US companies seek local energy accords

Turkey’s goal to become one of the world’s top 10 economies by 2023 may falter if it fails to invest enough in energy, a U.S. official said yesterday as he led a delegation of American businessmen looking for energy deals in Turkey.“Turkey has set a very ambitious aspiration to be a top 10 economy by 2023, the 100th anniversary of the modern Republic,” U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Market Access and Compliance (MAC) Michael Camunez said in a speech at the Ankara Industry Chamber (ASO). “To achieve this goal, Turkey will have to triple the size of its economy, which will require significant foreign investment. Investments in the energy sector are one of the key factors for Turkey to achieve that goal.”He said Turkey would need $200 billion in foreign investment in order to draw 30 percent of its electricity supply from renewable sources in the next 12 years, in addition to using the best technology available worldwide.Camunez visited Ankara at the helm of a delegation made up of representatives of 16 leading U.S. companies in the renewable energy sector interested in investment partnerships in Turkey, as well as government officials from U.S. financing agencies. “It is a very special time in the relationship between the U.S. and Turkey,” he said. “Much credit is owed to our leaders, President Barack Obama, President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the vision and model they put forward of a strategic partnership between the two countries. Their vision was to ensure economic bilateral relations were as strong as the strategic and political relationships.”ASO chairman Nurettin Özdebir said Turkey’s urgent interest lay in renewable energy given global climate changes and the country’s above-average energy consumption. “We are in a region that will be affected the most from climate changes due to global warming. Anatolia is faced with the risk of desertification,” said Özdebir. He said Turkey was using 30 percent more energy compared to country average in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). “In comparison, Japan uses one third of the energy we use,” he said. “As the need for energy rises, the price of energy will also rise, while having a negative effect on the climate.”The companies whose representatives attended the meeting included General Electric, Abound Solar, WorldBusiness Capital Inc. and Dow Energy of the United States, as well as Nurol, Güriş, Yüksel Enerji, GAMA, OSTİM and Aksu Mining of Turkey.

Why don't we like solar energy?

Tunç Korun is the second generation boss of Form Group (Form Şirketler Grubu), which has specialized in productive use of energy since 1965.His group created a cooling system for hotels using seawater. He also focuses on heating homes using a system installed underground and, more recently, producing solar powered electricity.Korun has dedicated much of his energy to produce his own electricity by installing solar panels of 2 kwh to the roof of his own house. He is very right to do so in a country like Turkey where there is plenty of sunshine. However, the data he submits demonstrates how far behind Turkey is in this field.Germany, which does not even have one tenth of our sun, is the world leader in solar energy, having installed an 18,000 megawatt capacity. The runners-up include Spain, Japan, the U.S., Italy, China and France. As of the end of 2010, installed solar energy capacity in the world has reached 35,730 megawatts.According to International Energy Agency calculations, by 2020, solar energy capacity will be up to 390,000 megawatts.Looking at Turkey we see that installed power capacity is only 3 megawatts.In short, we have seriously missed a free energy source that nature has awarded us with only “one in 10,000” of the world’s installed power.In a conversation with Korun two and a half years ago, he said that the newly appointed Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yıldız was enthusiastic about “renewable energy including solar power.”Today, Korun is pessimistic about the policy the energy minister has adopted. “Yıldız has pushed aside renewable energy. One or two companies like us that defend solar energy were full of hope for two years but not now. We were saying that Turkey was dependent on foreign natural gas and now, dependency on nuclear energy is increasing. The resources we have in hand are being ignored,” he said.Compared to two years ago, the cost of producing electricity from the sun has decreased to 2,000 euros per kwh from 5,000 euros. This is good news.The bad news is the incentive payments the state grants for electricity production from the sun. According to Korun, this is a “negative incentive” because the $0.13 incentive per kwh the state has declared past January is below the present grid price. Consequently, it is obvious Ankara has a dim view on solar energy.At a time when governments focus more on “low carbon” economies and opt for all kinds of renewable energy, Turkey can take small steps forward only with the efforts of the private sector.The photovoltaic panel system that produces electricity from the sun developed by the Form Group has been installed in some buildings of major companies such as Arçelik, Migros, Özdilek, Toyota and Perfetti. Demand for the photovoltaic panel system is gradually increasing, Korun said, and companies favor this system because of prestige of obtaining a “green building” certificate.I have not quite heard that public buildings have had solar energy systems installed despite the fact that they should be the ones pioneering in this field.I wonder if Turkey’s Housing and Development Administration ever considers solar energy when it launches major projects within the context of “urban transformation” due to the risk of earthquakes.

Ukraine delegation invites Turkish companies for mega projects

Ukraine is calling on leading Turkish firms to take a share in the country’s giant projects, ranging from energy to construction initiatives worth approximately $15 billion, the top executive of a Turkish business council said yesterday.Turkish firms have been invited to collaborate on these projects as Turkey has already proved its capacity through its investments in Ukraine, according to Ruşen Çetin, chairman of Turkish-Ukrainian Business Council of Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK).The many energy, infrastructure and construction projects designed by Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych are likely to attract Turkish firms to form consortiums.The Ukrainian president will visit Turkey on Dec. 22 to meet Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchange (TOBB) and leading Turkish firms to finalize some of the projects, Çetin added.“Ukraine plans to construct a liquefied natural gas [LNG] terminal in one of the Black Sea ports of Ukraine in order to receive, store and re-gasify liquid natural gas,” said Vladyslav Kaskiv, head of the Ukrainian State Agency for Investment and National Projects of Ukraine (SAINPU) while also noting the possibility of delivering the gas to Ukrainian and European consumers.The project envisages the construction of a LNG terminal with a total capacity of 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. The country aims to attract $9.5 million investment in biomass energy in the Kyiv region.There are also separate plans for businesses from the two countries to work together on sport facilities build in preparation for the Ukrainian Winter Olympic Games bid in 2022. The project, named “Olympic Hope 2020,” would take place in the valley of Borzhava, in the southern Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains. Residence blocks, hotels and winter sport facilities would be built on a plot of nearly 350,000 square meters of land.In addition, the Ukrainian “Clean City” project envisages the construction of 10 centers with a total capacity for household waste of up to 2 million tons per year, as well as the realization of the “Open World” initiative, which is designed to develop broadband network access for nearly 20,000 schools across Ukraine.Ukraine is also planning to spend 40 million euros on the construction of a 10-megawatt solar power plant and 150 million euros on the construction of a 100-megawatt wind farm. On average, 1 MW of power can supply electricity to as many as 300 U.S. households per year. According to TurkStat figures, the average person in Turkey consumes 540 kW of electricity in one year.“Turkish construction firms have nearly $20 billion in contracts in nearly 90 countries,” said Selçuk Tayfun, deputy secretary general of Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, noting that the Ukrainian construction projects of Turkish firms were worth $3.7 billion

