tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64231685923435852652024-02-18T19:02:16.729-08:00Green Building&Energy in Turkeyokan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.comBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-8610226038626682652013-04-15T12:42:00.000-07:002013-04-15T12:42:43.213-07:00Building firms take baby steps in green buildings <span class="goog_qs-tidbit goog_qs-tidbit-0">There are only 40 certified “green buildings” in Turkey and the</span> country should focus more on this concept when renovating old buildings, according to the head of the Turkish Green Building Council. <br /><br />Such buildings use between 24 percent and 50 percent less energy, cut CO2 emissions by 33 percent to 39 percent and reduce water use by 40 percent and waste by up to 70 percent, Haluk Sur told the <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Hürriyet%20Daily%20News">Hürriyet Daily News</a> on the eve of World Green Buildings week, which started yesterday. <br /><br />Another 150 buildings are candidates for certification, Sur said, adding that the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) of the U.K. and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) of the U.S. were popular in Turkey. <br /><br />“A sum of 190 buildings might seem very low, but the sector is growing fast if the acceleration in the number of certified green buildings is considered,” he said. <br /><br />There are both local and foreign companies that favor constructing green buildings, he added. <br /><br /><b>Green housing market hit $50 billion in 2010 </b><br /><br />The global green housing market, which stood at $3 billion in 2005, according to McGraw-Hill figures, reached $50 billion in 2010, and the research company predicts a volume of $120 billion in 2015. <br /><br /><span class="goog_qs-tidbit goog_qs-tidbit-1">“Turkey is just at the starting point regarding green buildings,” Sur said.</span> “But the environment is gaining importance in social responsibility projects, particularly in terms of recycling and waste.” <br />The organization has gained the support of the Urban Ministry and is in talks with the Energy Ministry for the foundation of a national green housing certification, according to Sur. Such a system will help certification revenues stay in the country, he said. These are the criteria for such a certification: Unified project management, plot use, water use, energy use, health and comfgfort, raw material and resource use, life in housing, management and maintenance. <br /><br />The organization also looks to the Urban Ministry, state-run property developer TOKİ and related chambers and universities to contribute to the development of a national certification. <br /><br />The Energy Efficiency Strategy Document published in the Official Gazette on Feb. 25, 2012, already requires sustainability criteria from buildings larger than 10,000 square meters. This week World Green Buildings Week is celebrated in 90 countries. The local organization is holding panel discussions within the scope of the week at Özyeğin University, which claims to have a green campus in Çekmeköy on the outskirts of Istanbul.<br /><br />The Turkish Green Building Council will hold its second Green Buildings Summit on Feb. 18 and 19, 2013, in a bid to raise awareness about the issue. <br /><br />
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Some 45 percent of the 19 million houses in Turkey are over 35 years old. About 10 million houses across the country are set to be renewed within the scope of the government’s urban transformation program, which entered into force earlier this month. Transforming all existing housing parks into green areas will create an economy of up to $1 trillion, Haluk Sur forecasts. This figure may go even higher due to the rise in population, urban transformation and the contribution of sub-sectors. <br /><br />The country needs over 600,000 houses every year, reaching a total of 7.5 million by 2023. If only 2 or 3 percent of these houses went green, this would save water and energy worth $470 million, Sur projects. Despite the fact that environmentally-friendly buildings are more expensive to construct, the savings they make in energy would soon compensate this, he said.<br />
