plants. They are good for Turkish business, but they are not good for the environment,” Uyar said.

Turkey’s carbon emissions increased by 136 percent between 1996 and 2007, but since there is no requirement for Turkey in the Kyoto Protocol, the government did not have enough incentive to reduce carbon footprints.

Developing the wind sector also helps employment, particularly for local employment, compared to other energy projects. The sector currently employs 550,000 people worldwide, which is expected to double in two years.

The drive to develop wind power capacity is a global trend. According to statistics by the European Wind Energy Association, more new wind power capacity was installed in the EU in 2009 than any other electricity-generating technology. Some 39 percent of all new capacity installed last year was wind power.

The next World Wind Energy Conference & Exhibition will be held in Istanbul from June 15 to 17 with a special focus on large-scale energy integration.

Solar Thermal Energy – cheaper & easier than Photovoltaics

Written by Levent Bas



Solar thermal energy, which is the oldest way of tapping power from the sun, has been used for years in heating applications for households. Although its counterpart solar photovoltaic seems to be getting more attraction, according to European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF), solar thermal energy industry in Europe has grown over 60% in 2008.

In a recent interview broadcasted by RenewableEnergyWorld.Com, Olivier Drücke, president of ESTIF, mentions that the solar thermal potential in Europe can meet 15% of heating and cooling demand in 2030 and up to 50% in 2050. That is particularly significant given that heating and cooling demand represents 50% of the final energy consumption in Europe (with the remaining 20% for electricity generation and 30% for transportation).

Global market

According to ESTIF statistics, the fastest growing European solar thermal market in 2008 was in Germany. Germans have reached 11 million sq-m of solar panel surface area (7,765 MWt) by installing a record number of 2.1 mil sq-m in 2008.

China is reported to have almost 130 mil sq-m collectors already installed, making it the biggest market in the world (too big for the graph as well). Turkey, still one of the biggest markets in the world, installs around 500,000 sq-m each year.

Cyprus, Israel and Austria have developed their markets significantly in recent years, consequently positioning themselves as the global leaders in installed capacity per capita. Austrian manufacturers are dominating 40% of the solar thermal market in Europe.

Japan installs around 300,000 sq-m every year, and roughly 15% of Japanese households are equipped with solar water heating systems. The USA is one of the biggest markets for low temperature systems, accounting for 11 mil sq-m. However, as can be observed from the graph, the market development in medium and high temperature systems has been negligible when taking into account the country’s potential.

Is it worth considering?

In his interview, Mr. Drücke points out that developing common industry standards and offering public incentives is important. He emphasizes that creating public awareness programs is the key to having success in this industry, including a cleaner environment and more jobs as a consequence.

It is clear that installing the application is easy for households since the technology is less complicated and cheaper than PV. According to The Solar Guide, the payback period for an investment in a solar water heating system is 3 to 5 years, although it may vary a lot in different countries due to national standards and differences in manufacturing quality.

The return of investment depends on the system and the current fuel source that is being used to heat the water. It makes more sense to install a combi-system (hot water+space heating) whereby a 12-20 sq-m would completely cover a household’s water heating demand and a substantial part of its space heating demand in spring and in autumn.

How does Solar Thermal work?

The basic mechanism of solar thermal energy is to collect the solar radiation and transfer the heat directly or indirectly to its final destination via a heat transfer medium – usually a fluid.

The most commonly used applications are Domestic Hot water (DHW), Combined DHW and Space Heating, District Heating, Solar Cooling and Air-Conditioning. High Temperature Solar Thermal Electricity Generation is also among solar thermal applications. (e.g. solar tower and parabolic through applications).

The key component of the solar thermal systems is the collectors which can be divided into two groups:

• Unglazed collectors have been used in the industry for a long time, mainly for heating open-air swimming pools. There is no heat exchanger in the system, and the water is flowing directly through long thin tubes. It is cheap and easy to install. Due to the simplicity of unglazed collectors, they cannot fulfill the needs for delivering full-time energy. Unglazed collectors are mainly used in the USA and in Australia.

• Glazed collectors are much more efficient in supplying continuous heating and achieving higher temperatures than unglazed ones. Glazed collectors are usually rectangular boxes covered by glass, containing little pipes and tubes and a heat absorbing material inside. There are different types of collectors for different means of use. Glazed collectors are commonly used in China, Europe and the Middle East.