November/22/2011

GE, Metcap invest in energy facilities

General Electric and Turkey’s Metcap have agreed to jointly build a natural gas-fired power plant in the northwestern province of Kırklareli, as well as a hybrid power plant based on natural gas, solar and wind power in the Central Anatolian province of Karaman.The Eurostar project to be built in the small village of Erikleryurdu in Kırklareli with a capacity of 878 megawatts will help generate power for Istanbul, supporting Turkey’s efforts to modernize its aging energy infrastructure and meet growing electricity requirements, said Kerem Metin, a deputy chairman in Metcap.“The capacity is slated to be increased in the future and connected to Istanbul grids and Bulgarian and Greek grids,” he said during a press meeting in Istanbul on Nov. 18. The Eurostar plant will consist of nine gas turbines, one stream turbine and one heat recovery stream generation unit.“Dervish,” the other joint project, will initially have a capacity of 570 megawatts, which is scheduled to be increased to up to 1.08 gigawatts in the future. The project will enable the power grid to efficiently utilize wind, solar and natural gas based electricity generation, said Celal Metin, Metcap’s chairman. Dervish will be completed in 2015, according to officials.“Turkey’s dependence on foreign energy comes second after China,” Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said during a meeting.The country’s energy needs will be doubled in 10 years’ time, he said.“We have to meet the demand and reduce our dependence on energy imports,” he said, noting that renewable energy sources had the potential to play an important role on that issue.

Turkish politics hindering renewable energy, group says

Barriers to implementing the complete usage of renewable energy are political rather than technical or economic, according to the final conclusions of the International 100% Renewable Energy Conferences and Exhibitions (IRENEC), which was held in Istanbul Oct. 6-8.“Political resistance and interest groups prevent [the 100 percent use of renewable energy],” IRENEC wrote in a press statement yesterday.Transition to a decentralized energy system is highly hindered by the existing energy production system, which is highly centralized, according to the statement. Each building could have its own solar energy production, each forest area could have biomass energy and each windy region could have its own wind energy production point instead, it said.About 200 representatives from universities, research institutions, energy technology and industries manufacturing, investors, managers, urban planners and architects from 30 countries participated in the conference.Examples from Germany, Austria and Denmark presented at the conference showed how proper incentives and policies could make 100 percent renewable energy for whole cities or provinces. Political will and decisiveness in these countries has encouraged renewables, the statement said.

October/17/2011

Turkey, potent in geothermal

Turkey could save up to $400 million annually if it fully uses its potential in the geothermal energy sector. Turkey could save up to $400 million annually if it fully uses its potential in the geothermal energy sector, according to the Energy Ministry’s vice general director for metals exploration, Hayrullah Dağıstan.Speaking at the Energy and Environment Sector Board’s consultative meeting Sunday in the eastern province of Van, Dağıstan said Turkey could gain a $10 billion net income in the medium term and employ some 300,000 people if it fully and efficiently utilizes its potential in the geothermal energy sector.

Turkish village opts for wind energy

A Turkish village in the northwestern province of Bursa has begun producing its own electricity after the state power company ended service due to the village’s unpaid electricity bill.Akbıyık village in Yenişehir found an alternative way of generating its own electricity after the Turkish Electricity Distribution Company (TEDAŞ) cut the electricity of the villagers who could not pay their bills, which totaled 33,000 Turkish Liras, 1.5 years ago, Doğan news agency (DHA) reported Sunday. The villagers, after conducting research about alternative sources of energy, proposed a windmill project to the Bursa Provincial Administration nearly a year ago. After the project was approved for nearly 160,000 liras, the village started to produce approximately 50 kilowatt-hours of electricity and was able to pump water to homes.Kemal Demirel, secretary general of the provincial administration, said windmills in Turkey were run by private companies, but this particular windmill belonged to the villagers, according to DHA. The project was completely funded by the administration. “They have no electricity expense at the moment,” said Demirel, adding that the same project would be implemented in other Bursa villages in the future.“We already paid our debt to TEDAŞ, and now without needing any other company, we are generating our electricity freely,” said Mustafa Çiçek, the village’s headman. Hydrogen island in the westMeanwhile, the International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies (ICHET), a United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) project, launched one of its global pilot projects on the Aegean island of Bozcaada, with the plant beginning generation yesterday. The pilot plant has photovoltaic panels of 20 kwh and a 30 kwh windmill to provide electricity to 20 houses on the island.“Generating energy from hydrogen will be a model for many other cities to find alternative and clean energy models,” ICHET-UNIDO Turkey General Director Mustafa Hatipoğlu said at the opening ceremony held in Bozcaada.

Vestas competes with rivals for Turkey wind power sales

Vestas Wind Systems, the world’s largest wind-turbine maker, will compete with Enercon and Nordex for market share in Turkey as the government awards more wind-power licenses, according to a company managing director.“Vestas is the biggest wind turbine supplier in Turkey with about 30 percent market share,” Mehmet Ali Neyzi, a managing director in charge of Turkey and the Middle East for Danish-based Vestas. “Now that the government has paved the way for new licenses, after a suspension period, competition has started to increase, and we want to keep our market share, though some minor fall is possible.”A new law guarantees the government will purchase wind and hydro power for 7.3 U.S. cents per kilowatt hour, and there are additional incentives planned for using locally made equipment, potentially adding 0.4 cents to 2.4 cents to the guaranteed price for five years. This is attracting investment after three years of lull, Neyzi said. Purchase prices for wind power in Europe are about 13.15 U.S. cents.Turkey, which has 50,475 megawatts of total power capacity including 1,406 megawatts from wind, received wind-power license applications for about 80,000 megawatts in 2007. The Turkish Electricity Transmission Company, or TEİAŞ, started auctions in February to award licenses for 8,000 megawatts of wind power and has awarded licenses for about half that total, according to the utility’s website. The government aims for 20,000 megawatts of wind power by 2020, about one-quarter of total capacity.Vestas is also competing with General Electric and Siemens to supply wind power equipment in Turkey, Neyzi said. Enercon and Nordex are its biggest rivals in the sector, he said.[HH] Striving to cut foreign dependenceTurkey wants to increase hydroelectric, wind and solar power to cut dependence on gas from Iran and Russia and meet increasing power demand, which Neyzi estimates is growing 6 percent to 8 percent annually.“We urgently need the secondary legislation to be passed” to provide the additional incentives for using locally produced wind-power equipment, Neyzi said.“Wind equipment prices fell about 20 percent from 2008 and this will help the government to reach its wind-power capacity target,” Neyzi said. Vestas is delivering orders within six to eight months, compared with about two years before the financial crisis hit global demand in 2008, he said.Vestas, which has manufacturing plants in Spain, Italy, Germany and Denmark, is studying options to build blades and nacelle casings in Turkey, Neyzi said. “Turkey can be a good manufacturing location with its logistics advantages and quality workforce,” he said.If Vestas builds its own blades in Turkey, it will do so through its wholly owned local unit, Neyzi said. Vestas has a Turkish subcontractor in western Bursa province, which builds turbine towers, he said.General Electric, or GE, which aims to expand its Turkish energy business, may revive a plan developed before the 2008 credit crisis to build wind turbines in Turkey, Mete Maltepe, the head of GE’s local energy units said in an interview in November.Vestas is working with Aksa Akrilik Kimya Sanayii, a Turkish maker of acrylic and carbon fibers, to procure carbon fibers for its wind turbine blades.