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okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0Türkiye40.973926098110162 29.16870117187540.204053098110165 27.877807671875 41.743799098110159 30.459594671875tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-63221452828727528312012-01-30T01:27:00.000-08:002012-01-30T01:30:36.306-08:00State moves forward in renewable energy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbx0oJfOQwnR5RItwUn3sm0zA0OWiZ778cY6XweR5OXIijq_Ahyh6SCFgeVm4WBGcBECohGLJcqykdLYJgdYnrMrRaWFgLtZT9KNQPPqSy0bCTWxKUZRRjJK89kQtnjHY6OsJGyu14gsWv/s1600/n_12596_4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 308px; height: 350px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703355065659471602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbx0oJfOQwnR5RItwUn3sm0zA0OWiZ778cY6XweR5OXIijq_Ahyh6SCFgeVm4WBGcBECohGLJcqykdLYJgdYnrMrRaWFgLtZT9KNQPPqSy0bCTWxKUZRRjJK89kQtnjHY6OsJGyu14gsWv/s400/n_12596_4.jpg" /></a><br /><div> </div><div>The Energy Market Regulator (EPDK) has announced measurement requirements for applications for sun and wind energy stations. Private companies applying for an authorization to build new energy stations must provide the EPDK with wind and sun measurements for six months at a particular location and one year’s worth of experimental data that has been approved by the Turkish State Meteorological Service. Wind measurements will be taken using wind measurement poles at least 60 meters high off the ground at the possible energy station sites, according to the EPDK specifications. 10 million euro investmentEPDK President Hasan Köktaş told Anatolian news agency that the measurements were a critical part of the investment process; after receiving the measurements this year, they plan to accept applications for the sun energy stations. According to Köktaş, the EPDK is initially aiming for an 11,000-megawatt wind energy project that will later be expanded to 20,000 megawatts. For sun energy, the EPDK is projecting a 600-megawatt target, which could be increased to 10,000 megawatts. This would require a roughly 10 million-euro investment in total. On average 1 megawatt of power can supply electricity to as many as 300 U.S. households per year. According to TurkStat figures, the average person in <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Turkey.aspx">Turkey</a> consumes 540 kilowatts of electricity in one year. </div>okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-30515919558594824482012-01-28T12:32:00.000-08:002012-01-28T12:44:54.127-08:00US asks for transparency in Turkish nuclear bids<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9_92pvjZiBgKcf0RupNU19Od9QC8lqnIMMoizChng3EpCmprYfFY2UjC4Yjn4QtXh9jIjAge3mfjRFkpsshTbCW7HvhqfD31N1h37fDAQulzHmk8Im0GzwL65Gn9URVHZd5zXKbGrBD6/s1600/akkuyu+region.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 350px; height: 232px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702783909250266962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9_92pvjZiBgKcf0RupNU19Od9QC8lqnIMMoizChng3EpCmprYfFY2UjC4Yjn4QtXh9jIjAge3mfjRFkpsshTbCW7HvhqfD31N1h37fDAQulzHmk8Im0GzwL65Gn9URVHZd5zXKbGrBD6/s400/akkuyu+region.jpg" /></a><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>A more transparent and open regulatory environment for the nuclear sector would be more encouraging for <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/America.aspx">American</a> companies that wish to invest in this field, U.S. Ambassador to <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Turkey.aspx">Turkey</a> Francis Ricciardone said. “Your energy minister [Taner Yıldız] wants to encourage <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/America.aspx">American</a> firms in the nuclear sector. We think that is great, too. The regulatory environment in Turkey, however, discourages <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/America.aspx">American</a> companies from coming because the nuclear sector is wide open around in the world, but is still closed in Turkey,” Ricciardone told <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Ankara.aspx">Ankara</a> bureau chiefs of various newspapers late Jan. 25. Turkey is planning to build three nuclear power plants in the next decade, totaling 4500 MWe, in the provinces of Akkuyu, Mersin and in Sinop. <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Turkey.aspx">Turkey</a> and <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Russia.aspx">Russia</a> signed an agreement for the construction of the first plant, but talks with Japan for the second plant were suspended after the earthquake in Japan last year. However, U.S. companies do not seem interested in entering this field in Turkey. This is because of poor tender conditions, according to Michael Camunez, assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, who called on <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Turkey.aspx">Turkey</a> to adopt an internationally approved tender process in order to attract <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/America.aspx">American</a> companies, during a visit to <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Ankara.aspx">Ankara</a> last month. “The regulations should be open and clear. There needs