Turkey Is Getting Ready To Harvest Its Renewable Energy Potential

When we talk about wind, solar and geothermal power, geographical conditions such as surface areas and sunny latitudes are very important. Turkey offers excellent conditions for all of these renewable energy sources. Its young population of 70 million – 61% are under the age of 35 – and its strategic location between Europe and the Middle East, add to Turkey’s potential for a leading green power nation.

As Turkey aims at taking its place among the top-ten biggest economies by 2050, an increase in its energy consumption is inevitable. Electricity demand has been growing with an annual rate of 6.5% since 2002, up to current levels of 198,000 GWh/y. Scenarios forecast a 6% growth rate until 2020, compared to growth rates of 1-3% in developed countries. However, Turkey’s growth of electricity supply barely matches its fast growth of demand. The country began experiencing shortages already, and power has become a more popular daily topic. Total installed capacity is at 42,000 MW, with foreign natural gas (48%), coal (29%) and hydro power (17%) providing the biggest shares of resources. So far, the share of renewable energy is close to 1% of the total installed capacity.

In 2006, the government passed a set of incentives to stimulate the renewable energy sector. The efforts successfully resulted in substantial increases in the wind power capacity to 433 MW in 2009 from 50 MW levels in 2006. From 2007 to 2008, the capacity almost quadrupled. Currently, there is additional 450 MW construction to be completed by the end of 2009. Roof-top solar panels, which are commonly used for water heating in the Mediterranean region, produce energy equivalent to almost 4800 GWh/y, however installed photovoltaic capacity is only 2 MW. Turkey is the 5th in the World in operating geothermal energy applications with equivalence of 1380 MW capacity used in direct district heating and tourism industry. Geothermal power production capacity is currently 30 MW. So far, only modest steps have been taken since the government has not set clear targets or competitive incentives on new technologies yet.

According to studies, Turkey has around 48,000 MW of wind power potential with speeds higher than 7 m/s. The geothermal energy potential of the country is around 31,500 MW -one of the highest in Europe- which could be used for both heating and electricity production purposes. As Turkey is the second sunniest country in Europe after Spain, it can draw 380,000 GWh/y of solar energy – almost double the total electricity consumption of the country in 2008.

Turkey has signed the UNFCCC Kyoto Protocol this year, and the country is going to be assigned a reduction of greenhouse gases for the post-2012-phase, which will eventually turn into clearer targets in its renewable energy sector.

It is expected that the Parliamentary General Assembly will pass an amendment to “Renewable Energy Resources Law 4628″ in July, effectively setting a purchase price, or feed-in-tariff, for renewable energy. While the renewable energy can be sold to the public at rates shown in Graph-1, the prices are still not competitive enough to make solar favorable against natural gas. The tariffs for photovoltaics are set at EUR 0.25/kWh only for the first 10 years of operation, and then decrease to EUR 0.20 for the next 10 years. While rates in other European countries are much more attractive (see Graph-2), particularly in countries like Greece and Italy trying to catch up to their western neighbors, it is the first serious step towards setting a long-term purchase price incentive for renewable energy producers. The mechanism is expected to increase developments in the Turkish renewable energy sector, and investors are already beginning to position themselves in the market.

There are still many unclear issues regarding regulations and their execution. While this problem is not unique to Turkey, the country’s transmission grid needs extensive upgrades. Despite this and other much needed developments, EU directives, feed-in-tariffs, Kyoto mechanism obligations, and technological developments in the solar and wind industries are pushing the country onto the right track. Setting up and achieving goals may need more time than planned, but it is clear that Turkey is becoming more aware of its natural conditions.

Turkey's Anel to cooperate with Toyota on solar energy plant

Turkey's Anel Energy & Electricity Production Industry Corp. will cooperate with Toyota Tsusho Corp. on solar energy power plant.

The two corporations signed a non-binding protocol to build a solar energy power plant in Turkey.

Anel stated on Monday that under the protocol, a company --which would be established jointly by Anel and Toyota-- would have a license after renewable energy law was adopted in Turkey.

If both corporations agree on the project, the joint company will generate electricity based on solar power.