Interest in renewables rising, Frost says

The recovery of the global economy and rising oil prices are encouraging investors to turn to renewable energy, according to a recent report by Frost & Sullivan. With increasing attention on the development of renewables, Turkey is among the countries that will witness strong growth in this area, the researcher and consultancy firm said.According to Frost & Sullivan estimates, non-hydro renewables - wind , solar, biomass, geothermal and marine energy - are expected to more than double their global share from 3.6 percent in 2010 to 7.7 percent in 2020.“Turkey is highly dependent on natural gas imports for power generation,” said the report. “This is prompting greater investments in alternative generating options. The state is aiming to increase their share notably by 2023 in the energy mix.”Turkey‘s energy demand is expected to grow by 6-8 percent in the forthcoming years, the report said, emphasizing the key driver of growing interest in renewables.Investments in the solar market have lagged behind due to “lacking complementary regulations,” according to Frost. “The market will hopefully accelerate after the completion of the grid connection regulation that will define the procedures and the technical details of the connection of the solar systems to the grid,” said the report.For wind energy, Turkey’s installed capacity has reached 1,266 megawatts as of the end of 2010, Frost said. However, companies face a “long licensing period” with many procedural changes implemented through the applied projects, the consultancy said. Frost found the 2023 target to reach 20,000 MW in installed capacity “a quite optimistic goal” within the current bureaucratic framework.With a potential of 600 MW, Turkey ranks seventh in the world in geothermal energy. “After the passing of the latest law declaring the new feed-in tariffs among renewables in 2010, the industry promises a brighter future,” Frost said in the report.

Zorlu to build largest geothermal power station in Turkey

Zorlu Doğal Elektrik, a sister company of Turkish energy producer Zorlu Enerji, will construct the country’s largest geothermal power station in Kızıldere in the southwestern province of Denizli.Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation and Fuji Electric, both world-renowned companies, won the tender to build the power station, which will provide 60 megawatts of electrical power and 50 megawatts of thermal power capacity.On average 1 MW of power can supply electricity to as many as 300 U.S. households per year. According to TurkStat figures, the average person in Turkey consumes 540 kW of electricity in one year.“We have made an important step toward Turkey’s largest geothermal power station, which we aim to finish in 2013,” Arif Özozan, Zorlu’s general director, said in a statement.Through this new investment, the group aims to support new working areas, particularly in greenhouse business and thermal tourism. “We will give priority to both local employment and organic agriculture,” he said.Zorlu will soon possess a steam turbine with a capacity of 650 tons per hour that will be produced in Japan and delivered to the group in July. It will be installed at the Kızıldere geothermal power station that Zorlu Enerji took over in 2008.The company first did some rehabilitation works to increase the station’s capacity from 7 to 15 megawatts, according to Özozan. Drilling and exploration works then followed for about a year, after which Zorlu decided to invest in Turkey’s largest geothermal power station.

Turkey should switch to renewables, expert says

As one of the strongest economies in the region Turkey should not rely on nuclear and fossil fuels such as oil and gas, which is the biggest import item of the country, but rather focus on renewable energy sources, according to a top executive of the local branch of a European renewable energy association.“Nuclear is no more a solution for meeting energy demand in a sustainable way,” Tanay Sıdkı Uyar, president of the Turkish branch of the European Association for Renewable Energy, or EUROSOLAR, told the Daily News on Tuesday in a phone interview. Turkey should abandon plans to build fossil fuel and nuclear power plants, he added.Turkey currently plans to build 16,000 megawatts worth of fossil fuel power plants in addition to three nuclear power stations. Uyar said, however, the country should no longer continue to adopt the technologies that developed nations have already abandoned.“Despite the general belief, renewable energy sources are much more affordable for Turkey,” said Uyar, noting that “internalizing external costs” of nuclear energy and fossil fuels is way higher than renewables. According to him, if Turkey starts on the nuclear adventure, the importance of renewable energy would never be fully understood.Uyar also said Turkey has the potential to switch to renewable energy sources and could use them to meet 100 percent of the country’s energy demand by 2020.Turkey currently imports 75 percent of its energy, which is equivalent to 99 million tons of oil annually, and is expected to need 218 million tons of oil by 2020, according to the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, or TÜBITAK.Focusing on renewable resources is crucial for the country’s EU candidacy, as the bloc is considering a tax based on carbon emissions to reduce fossil fuel consumption.Import deals“Turkey has import deals for gas and oil that require the country to pay for them whether they are fully consumed or not,” Uyar said, adding that the country should make a decision about the renewable energy sources as soon as possible. Emphasizing that Europe and the U.S. had started working on renewable resources in the 1980s, Uyar said, “Turkey is already late, but we should start supporting renewable energy in order to lessen dependency on Iran and Russia.”Turkey also is preparing to host the International 100% Renewable Energy Conferences, or IRENEC, on Oct. 6-8 this year in Istanbul to pursue improvements in the energy efficiency and renewable energies. Internalization of external costs, wind turbine technologies, solar power and zero-energy buildings are among the topics to be discussed during the conference.The government introduced a new incentive for renewable energy last year: a feed-in tariff for solar power of $0.133 per kilowatt-hour. This is under 10 eurocents per kilowatt and less than the 45.7 and 33 eurocents Germany and Spain pay respectively. “This cannot be called a feed-in tariff at all,” Uyar said.Private companies’ applications to the Energy Market Regulatory Authority, or EMRA, have reached 802 since 2007 and are still pending approval. Hasan Köktaş, head of the EMRA, said Monday Turkey’s electricity generation from wind plants would exceed 1,600 MW and that investments in wind power would reach to 1.6 billion euros by the end of this year, Anatolia news agency reported.