to be a strong and independent regulatory institution with long-term purchase contract,” Camunez told reporters. “We have a conversation going on about opening the regulatory environment here to encourage <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/America.aspx">American</a> and foreign investment in the nuclear sector,” Ricciardone said. Citing the energy sector as an important field in which Turkish and <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/America.aspx">American</a> companies could cooperate, he said, “If you do not grow in generation capability, transmission and distribution there will be a bottleneck. It will hold you back. We are keenly interested in <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/America.aspx">American</a> companies and investors participating.”Trade up 35 percentLast December, a U.S. delegation visited <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Turkey.aspx">Turkey</a> to examine the opportunities for investment and trade in the renewable energy sector. Ricciardone said the Turkish government wanted to encourage <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/America.aspx">American</a> firms in the nuclear sector.In the overall economic partnership between the governments and companies of the two countries, Ricciardone drew a more optimistic picture. Bilateral trade is likely to show an increase of more than 35 percent in the year 2011, he said. “We had great success last year. The trade between <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Turkey.aspx">Turkey</a> and the U.S. when the final figures are in, which we won’t have for the full calendar year, will probably show an increase better than 35 percent, maybe more,” he said. “President [Barack] Obama, and Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan and President [Abdullah] Gül have agreed that we need to advance our economic relationship to the level of our strategic defense and diplomatic relationship, and that is what we are targeting,” Ricciardone said. “We want to do even better in 2012. We want to strengthen and exploit the opportunity, to use that framework for bringing the two governments and the two business sectors together.January/28/2012</div>okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-47370997515623624962012-01-27T22:45:00.000-08:002012-01-27T23:32:06.875-08:00US-Dutch firm to build Europe's biggest solar plant in TurkeyA U.S.-Dutch solar company has started talks with a local energy firm to build Turkey’s first and Europe’s biggest photovoltaic power station GiraSolar, a U.S.-Dutch solar company, has begun talks with a local energy firm to build Turkey’s first and Europe’s biggest photovoltaic power station while also manufacturing solar panels for export to Europe.“We are planning to build Europe’s biggest solar plant in Turkey,” Chief Executive Officer Wieland M. Koornstra told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review during a Dutch business mission to Istanbul last week. The mission, which included representatives from 22 companies, was led by Henk Bleker, the Dutch minister for agriculture and foreign trade.Noting the importance of Turkey in the world’s solar energy sector, Koornstra said GiraSolar had held talks with a Turkish energy giant on building a solar power station in the south of Turkey. He said the plant would generate 100 megawatts of energy.The largest photovoltaic, or PV, power plants in Europe were Montalto di Castro Photovoltaic Power Station in Italy (84.2 MW), Finsterwalde Solar Park in Germany, (80.7 MW), Rovigo Photovoltaic Power Plant in Italy (70 MW), Olmedilla Photovoltaic Park in Spain (60 MW), Strasskirchen Solar Park (54 MW) and Lieberose Photovoltaic Park in Germany (53 Mwat the end of 2010.On average, 1 MW of power can supply electricity to as many as 300 households per year.Koornstra said the company planned to manufacture the solar panels in Turkey rather than importing.“I am completely sure that we could manufacture the panels at the same price as China,” he said. “In this way, we would avoid the transportations cost as well.”Noting that there is no solar panel market yet in Turkey, Koornstra said: “We are planning to export the solar panels to European countries. Many firms will inquire about Turkish-made solar panels once we complete this solar power station project in the country.”According to the Turkish Renewable Energy Law, the purchase price for electricity generated from solar power is $0.133 per kilowatt hour. The law also offers a further incentive to renewable energy facilities and states that, provided the technical equipment used in the facility is produced within Turkey’s borders, the facility will be paid an additional $0.004-0.024 per kilowatt hour of electricity purchased by the state for five years after the plant becomes active.