Turkey's Demirdöküm invests 1 mln pounds in solar energy

Monday, August 2, 2010

DENIZLİ- Anatolia News Agency

Demirdöküm has invested 1.4 million pounds in a newly produced solar energy system, said Chairman Christoph Grosser, adding that the news system both guaranteed better efficiency and promised a fashionable design, enabling better heat insulation.

Speaking to press during his visit in the Aegean province of Denizli on July 26 to review the Demirdöküm Solar Sunrol systems installed at an apartment complex, Grosser said the company had made two large investments since 2008, including Solar Sunrol and an air-conditioner factory.

While the company was a part of the Koç group, it did not make any investments, he said, but did so after it was acquired by Vaillant Group, making an 8 million-pound investment.

“We have designed an air conditioner, 78 percent of which is composed of industrial components from Turkish suppliers,” he said. “We mostly used Turkish components rather than those imported from China. Since 2009, we have introduced 600,000 air conditioners into the market every year.”

Speaking about Sunrol Solar products, Grosser said these were a result of intense research and development studies, adding that the company had made use of a special production technology called Roll Bond, a first in Turkey, for which the company invested 1.4 million pounds at its Bozüyük factory in the Marmara province of Bilecik.

“By virtue of the Roll Bond system, we have produced the best performance solar panel with 83.6 percent efficiency. The system can even work at minus 40 degrees Celsius.”

Higher heat capacity

Grosser said the most prominent feature of the system was that it used 54 channels to circulate water rather than 18 or 24 as is used in conventional systems.

“This makes the panel have higher heat capacity and instead of using three conventional panels, we can do perfectly well with two of these panels,” he said. “This means by using our product you can save one panel.”

The system enhances efficiency from 74 to 86 percent, while the installation process is also faster.

Moreover, the panels are installed on roofs without welding, meaning that because the panels have high heat capacity, they can be installed vertically on building façades.

“Normally, panels require a certain degree of slope; however, our system does not need a slope surface due to its high efficiency,” he said. “We are aiming to fix the ugly look on the rooftops in the future, working on more fashionable designs for our solar system. Thus, we hope that we both will acquire more efficiency and enable a better look in addition to better heat insulation. “

$1.5 bln solar energy investment on its way to Malatya

A leading British solar energy company is likely to make a $1.5 billion investment in the eastern province of Malatya aimed at producing renewable energy at a cost lower than the market price in Turkey and offering employment for thousands of people in the city.

Albright International is set to make the investment to take advantage of state subsidies to be provided as part of a renewable energy law that is expected to be enacted soon by Parliament. Bayram Şahin, the owner of Şahin Holding, Albright’s Turkish distributor, told Today’s Zaman that his firm and Albright representatives had a meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last week in which they committed to establishing a manufacturing plant in Malatya for the production of solar panels, after which they plan to engage in the production of solar energy for consumption in Turkey. If no changes are made to the bill that is awaiting a vote in Parliament, Turkey will subsidize $0.12 per kilowatt hour (kWh) of solar energy and 0.055 euros for each kWh of wind energy. Many companies, however, are calling for these amounts to be increased. The government is pushing a renewable energy agenda in order to establish a more environmentally sustainable way of meeting Turkey’s energy needs while also reducing its dependence on foreign countries in the field of energy. Şahin said they are waiting for the bill to be enacted before releasing funds for the establishment of a large facility in Malatya. However, he stressed that the government should distinguish real investors from intermediary companies who only buy and sell energy after adding their own profit margins onto the price. “After the renewable energy paw is passed in Parliament, there needs to be a competition between the companies at the licensing stage. Our Energy Ministry should choose whichever company bids with the cheapest price, even it is only one cent,” Şahin said. Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Malatya deputy Mehmet Şahin, who has been working for three years to convince the company to invest in his region, said the project will provide jobs for thousands of people in his constituency. “I hope this project is realized as soon as the renewable energy law is enacted and Malatya reaches the level it deserves,” he said. Şahin previously brought Anemon Hotels to Malatya and also secured significant capital for the city’s municipality by helping to sell the wholesale food market building there to a foreign company for TL 60 million. If the bill is enacted without any changes, companies seeking to benefit from the government subsidies will need to apply to the Energy Market Regulatory Agency (EPDK) by Oct. 31 of each year at the latest. Renewable energy firms other than those producing solar energy will have to start operating before Dec. 31, 2015 to receive the incentives. For solar energy companies, on the other hand, the government will provide subsidies for 15 years if the company is made operational before Dec. 31, 2012. For those who fail to meet that deadline, the size of the subsidies will be reduced by 8 percent for each year past this date.