Turkish minister reacts aganist court decisions, environmentalists

Stays of execution and annulment decisions by Turkish courts cause slowdowns in hydroelectric power plant and wind energy investments, according to Energy Minister Taner Yıldız.The Turkish government aims to evaluate all the energy resources, by giving priority to domestic and renewable energy resources, Yıldız said, speaking to the Anatolia news agency. “The important point is to form a mixture of energy generation that will provide an optimum price.”“We currently observe a slowdown in hydro investments due to reactions from environmentalists and stays of execution and annulment decisions of courts,” Yıldız said. “These developments also affect investors. They say there are problems in hydroelectric and wind in addition to problems in domestic coal. There is no resource left, the sole resource then is natural gas,” he said.Noting that he always calls on related ministries and non-governmental organizations, Yıldız said: “We always propose to sit around a table and discuss the technical part of the issue. We say let’s look at the red points that are not available for renewable energy investments, including cultural and natural properties, and then pick others.”Turkey still cannot agree on from which resource it should generate its electricity need, Yıldız said. “One institution says that you built hydroelectric power plant and damage the nature. Yes, there are some bad examples, I do not object to them. We should definitely be sensitive to the environment. But others say do not build a wind farm, because it damages the radar. Do not use nuclear and coal either, they damage nature, too.”Recalling the government’s targets for the Republic’s 100th anniversary of foundation in 2023, Yıldız said within this scope Turkey’s economy would gain its full potential from hydro energy by then. The capacity of wind energy is striving for 20,000 megawatts, and the target is 600 megawatts in geothermal energy, he said. “At least 10 percent of the energy of the country is expected to be met by nuclear energy.”The installed capacity for hydroelectric energy, which was nearly 12,000 megawatts in 2003, reached around 16,000 megawatts by the end of last year, he said, adding that this figure for wind farms increased to 280 megawatts from 17 megawatts. “These figures are insufficient. Still, we have done a lot and we will continue to do more.” Two nuclear power plants planned to be established, one in the northern province of Sinop and other in the southern province of Mersin, will meet 10 percent of the electricity installed power and 20 percent of electricity consumption, Yıldız said.

Steel giant wins wind energy bid at record price

İÇDAŞ, the biggest private sector steel producer in Turkey based on production capacity, announced Friday that it won the bid for the wind plant to be installed on Biga peninsula in western Turkey by offering 5.1 kuruş per kilowatt-hour of wind.İÇDAŞ will be paying the state 11 million Turkish Liras annually for “wind rights,” which totals around 220 million liras in 20 years with consumer price index excluded.The power generated at the plant will be used to meet both the region and the company’s energy needs. IÇDAŞ previously installed one coal-powered and one hydroelectric power plant in the region.Evaluating the bid results in a press release, İÇDAŞ General Manager Bülend Engin said the company’s next target was establishing solar plants to meet the company’s energy consumption needs. “As we all know our country runs on very limited domestic energy resources. Therefore, we should be working on the make the best of our renewable resources like solar and wind power.”The price İÇDAŞ offered for the plant bid is listed as an unprecedented offer in the press release. Among the best offers in energy bids so far are 3.43 kuruş offered for Çan Transformer Station, 2.82 kuruş offered for Ayvalık Transformer Station and 2.76 kuruş offered for Taşucu Transformer Station.

Report says renewables require different incentives

Turkey it needs to develop different incentive methods for different types of technologies in order to reach its established renewable energy power targets, according to a Deloitte report.Deloitte Turkey released a renewable energy report in late April to provide a thorough analysis of Turkey’s renewable energy policies and targets.The report underlines that the key factor in acquiring the set targets in renewable energy generation is the incentive mechanisms, adding the most successful countries in carbon capping energy types merge multiple mechanisms. The report elaborates on the road map Turkey needs to attain its goals, given that it currently is in the stage of infrastructure studies concerning the formation of incentive mechanisms.The Deloitte report analyses Turkey’s current regulations, either in effect or in draft, concerning the electricity generated out of renewable resources and provides an end-analysis to aid development of renewable energy in the country.Evaluating the report, Deloitte Turkey Energy and Resources Group Responsible Partner Sibel Çetinkaya said the report was the result of a study of the renewable energy targets and strategies of more than 100 countries and it showed that different countries needed to develop different strategies for different types of renewable resources.“The best solution seems to be preparing a portfolio standard in design and application of the incentives,” she said.The types of incentive mechanisms the report mentions are fixed price guarantee, premium guarantee, quota-based green certificate, bid incentives, investment incentives and tax exemption. The report elaborates on the application areas and specific uses of each mechanism, while referring to the best examples in the world.According to the Deloitte report, Spain and Germany offer higher incentives than production costs, while the incentives in Finland are way below production costs. According to Deloitte’s research, the report notes, incentives slightly higher than production costs are most successful.[HH] ‘Turkey can reach its renewable targets’Deloitte experts state that it is possible for Turkey to attain its goals in renewable energies.“Turkey can reach its green energy targets in the following term, provided that the overall conduction capacity is increased, network investments and ameliorations are made, a central estimation center particularly for solar and wind energies is established, and the technological platform to render the incentive mechanisms effective is developed,” the report states.Turkey also needs immediately to prepare the crucial infrastructure like market management integration and diversification of fund resources.“To that end, it is of utmost importance for the investors to take action on sound market analyses,” the report says.