[HH] Turkish partner anonymousWithout disclosing the name of the company, Koornstra said: “We are [currently] having discussions with our Turkish partner about the project. At the start of the project nearly 200 million euros will be invested in the power plant.”According to data provided by the chief executive, 20 percent of the amount is slated to be invested by the business partner while nearly 80 percent of the amount could be met with outsource sources, such as Eximbank credits. “We are now also discussing the financial matter with our Turkish partner,” he said.“To produce 1 MW electricity we will need nearly 2,000 square meters of land,” said Koornstra. “We are in search of the most feasible location at the moment.”Noting that the project might be completed gradually over time depending on conditions, Koornstra said, “We could build the plant within two years.”“It takes four to five years to build a nuclear plant. Nearly 20 percent of the total amount of the investment will come from our partner and 80 percent financing will be outsourced,” said Koornstra. “If we build this plant, this would make Turkey known as the solar source of the world.”In the long term, it is better for Turks to have solar panels in their houses than buy power from the grid, he said.Talking about the nuclear plant to be built in Akkuyu, in the southern province of Mersin, Koornstra said, “Turkey should use hybrid energy rather than relying on nuclear energy.”“They always told us that it was safe and stable and now it’s obvious that it’s neither safe nor stable,” he said.Koornstra said Germany and the Netherlands were facing storage problems for nuclear waste accumulated through the years. “They both stored nuclear waste in layers under the ground and they have leakage.”Noting that hybrid energy sources such as wind and solar plants are safe and sustainable for the economy and environment, Koornstra said solar power had become more affordable in recent years, adding that such power presented none of the running costs, storage problems or maintenance problems of nuclear plants.Recent research at Duke University has shown that sophisticated new solar energy production methods make the cheapest and least hazardous energy source that is cheaper and safer than nuclear power, according to United Press International, or UPI. The study said the cost of producing and installing PV cells had been steadily dropping for years and now cost about half of what it did in 1998.In the U.S., the price of nuclear energy through 2011 is expected to equal $0.16-0.18 per kilowatt while solar PV is forecast to cost $0.14 per kilowatt, the study said.okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-59750296436836763982012-01-27T09:47:00.000-08:002012-01-27T09:53:59.241-08:00Turkey’s Solimpeks Wins Certification for Hybrid Solar Panels<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizgYPb4AzxOsKzNYEfFjy0LSyNoMIFSiowH_In0HMZQEg_GD41u3fFpc58l3WTvN5FwwDUeJDL64TdbRmiTwzWfUZRX5kcqvNUBL1lOqnsiqAC2vTwKJa2X7LHitef-CBlgw8Jz6YSspRo/s1600/Hybrid-solar-panels-560x420.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px; height: 300px; float: left; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702371417571100594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizgYPb4AzxOsKzNYEfFjy0LSyNoMIFSiowH_In0HMZQEg_GD41u3fFpc58l3WTvN5FwwDUeJDL64TdbRmiTwzWfUZRX5kcqvNUBL1lOqnsiqAC2vTwKJa2X7LHitef-CBlgw8Jz6YSspRo/s400/Hybrid-solar-panels-560x420.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I recently installed a fan in my roof to pump out the hot air from the attic and help keep the house cooler during the summer. I also have a solar panel on the roof to produce hot water. It seems logical that the solar energy harnessed for the water heater should also be able to provide electricity to operate the fan, right? Well, it turns out it’s not that simple – so until I install a separate <a href="http://www.greenprophet.com/2010/08/clean-solar-panels/">photovoltaic (PV) solar</a> panel on the roof, the fan will be plugged into an electric socket instead.It would be nice to have a single solar panel capable of producing both hot water and electricity. A Turkish company, <a href="http://www.solimpeks.com/en/index.php">Solimpeks Solar Energy Corp</a>., is producing precisely this type of combined system, and has now been awarded MCS (<a href="http://www.microgenerationcertification.org/">Microgeneration Certification Scheme</a>) certification for its Volther hybrid system.According to the company’s communication director, Kemal Ibis, it is the only product to receive such certification for both solar thermal and solar electricity. “This certification will help us to ramp up to sell in the UK