13 August 2010, Friday

ERCAN BAYSAL ANKARA

Turkey yet to harness huge solar energy potential

Turkey has yet to harness its renewable energy potential due to a lack of legislation on the issue. Only 17 percent of the 198 billion kilowatt-hours of electrical energy generated in Turkey in 2008 came from renewable energy sources.

Turkey is home to an ideal climate for wind and solar energy investments, with an average of more than seven hours of sunshine a day and bordering the Aegean, Black and Mediterranean seas.

Turkey’s demand for electricity is increasing steadily and Turkish policymakers are eager to decrease the country’s dependence on foreign nations for the gas and oil that, among other things, fuel Turkish electricity power plants. But Turkey has yet to harness its renewable energy potential due to a lack of legislation on the issue. Only 17 percent of the 198 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electrical energy generated in Turkey in 2008 came from renewable energy sources. As for its ability to make use of its solar energy potential, the country’s total established solar energy power is less than 1 megawatt (MW). “The solar energy potential of Turkey itself is enough to meet Turkey’s overall energy needs threefold,” says Tanay Sıdkı Uyar, the director of Marmara University’s New Technologies Research and Application Center and vice president of the European Association for Renewable Energy (EUROSOLAR) Turkey. He stresses that there are three things needed in making use of solar energy: the source, the technology to make use of it and decision mechanisms that see renewable energy as useful and believe that it is the best solution to energy needs. “We have the sun. It shines every day, everywhere. Turkey is very lucky in this way. There is also the technology. Solar energy-related technologies have advanced in the world since the ‘80s. Now, we just lack the third step,” he says. He recalls that the renewable energy legislation that was approved by the parliamentary Energy Commission last summer has yet to be approved by Parliament. The government characterizes the Renewable Energy Law (YEK), prepared by the parliamentary Energy Commission, as revolutionary, asserting that YEK will transform Turkey into a base for energy investment. The most important innovation brought about by the new YEK proposal is that the areas of investment in energy have been identified one by one rather than being lumped together, as was the case in the past. Turkey currently obtains more than half of all its electricity needs from natural gas plants. With investment in renewable energy arenas, the variety of supply options would be secured. The most recent New Energy Strategy Document states the goal of having five different sources to supply the 100,000 MW of electrical energy Turkey is predicted to need by 2023. The goal of the country is 20,000 MW in renewable energy sources in Turkey. So Turkey is aiming to reduce its dependence on natural gas and outside sources to a minimum. However, the bill, which was expected to be on Parliament’s agenda this summer, was delayed again, which many fear may lead to Turkey missing the renewable energy train. Kemal İbiş from the Konya-based Solimpeks Solar Energy Systems Co. -- Turkey’s top exporter of solar technologies in 2008 -- compares Turkey and Germany in their solar energy potential and their ability to harness their potential. “Turkey’s northernmost reaches receive more sunrays than Germany’s southernmost region. While Germany’s target is to meet 20 percent of its energy needs from solar energy by 2015, Turkey does not have such a serious goal. The leading reason behind this is a lack of awareness on the issue,” İbiş says. He says Turkey’s biggest deficiency in making use of solar energy is a lack of incentives for the sector, which leads to high costs for investments in electricity-generating systems in particular. Solimpeks emphasizes innovation in solar technologies and is hoping to sell hybrid PV-T collector solar panels (Solimpeks is the second-largest global manufacturer of the technology) to the Turkish market if the new legislation passes. Association of Solar Electricity Producers and Photovoltaic Industrialists and Businessmen (Güneşe Derneği) President Mehmet Özer also agrees that the lack of legislation deals a severe blow to the Turkish solar energy sector. Özer said, in a written statement he recently released to criticize Parliament’s failure to pass YEK, that it is difficult to understand Turkey’s failure even though the world is leaning towards renewable energy sources. Stating that Turkey relies on foreign countries for about 70 percent of its energy needs, Özer, whose association works in partnership with the European PhotoVoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) to increase solar electricity production in Turkey, said the delay in the passage of the bill discouraged players in the solar energy sector. He also has concerns that the law will not be able to boost investments even if passed. Noting that Turkey will be still behind European Mediterranean countries such as Italy and Greece, he said the possibility that the law might born dead as well as its delay causes fear in the sector.