Access roads for wind farms reveal hidden costs of 'going green'

As Turkey seeks to capitalize on green energy projects, those looking to build in the wind-energy sector face several environmental and procedural hurdles. As prospective developers in this sector have discovered, the overall costs of implementing a large-scale renewable energy project extend far beyond installation, a problem evident in the need to construct access roads in western Turkey.In Turkey, the wind energy sector is a fairly new sector, only gaining prominence in the last 30 years. Building the foundations for wind energy in the country is a “special process,” as a representative from one of Turkey’s largest wind energy companies puts it.According to the representative, who spoke on condition of anonymity, every wind energy project in Turkey requires new access roads, due to the difficult terrain that is generally present in suitable wind farm locations. Most wind farms are often built on top of hills or in mountainous regions, largely inaccessible by roads.“The main roads mainly have to be re-built, particularly if there are many curves, a major infrastructure obstacle for wind turbine transport, since the trucks are not able to make sharp turns,” according to the representative. “Turkey is not like Germany, where most wind farms are built near highways, and where the land is flat. Roads must be built, since none exist in these areas, and more specifically they must be built to sustain heavy and large loads.”Environmentalists and community-based organizations, despite generally being in favor of these endeavors, at times have radically different opinions from renewable energy advocates. Local communities in particular may not always be so keen on the construction of service roads for wind turbines in their regions. Tasked with not only creating a renewable energy plant but also an infrastructure system, public and private authorities need to calculate the environmental and financial costs of these infrastructure schemes. This is why in Turkey, where investors are aware of this problem, wind energy companies generally anticipate access roads costs in their projected costs.Mustafa Ataseven, chairman of the Turkish Wind Energy Association, says service road construction in Turkey can be carried out in two ways.“Investors can make a contract with a Turkish company that then directly interacts with the various sub-contractors and construction companies. However, if the investor is able to finance the costs without any credit, they can directly make a deal with sub-contractors,” Ataseven told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.In both cases, the Turkish construction sector benefits from these contracts.Ataseven said it is mostly local companies that are the ones constructing access roads, either as a sub-contractor or as an investor.However, access roads are not only a financial consideration. They also can affect the local environment and the local population. Accordingly, wind energy developers must consult with local authorities, NGOs and other stakeholders when planning and constructing a wind farm.A representative of Aksa, a Turkish power generation company with three wind farms in Turkey, said his company’s wind farms had to account for building access roads in the mountains and forests, steps that were “necessary for the projects.”Aksa was also required to consult with the Ministry of Environment during the planning process of its wind farms.“We are obliged by the Ministry of Environment to prepare documentation for local communities on the specifics of the project, which can take between five and six months on average,” the representative told the Daily News.At the Turkish Wind Energy Association, Ataseven said the process of building service roads has not been disruptive to local communities.“The local construction business is good in Turkey. As you know, Turkey is second in the world in the construction business,” he said.According to Ataseven, since investors often employ local construction companies to construct these service roads, the locals benefit from wind farm schemes.“They use local construction companies, and these companies know their people. They have good relations with the local population,” he said.The wind energy sector, it seems, has thus far avoided the problems associated with Turkish hydropower schemes, where local villagers, particularly in Turkey’s Black Sea region, have often been grossly dissatisfied with the way energy was being generated at their expense. With wind still in its infancy, the jury is still out on whether it is worth the money, and worth all the asphalt.

Enel optimistic about Turkish geothermal licences

In light of specialist concerns, Enel has expressed confidence and revealed a realistic stance toward its recently purchased Turkish geothermal sites.In response to concerns about “worthless or empty licenses” across Turkey, Giuseppe Farina, Enel’s Representative for Turkey said, “Any business activity includes a certain degree of risk.”The difference, according to Farina, is rooted in Enel’s unique experience in geothermal energy, while also bearing in mind that not all licenses are of the same quality.“Enel Green Power has been operating in the geothermal industry for over a century and has experienced a solid background in identifying those licenses with a higher potential and with better development conditions,” he told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.The new agreement on the exploration of geothermal sites in western Turkey was confirmed on Jan. 24 between Italian energy giant Enel and Turkish Meteor.The venture will provide research and exploration of 142 geothermal sites in Turkey, while securing collaboration from Turkish partners and the government alike.Although specialists have questioned the profitability and quality of recently purchased geothermal sites, Enel expressed strong optimism about its business purchase in a recent interview with the Daily News.“The Turkish market is not that different from other geothermal markets. Licenses to exploit geothermal energy can be of different kinds and with different potentials,” said Farina.“We do not believe that all the leases are of the same quality, but as a result of over a hundred years of experience in geothermal energy, we will probably be able to pick up the most promising ones,” he told the Daily News.Experts have previously expressed serious concerns about the geothermal reserves, pointing to the unviable nature of many sites and worthlessness of licenses.“The sheer majority of geothermal sites are low-grade resources that could not be used for power generation,” said Ümran Serpen, professor at the Istanbul Technical University.There are so many of those worthless licenses and there are people who are eager to market them and few have made handsome profits by simply marketing a few licenses,” he told the Daily News.One of the main factors cited by Enel for investing in Turkey has been the passing of new energy laws put forward in 2007 and 2010 by the Turkish government.“The new Turkish law on renewable energy is promising enough for starting up the process, even if the tariff is slightly below what’s expected,” said Farina.However, as a result of new legal incentives to invest in renewable energy, the prices have fallen to a reasonable level, said Farina.“In the past years we decided not to participate in tenders, because their mechanism of offer created an over-payment on the leases,” he told the Daily News. “We believe some of the past tenders have been awarded above the real market value.”

Italian-Turkish geothermal energy-deal 'risky-business'