because in England it’s compulsory for selling and getting into the Feed-In Tariff program in both the solar electricity and solar thermal scheme,” he explained in an email.According to Ibis, the hybrid system costs approximately 20% less than installing separate systems for PV and solar hot water – and it looks nicer on the roof than a set of two different panels. In addition, the combined system is said to offer higher PV efficiency and durability by keeping the solar collectors cooler.Solimpeks produces two types of Volther hybrid systems, one (PowerVolt) optimized for electricity production and another (PowerTherm) optimized for hot water production. So far, the company has installed <a href="http://www.greenprophet.com/2010/09/turkeys-new-step-towards-wind-energy/">systems in Turkey</a> and Western Europe, and is planning to launch in other markets.okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-67564828410126400172012-01-27T09:43:00.000-08:002012-01-27T09:45:19.569-08:00Woman Builds Off-Grid Earth Bag Home in Turkey for $3,761<p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlllmElTEDeUqpbA9RKujG6MHvPrm5NpKLFD4i3oM_nTyGhHJ29muDRz4WEDGNFnHdiZqc9ozj7pGj3Ik0vyfydV6xjOD4sZN5Rl6D8EkpwP0HuwNvxkWEJAha-lKvln0lxixNRlPdW7Kk/s1600/earth-bag-construction-Kerry-Bingham.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px; height: 267px; float: left; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702369244256121410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlllmElTEDeUqpbA9RKujG6MHvPrm5NpKLFD4i3oM_nTyGhHJ29muDRz4WEDGNFnHdiZqc9ozj7pGj3Ik0vyfydV6xjOD4sZN5Rl6D8EkpwP0HuwNvxkWEJAha-lKvln0lxixNRlPdW7Kk/s400/earth-bag-construction-Kerry-Bingham.jpg" /></a></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlllmElTEDeUqpbA9RKujG6MHvPrm5NpKLFD4i3oM_nTyGhHJ29muDRz4WEDGNFnHdiZqc9ozj7pGj3Ik0vyfydV6xjOD4sZN5Rl6D8EkpwP0HuwNvxkWEJAha-lKvln0lxixNRlPdW7Kk/s1600/earth-bag-construction-Kerry-Bingham.jpg"><div align="left"> </div></a><p></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Everybody’s talking about <a href="http://www.greenprophet.com/2011/12/nader-khalili-earth-buildings-space/">earth bag construction</a> lately, including <a href="http://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/englishwoman-building-her-home-from-the-land-it-stands-on">The National</a>, which reported this weekend that a British woman has built an earth bag home <a href="http://www.greenprophet.com/2012/01/13-principles-sustainable-architecture/">a la Iranian architecture Nader Khalili</a>. Using dirt from her own 6,500 square foot plot of land, the artist and writer filled dozens of polypropylene sacks that were then stacked to create a striking circular structure overlooking Turkey’s magical Olympos Valley. Despite disbelieving critics, Kerry Bingham’s home is durable and doesn’t melt when it rains. Bingham told The National that building her own off-grid home was inspired by a desire to become more mindful of her consumption habits. ”My goal,” she says, “is to change my lifestyle, to be aware of how I consume and how I can consume in a more responsible way.”Not only has she built a house using locally-sourced and sustainable materials – including lime plaster that has yet to be applied to the outer wall, but she has slashed her carbon and water footprint in other meaningful ways as well.Bingham is building a compost toilet (with a view) that requires absolutely no water to function, and any grey water that she does use for washing dishes and clothes will be recycled after it goes through an on-site constructed wetland that relies on nature to filter out harmful impurities.She also intends to build a water pump that relies solely on power from the sun to function.<a href="http://www.greenprophet.com/2012/01/foster-and-partners-green/">Unlike the splashy steel and glass monstrosities</a> popping up all over the Middle East, this project genuinely deserves the stamp “sustainable.” And the building’s flat roof and additional doorway also leaves room for expansion .The neighbor – a pomegranate farmer named Dudu – was not convinced of the merits of earth bag construction, but the resiliency of Bingham’s pride and joy has had a transformative effect on all of its critics.okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-91045500351613870852012-01-25T05:31:00.000-08:002012-01-25T05:32:05.120-08:00TURKEY: ENERGY EVOLUTIONTurkey has<br />become one of the fastest growing energy markets in the world in parallel to its<br />economic growth registered in the last eight years and is rapidly gaining a<br />competitive structure. The Turkish Electricity Transmission Company estimates<br />that Turkey’s demand for electricity will increase at an annual rate of six<br />percent between 2009 and 2023. The growing energy demand in Turkey is one of the<br />significant factors along with market liberalization and the country’s potential<br />role as an energy terminal in its region. These three factors play an important<br />role in shaping the investment opportunities in Turkey.