25 July 2010, Sunday

ŞULE KULU İSTANBUL

SOLAR ENERGY IN TURKEY

1. SOLAR ENERGY POTENTIAL

Turkey is located in a relatively advantageous geographical position. The solar energy potential evaluations made by EIE, based on the data measured by the State Meteorological Services during 1966-1982 revealed :

- The annual average total insolation duration as 2640 hours (7,2 hours/day)

- Average annual solar radiation as 1311 kWh/m²-year (3,6 kWh/m²-day)

Monthly solar energy potential of Turkey is given in Table 1. Solar energy potential according to the geographical regions is given in Table 2.

However it has been recognized that the existing meteorological data is lower than the actual solar energy data of Turkey. EIE and DMI have been taking new measurements since 1992 to determine the more accurate solar energy data. Although the measurements have not been completed yet, the collected data indicates that the actual solar energy radiation values are 20-25% higher than the existing data.

A model was developed with the data from the 8 measurement stations of EIE and with the data from the DMI measurement stations. Accordingly, the solar radiation and insolation values are calculated for 57 cities of Turkey. The study is published as a report. (Solar Energy Data )

Table-1 Monthly Average Solar Potential of Turkey Source: General Directorate of EIE
MONTHS	MONTHLY TOTAL SOLAR ENERGY (Kcal/cm2-month) (kWh/m2-month)		SUNSHINE DURATION (hours /month)
January	4,45	51,75	103,0
February	5,44	63,27	115,0
March	8,31	96,65	165,0
April	10,51	122,23	197,0
May	13,23	153,86	273,0
June	14,51	168,75	325,0
July	15,08	175,38	365,0
August	13,62	158,40	343,0
September	10,60	123,28	280,0
October	7,73	89,90	214,0
November	5,23	60,82	157,0
December	4,03	46,87	103,0
TOTAL	112,74	1311	2640
AVERAGE	308,0 cal/cm2-day	3,6 kWh/m2-day	7,2 hours/day

Table-2 Regional Distribution of Solar Energy Potential of Turkey Source: General Directorate of EIE
REGION	TOTAL SOLAR RADIATION (kWh/m2-year)	SUNSHINE DURATION (hours/year)
Southeastern Anatolia	1460	2993
Mediterranean	1390	2956
East Anatolia	1365	2664
Central Anatolia	1314	2628
Aegean	1304	2738
Marmara	1168	2409
Black Sea	1120	1971

2. SOLAR ENERGY UTILIZATION

Solar Flat Plate Collectors

Main solar energy utilization in Turkey is the flat plate collectors in the domestic hot water systems. Turkey is one of the leading countries in the world with a total installed capacity of 8,2 million m² collector area as of 2001. The systems are mostly used in Aegean and Mediterranean regions. Total energy production equals to 290 000 TOE (ton oil equivalent).

The industry is well developed with high quality manufacturing and export capacity. The number of companies is around 100. Annual manufacturing capacity is 750 000 m².

The contribution of solar collectors to the primary energy production is given below:

Year	Solar Energy Contribution (thousand TOE )
1998	210
1999	236
2000	262
2001	290

Photovoltaic Systems

Utilization of photovoltaic systems is limited with the usage of some governmental organizations in remote service areas such as telecom stations, forest fire observation towers and highway emergency. Total installed peak power is estimated as 300 kWp.

INSTITUTES

EIE is the responsible organization from the development and utilization of solar energy in Turkey.

Regarding the solar energy research, in addition to EIE, TUBITAK Marmara Research Center and some universities (Ege University Solar Energy Institute, Mugla University, METU, Kocaeli University, Fırat University) carry on research projects.

On the solar radiation data; State Meteorological Service (DMI) collects solar data. EIE also has been separately collecting data since 1991.

Related standards: Standards on solar energy system were prepared by Turkish Standard Institute. Currently there are two standards:

- TS 3680 –Solar Energy Collectors- Flat Plate

- TS 3817 – Rules for the Manufacturation, Installation and Operation of Solar Water Heaters

EIE contributed to the preparation of standards. Thermal performance tests of the certificate procedure are also performed by EIE.