The recently negotiated agreement between Italian Enel Green Power and Turkish Uzun Group represents a vital step for Turkish geothermal investment, though pessimists have expressed concerns about “risky licenses.”The agreement covers more than 140 licenses, with critics pointing to risks of “unsubstantiated reserves” found in the absolutely major of the recently purchased geothermal sites.“Over 3,200 geothermal exploration licenses have been delivered, but only about 300 of them are worth something, and the sheer majority of those are low-grade resources that could not be used for power generation,” said Ümran Serpen, professor at Istanbul Technical University.“There are so many of those worthless licenses and you find people who are eager to market them and a few have made handsome profits by simply marketing a few licenses,” he told the Daily News. "I will not say that somebody is cheating Enel, but it's a risky business, and we'll see the results.”The new agreement on the exploration of geothermal sites in western Turkey was confirmed Jan. 24 between Italian energy giant Enel and Turkish Meteor, with support from the government, which plans to increase its geothermal capacity from 86 MW to 600 MW by 2015.The agreement promises the establishment of a research and exploration company in partnership with Meteor, a company that is 70 percent owned by Uzun and 30 percent by the G-Energy consultancy.The main objective will include carrying out surface and deep exploration activities with the aim of finding geothermal resources suitable for the generation of electricity and heat.The deal has promoted both confidence about Turkey’s geothermal potential with academics expressing confidence in Enel’s capabilities, while experts express concerns about extraction possibilities, based on fears of a lack of experience, unreliable consultants and monopolized sites.One of the main problems appears to be that consultants with limited specialization in energy and geothermal business have been consulting companies on sites and viability, according to Serpen.“They are planning a joint venture with some companies that are not known in the geothermal sector and not even in energy sector,” Serpen told the Daily News in an interview. “As for the lucrative licenses, they are already well known and owned by state-actors.”Other actors have expressed more optimism about the agreement, which could provide the foundation for a breakthrough in geothermal energy production across Europe and in Turkey.“Enel has decades of experience and is unlikely to take an interest in a site unless it had strong potential,” said Roland N. Horne, professor of energy resource engineering at Stanford University.“They were the first commercial developers of geothermal electricity in the world and have been generating from sources in Italy for many decades, while also expanding abroad during the past 15 years,” he told the Daily News.With a strong presence in Tuscany, Enel’s geothermal production is considered one of the oldest and largest in the world with 32 plants and a net capacity of 730MW, generating approximately 5 billion KW every year.The company has already successfully operated in the Unites States on geothermal sites, where they operate a 65MW binary cycle plant in Nevada.[HH] New energy laws, limited impactsNew Turkish laws from 2007 and 2010 were an attempt at creating a system of incentives for the production of renewable energy, through methods like a 10-year incentive plan, but have generally attracted little Turkish investment due to “underground risks” and the monopolization by the state of most “profitable licenses.”“The number of interested people in bids has decreased since the first law, because very high prices have been paid for the licenses in the bidding, which may have affected the feasibilities,” said Serpen.“There are also major underground risks and interest seems to be dying as not many seem to be buying,” he told the Daily News.The few positive aspects were tied to the fact that the electric selling tariffs may have increased the interests a bit as a consequence of the 2010 energy law promoted by government, according to experts.“It’s not common that worthless licenses are sold, but it depends on the specific laws and licensing procedures in the country,” said Philippe Dumas, manager of the European Geothermal Energy Council, during an interview with Daily News.

Turkey's EnerjiSA announces second wind plant supplier

Turkey's EnerjiSA, an energy group in Sabancı Holding, has announced an agreement with Siemens for the supply of turbine and electricity equipment for its second wind plant project in the Mediterranean province of Mersin, the Dağpazarı Wind Plant.The plant, to be established in the Mut district of the province, will generate around 129 megawatts electricity annually with 13 wind turbines each having 3 megawatts power generation capacity.On average, 1 MW of power can supply electricity to as many as 300 households per year.Selahattin Hakman, Sabancı Holding energy group chairman, said that Enerjisa has accelerated its activities targeting increasing and diversifying its portfolio, and for 2015 the company aims for 5-10 percent of its total established power, which they targeted to increase to 5,000 megawatts by 2015, would be supplied by wind power plants.“We are beginning the construction of our second wind power facility on April and the Dağpazarı Wind Power Plant will begin to generate electricity in 2012.”Enerjisa opened a wind power plant in Turkey's northwestern province of Çanakkale in late February together with its partner Verbund.The 90-megawatt plant is the first of a series of wind turbines EnerjiSA is set to launch in 2011, Sabanci CEO Güler Sabancı told reporters at the time.

Turkey's Sabancı launches wind-turbine facility with Verbund

Turkey's EnerjiSA, an energy group in Sabancı Holding, and its partner company Verbund on Saturday inaugurated a wind power plant in Turkey's northwestern province of Çanakkale.The 90-megawatt plant is the first of a series of wind turbines EnerjiSA is set to launch in 2011, Sabanci CEO Güler Sabancı told reporters."We are targeting to achieve 300 megawatts in wind power and soon we will launch a 100-150 megawatt project. We have confidence in Turkey's competitive energy market," Sabancı said.Austrian Verbund's CEO Johann Sereinig said the Verbund-Sabancı partnership had made the biggest amount of investment in Turkey with over 2.4 billion euros."Such powerful investments can not be made if it was not for Turkey's perfect opportunities for investment," he said.

Armani apartments in Istanbul attracting the wealthy

Wealthy Turks and foreigners drawn to the idea of living in homes whose interiors are designed by Giorgio Armani have been lining up to pre-buy apartments in Istanbul’s exclusive Maçka neighborhood.

“Seventy percent of the apartments have already been sold. The other 30 percent will be sold by the end of the year,” said Vedat Aşçı, chairman of the Astaş Real Estate Investment and Tourism Incorporation, which is constructing the project in conjunction with Armani/Casa, interior design line of the Armani brand.

The project, “Maçka Residences, Interior Design by Armani/Casa,” is focusing on high-end and exclusive real estate residences.

The project was launched in May and is attracting keen interest from the wealthiest elements of society, desperate to live in a house designed by Armani.

Some 70 percent of the “Maçka Residences Interior Design by Armani/Casa” project has already been sold, with apartment prices varying between $800,000 and $6.5 million.

The project, to be completed by April 2012, will cost a total of $400 million, according to Aşçı.

The project consists of three buildings rising over the last empty land of Maçka, which sold four years ago for $40 million. Aşçı began the project in cooperation with Kempinski, one of the world’s largest hotels and residences group.

Armani, attracted by the historical fabric of the Maçka district, has accepted the invitation to join the project, Aşçı said.

Armani/Casa will add the Istanbul project to a list of already-completed residence projects in cities such as Tokyo, Dubai, Rome and New York.

Penthouses for $6.5 million

The overall project value of the new residences is $400 million, Aşçı said. Apartments will be delivered to customers by April 2012, he said.

The cost of residences will vary from between $10,000 and $16,000 per square meter, Aşçı said. “There are a total of 170 apartments and 28 penthouses in the project. We have sold 25 of a total 28 penthouses, priced up to $6.5 million in the last three months.”

Interest from the UK and Arabic countries

Foreigners have been particularly interested in the project, Aşçı said, adding that people from the United Kingdom and the Arab world will also join Turks in the Maçka Residences.

The sizes of the one-room apartments begin at 77 square meters and expand to 140, 200, 230, 260, 400 and 500 square meters.

“Our targeted group is the upper level of society. We appeal to people who love this area of Istanbul and who have lived in waterside houses before. People who will stay in these residences will have seven-star comfort,” Aşçı said.

“People buy these houses to live here, not as investments,” Aşçı said. “However, when the project is completed, the values of the properties will double. For this reason, there are some people who will buy two houses, one to live in and the other as an investment.”