<br />The increase in demand has given rise to the long-term investments made by<br />the private sector. At this point, the Turkish energy sector registered a rapid<br />growth after the liberalization of the energy market. In line with the<br />implementation of regulations and the high increase in demand, the electricity<br />market enlarged its capacity to attract investments to the market.<br />The Turkish government encourages investors to implement energy projects in<br />Turkey with new incentives on renewable energy. This ensures that the<br />government’s feed-in tariff will accelerate investment projects in the coming<br />years.<br />The Turkish energy market offers a wide range of activities, from crude oil<br />exploration to oil and petrochemical products distribution and exports, and from<br />electricity generation based on all known energy sources to machinery and<br />equipment manufacturing.<br />The total amount of investments to be made to meet the energy demand in<br />Turkey until 2023 is estimated around USD 130 billion.<br />Turkey functions as an important energy terminal in its region due to its<br />strategic location between Asia and Europe.<br />Turkey possesses a significant number of rivers and lakes (with<br />approximately 36,000 MW of energy potential), which offers ideal opportunities<br />for the small and large-scale energy companies.<br />As regards geothermal energy potential, Turkey ranks 7th in the world and<br />3rd in Europe. Once all planned investments in the geothermal energy sector are<br />made, the total value-added amount to the economy will be USD 16 billion per<br />annum.<br />With its high potential in agriculture and installed capacity in biodiesel<br />and bio-ethanol, Turkey can be the bio-fuel supply center of Europe.<br />In order to establish a common energy market with the EU, Turkey plans to<br />interconnect its energy system with UCTE (Union for the Coordination of<br />Transmission of Electricity) grid.<br />The government provides feed-in tariff incentives for the renewable energy<br />investments.<br />Turkey ranks 1st in the world in terms of highest growth rate in wind energy<br />plants and only 15 percent of its potential has been utilized up until now.<br /><br /><br />Turkey’s ambitious vision of 2023, the centennial foundation of the Republic,<br />envisages grandiose targets for the energy sector in Turkey. These targets<br />include:<br /><br />125,000 MW of installed power (up from 54,423 MW in 2010)<br />Increasing the share of renewables to 30 percent<br />60,717 km of transmission lines (up from 49,104 km in 2010)<br />158,460 MVA of power distribution unit capacity (up from 98,996 MVA in 2010)<br />Decreasing electricity loss-theft to 5 percent and extending the use of<br />smart grids<br />5 billion m3 of natural gas storage capacity (up from 2.6 billion m3 in<br />2010)<br />Establishing an energy stock exchange<br />8 nuclear reactors with a capacity of 10,000 MW will be active<br />Construction of 4 nuclear reactors with a capacity of 5,000 MW<br />Construction of power plants with a capacity of 18,500 MW in the coal basins<br />Full utilization of hydropower<br />Increasing wind power to 20,000 MW (up from 1,694 MW in 2010)<br />Power plants with 600 MW geothermal, 3,000 MW solar energyokan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-31827895569975133132012-01-25T04:33:00.000-08:002012-01-25T04:47:11.187-08:00U.S. Companies See Growth Potential in Turkey<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTynSHhhvb2QghnxaIfkWmoC0zpIAIviCpG7HGXLFyWS_Q_3uZwsxoa4GSzseQtUO2RAxtC7IGTfOSDMoXXS-QaU9EMBfrwNwfUpJdcGroaN0oACZeMcN8wW4Op7mgfta-ngxzveFqfATS/s1600/1332_Wind-energy_USE.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px; height: 282px; float: left; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701549593952065522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTynSHhhvb2QghnxaIfkWmoC0zpIAIviCpG7HGXLFyWS_Q_3uZwsxoa4GSzseQtUO2RAxtC7IGTfOSDMoXXS-QaU9EMBfrwNwfUpJdcGroaN0oACZeMcN8wW4Op7mgfta-ngxzveFqfATS/s400/1332_Wind-energy_USE.