Armani design attracts

The greatest reason to buy a house at the Maçka Residences is the Armani signature, Aşçı said.

People have been wearing Armani-branded clothes and bags for sometime now, Aşçı said. “Armani will create four different interior designs and the customers will be able to choose one of them.”

The price of an Armani/Casa design is two times more than the price of an apartment, Aşçı said, adding an Armani design covering one square meter costs 2,500 euros. “We attach a great importance to quality.”

“The opening of the Maçka Residences will be celebrated with a party attended by Giorgio Armani,” Aşçı said.

A total of 600 people are currently working on the project, Aşçı said. “However, this figure will increase to nearly 1,500 or 2,000 people in the future.”

When the project is completed the premises will accommodate a spa, fitness facilities, shops and restaurants. The residences will also have exclusive services such as concierge, valet parking and exclusive transportation facilities.

From the Bosphorus: Straight - Caution warranted on ‘housing bubble’

As the old adage says, “If something appears too good to be true, it probably is.” We are optimistic by nature. But prudence still suggests caution.

Which is why we react with caution to the recent and much-touted report by the Global Property Guide that Turkey is the “most attractive property market” in Europe. The report gushes that foreigners can not only sweep up deals in Turkey, but can also benefit from Turkish bank loans.

Yes, Turkey is “under-leveraged” in terms relative to more mature markets. Yes, housing credits in Turkey, at roughly 5 percent of GDP, are far lower than in fully developed economies where they typically run to 100 percent or more of GDP. Perhaps we really are in the sweetest housing and real estate market in the world. The spate of building, the skylines dotted with construction cranes and the advertising for new housing developments certainly support such optimism.

But caution should reign. Thus we think the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency, or BRSA, made the right decision last week when it put a brake on loans. As of Jan. 1, housing loans from banks will not be allowed to exceed 75 percent of the value of property being purchased. In the case of commercial real estate, this cap is set at 50 percent. BRSA is mulling further measures, including cuts in tax incentives to real estate investment trusts, which dominate large apartment complex construction.

We also note the warning last Friday from the IMF that rapid growth of housing loans poses a risk if “left unchecked.” Turkey’s overall growth this year is expected to be in the range of 8 percent. But housing credits are expected to have risen over the same time by 28 percent.

It is worth remembering that before the world economy effectively imploded in 2007 over a housing bubble in the United States, the U.S. real estate market was full of enthusiastic buyers, sellers and lenders. Now we know better.

It is worth remembering that Spain, the largest of Europe’s deeply troubled economies, is staring at economic wreckage largely blamed on an overheated real estate market. The country’s banking sector has $240 billion in “problematic exposure” out of a total of $580 billion invested in housing and real estate development.

The president of one real estate developers association, Turgay Taneş, may be correct that the sector needs and can sustain further development. And he may also be correct that curtailment of the boom in construction will ultimately harm consumers. Maybe.

But we think the more serious threat to Turkish consumers is a return of the “boom-and-bust” cycles that have characterized Turkey’s economy over the past half century. It may be that the near-miraculous rise of Turkey’s housing sector is a sure thing. But let’s make sure. The caution of BRSA and the IMF is worthy of emulation elsewhere among government regulators.

Turkish-style green certificate to be launched

Energy-hungry Turkey is eager to adopt green building certificates, but the existing international options might not be suitable for the country’s specific conditions, an expert warns. The Environment-Friendly Green Buildings Association is working on creating a Turkey-specific certificate based on the global BREEAM certificate

Sensitivity concerning green buildings in Turkey has increased, encouraging the country to produce its own certificate.

A top executive of the Environment-Friendly Green Buildings Association, or ÇEDBİK, said each country differs by its climate, geography, energy consumption and cultural structure. The association is working to produce a green building certificate suited for Turkey, as it thinks efficiency of global certificates such as BEES, LEED, BREEAM and CASBEE may be limited.

ÇEDBİK, which began studies in October using the British-based Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, or BREEAM, as an example, aims to prepare Turkey’s own green building certificate within three years.

“The existing certificates in their current conditions can affect Turkey’s construction sector only at minimum levels,” said Duygu Erten, vice chairwoman of ÇEDBİK. “Besides, there are some differences between [current] green building certificates. For this reason, the most appropriate one for Turkey should be chosen. We will take BREEAM as a model, since it is similar to European Union standards.”

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.

BREEAM is attempting to adapt its circumstances in the energy industry to European Union’s Energy Performance Certificate, or EPC, Erten said.

Abundance of abbreviations

The most common green building certificates all over the world are the BEES, BREEAM, CASBEE, ECO-QUANTUM, ECOPROFILE, GBC, GREENSTAR, LCAid, LEED and SBtool certificates. These certificates have a large area of use, from cold climates of North America to the Mediterranean countries experiencing four seasons in one year. Many of the countries generate a special model by making some arrangements on a given certificate they deem closest to their country’s specific conditions.

The BREEAM’s adaptation studies are still ongoing in 15 countries. The countries are shaping the certificates in accordance with their own resources and geographic positions.

According to ÇEDBİK’s studies, in Turkey’s special certification process, earthquake parameters will also be added. Noting that such a certificate system will be more valuable for Turkey, Erten said: “Increasing the allocation points of water and energy resources will be necessary. Since green materials are constricted in Turkey, their allocation points will be low. We want to make a Turkish contribution to BREEAM. We plan to include the home office concept by providing credits in the certificate.”

Istanbul Mega-Project Signals Rising Housing Market Confidence

The announcement that the sale of residences has begun at a landmark US$2.5bn mixed-used development project, under construction in the centre of Istanbul, highlights the momentum now building in Turkey's residential construction market. BMI notes that following the economic downturn, the alignment of key factors such as robust economic performance, rising housing loans and a stable banking sector with strong population pressure and tourism growth is fuelling expectations of a housing boom.

The Zorlu Centre mega project is a 102,000m2 mixed use development and the first of its kind in the country. Indeed, the existence of such a flagship project will add to Istanbul's attractiveness to international developers -- particularly those in the Middle East and UAE, where such multi-purpose developments have proliferated in recent years, but where real estate opportunities remain muted.

The demand levels for residences from the project will be a useful bellwether for gauging market sentiment, with foreign investors likely to be watching closely. BMI expects strong demand given both the strategic location and high profile nature of the project. The residential development will consist of 584 luxury residences, ranging from 117m2 to 733m2, with prices starting from US$9,500 per m2. The project will also include a shopping centre with nearly 200 stores as well as a 50,000m2 culture and arts centre, 22,000m2 of office space and a five-star hotel.

Having experienced a deep contraction of nearly 25% year-on-year (y-o-y) in real terms over 2009, we anticipate a strong rebound of 4.5% real growth in Turkey's residential and non-residential construction industry value in 2010. Indeed, we are increasingly upbeat about the prospects for the residential construction sector as the necessary foundations for a strong and sustainable housing market appear to be falling into place.

Underpinned by a strong macroeconomic outlook and a stable, well capitalised banking sector, consumer loans and, notably, housing loan volumes are on the rise, opening up the housing sector to the rising and increasingly affluent population. Indeed, a strengthening middle class should allow banks to be more aggressive in their lending practices as they compete for greater market share, which will further open up the market to those previously unable to access the mortgage market.

Improvements in lending will therefore reduce financial risks for developers who may have previously been deterred by such weaknesses. Indeed, with a depressed European housing market and a Middle East real estate market still in varying stages of recovery, Turkey is a BMI top pick for the region. Our bullish forecasts reflect this attractive outlook, predicting 5.7% y-o-y between 2010 and 2014.

Green Building Middle East Exhibition and Global Summit

Green Building Middle East - The region's only dedicated exhibition and global summit for the sustainable design and construction for the built environment.

Increasing globalization of construction has given greater international influence to leading architects and designers, as well as developers of new technologies. There are architectural companies now operating through-out the world helping to bring new standards into countries. Once a technology has proved itself in one place, it will soon be adopted elsewhere. A lot of these architects are active in the Middle East, which is starting to become a testing ground for many new technologies.

The UAE's Chamber of Commerce and industry has said that the green market will double from US$1.37 trillion a year at present to US$2.74 trillion by 2020.

Green Building Middle East provides the platform for your company to prove that your technologies can meet the regions energy efficiency targets. Exhibiting Companies are taking a multidisciplinary, holistic approach to satisfy the demand from the regions developers for energy-efficient green technologies in these emerging markets. Abu Dhabi plans to generate 7% of its primary energy production via renewable sources by 2020.

Green Build Middle East Summit

The conference will bring together a selection of the worlds top sustainable building experts to discuss in detail the practices, materials and initiatives that can be implemented or utilised on construction sites across the Middle East.

Abu Dhabi has been at the forefront of the regions sustainability industry, with a plethora of construction firms embracing eco-conscious business models, and with projects such as Masdar City demonstrating the emirates commitment to developing and utilising green technologies.

With the world looking at Abu Dhabi's ambitious construction sector to lead the sustainable movement, there is no better place than the Green Building Middle East Summit to discover the technologies and practices that can push the Middle East to the forefront of green construction revolution. Click here for more information.

The Arabian Construction Week Fair was very well organized, and the visitors we received at our booth were quality contacts. The venue, The Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center is one of the finest venues in the world for Trade Shows and the regional construction market of the G.C.C. is one of the top three global markets for construction related products. Our company will be adding this show as one of our mandatory Trade fairs to attend every year.

TGBC (CEDBIK) celebrated World Green Building Week

Wednesday, 08 December 2010 00:32 TGBC (CEDBIK) celebrated World Green Building Week. The Turkish Green Building Council (CEDBIK) organized a series of events during World Green Building Week. On 30th of September, CEDBIK hosted a VIP reception at Istanbul Congress Center in order to raise awareness about the green building week. Authorities from government and private sector, media representatives, and CEDBIK members attended the reception. During this reception, CEDBIK authorities gave many interviews and CEDBIKs communication firm will release a press release. The reception has coincided with the first day of Buildist - a construction materials fair/conference. As part of the Buildist Conference, CEDBIK organized LEED Associate Exam preparation and BREEAM trainings. Besides this, CEDBIK held a seminar series called CEDBIK-Arena for 3 days. The series consists of panels about green sector including sustainable buildings and technology, innovative system and materials, ecology and media, sustainable architecture and ethics, ecology and wellbeing, sustainability and politics, ecologic crisis etc. Furthermore, CEDBIK members have participated in the World Green Building Week by attending CEDBIK-ARENA (Greenbuild part of the conference).
TGBC (CEDBIK) published the second edition of its magazine EKOYAPI in October. The main subject of this issue is green schools, new standards in schools and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood. Details about many international projects, news about CEDBIK and its members took part in this issue.
TGBC (CEDBIK) organised a panel in Green Facilities Conference on October 5-6th. During the Green Facilities Conference, a panel is organized by CEDBIK. In this panel, Vice President of CEDBIK and representatives of two CEDBIK Board members gave presentations. The main subject of the panel was management of green projects. In the panel project phases, project planning and management of LEED projects were discussed.
TGBC (CEDBIK) organised meeting for Certification Committe on October 13th and November 11th. CEDBIK organised two meetings for the certification committee which is formed by professional BREEAM Assessors. The major item was the next step which is BREEAM adaptation meetings of certification committee members with the advisory committee members. The members, target of the meetings, role of the academicians were discussed in the meetings. Members from academia and industry are attending these meetings.
TGBC (CEDBIK) and JOTUN organised meeting for new product launching on October 20th. The focus of the meeting was an ecological dye launching. In this meeting CEDBIK coordinator gave a presentation focusing on CEDBIK mission, vission, organization and activities. Also, he mentioned about green building certification systems. Afterwards CEDBIK member, Jotun representative educated everyone about the properties of ecological dye, manufacturing process, quality tests etc.
TGBC (CEDBIK) organised LEED Associate Exam training for 2 full days on October 23rd and November 6th. CEDBIK ran LEED 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 a professional LEED AP. The education was very successful as indicated in the surveys conducted throughout the course. 45 people attended the course and 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 (CEDBIK) signed Memorandum of Understanding with Germany GBC (DGNB) on November 25th. CEDBIK and DGNB signed the Memorandum of Understanding to work together about certification systems, trainings etc.
TGBC (CEDBIK) organised Publication Committee meeting on November 29th. CEDBIK organised a meeting for the publication committee to specify the main subjects, content, strategy for the 4th edition of EKOYAPI.
TGBC (CEDBIK) acquired 3 new members. Among the new members, one of them is Designcase Architecture, Planning, Sustainability which is a sustainable architecture company and the other one is UCM Kompozit Yapı Malzemeleri which manufactures composite construction materials. Also, EE İstanbul Proje ve Danışmanlık which is a project consultancy company became a CEDBIK member.