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WneoYn_rkuaHEkdxNYFe7vs6pSq4bjZ6EtrxkgCRgADCP1WhrtbXOjknPapLIbE2ia6suCxP0yiozv27sJ4EMRjKGhh1aIhk8lHpU-ZguVuhmrv49uxO4mJGAJ8keYOsyrHQnvpHeHfQ/s1600/energy.jpg"></a><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Strategically positioned at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Turkey has embarked on a major renewable energy and energy efficiency program. The country aims to increase its clean energy share to 30 percent of its power supply by 2023 — the 100th anniversary of the Turkish republic. With over $40 billion in investment expected in this area by 2020, U.S. companies will see major business development opportunities in solar, wind, geothermal, hydro and all elements of energy efficiency. At the U.S. Embassy in Turkey, we’ve seen Turkey’s economic growth firsthand. This growth of 8.9 percent in 2010 and 11 percent in the first quarter of 2011, has caused a sharp increase in energy demand. Furthermore, Turkey forecasts 6 to 8 percent annual growth in energy demand through 2020, with an expected addition of 50,000 MW to the grid. Public and private sector investment will fund many of these projects, and U.S. companies are taking notice.For example, in a major acquisition, the U.S. giant <a href="http://www.aes.com/aes/index?page=home" target="_blank">AES</a> acquired a nearly 50 percent share in AES-Entek Electric Company, a joint venture with Koç Group. This new U.S.-Turkish joint venture will focus on existing and new generation opportunities, including renewables. <a href="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/06/ge-adds-esolar-and-wind-to-natural-power-plant-design-in-turkey" target="_blank">GE also recently announced a 530-megawatt project</a>, with the Turkish MetCap Energy Investments in Karaman, Turkey. The project will feature a 22-megawatt GE wind farm, a 50-megawatt eSolar “power tower” solar thermal system and GE’s new FlexEfficiency turbine technology. A FlexEfficiency natural-gas fired power plant is designed to rapidly increase or decrease power feeds into the grid in response to intermittent production from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. GE is calling this Turkish power plant the first “integrated renewables combined cycle” system. The U.S. firm <a href="http://www.clipperwind.com/" target="_blank">Clipper Wind</a> opened a representative office in 2010 in Istanbul, and U.S. geothermal project developers and equipment suppliers are chasing several geothermal projects in Western Turkey. In addition, the U.S. Department of Energy is leading an innovative Near Zero Zone development in Izmir to develop a pilot project in energy efficiency using U.S. technology, in partnership with GE Ecoimagination, Shaw Group and Johnson Controls.Turkish firms are hungry for U.S. equipment and technology in both renewable energy and energy efficiency, particularly important given high energy costs in Turkey and the need to lower production costs to remain competitive internationally. The U.S. Commercial Service at the U.S. Embassy in Turkey receives five to seven inquiries per month for potential U.S. suppliers of renewable energy and energy efficiency equipment, services and technology (see trade mission opportunity below). U.S. exporters can become even more competitive by offering trade finance to their Turkish importer, and U.S. EximBank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development offer attractive terms to fund sales of American equipment.Based on recent market research by the U.S. Commercial Service in Turkey, the following areas have significant business opportunities for American firms in the next six to 36 months:Wind turbinesGeothermal exploration, drilling and geophysical engineering servicesGeothermal power plant equipmentBiomass power generationWaste to energy systems and solutionsHydroelectric power plant equipment supplySolar power generation systemsMicroturbines, cogeneration systemsCoal gasification and coal-bed methane systems and solutionsEnergy efficiency systems and solutionsFuel cells, heat pumps</div></div>okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-73529952261369065492012-01-25T03:28:00.000-08:002012-01-25T03:33:42.206-08:00A Solar City Tries to Rise in Turkey<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFcNyT_hsZs5-qkBImoayCDxtISQzl5yjm3uf262KemivCitgS8wQ0agFlqq24JVUxTmCscg5jDXYummq69xBdpWCU4XqcFnsra7Wt-urn3Rh_38jDbQFC1SVHxAxdosqvPd-LkrvAc7S/s1600/30421a572d20100331-solar-panel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px; height: 286px; float: left; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701530991902883458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFcNyT_hsZs5-qkBImoayCDxtISQzl5yjm3uf262KemivCitgS8wQ0agFlqq24JVUxTmCscg5jDXYummq69xBdpWCU4XqcFnsra7Wt-urn3Rh_38jDbQFC1SVHxAxdosqvPd-LkrvAc7S/s400/30421a572d20100331-solar-panel.jpg" /></a><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Installing PV arrays across one half of one percent of Turkey's landmass could supply the nation's current electrical capacity By Julia Harte, SolveClimate NewsANTALYA, <a title="Full coverage of Turkey" href="/places/turkey">Turkey</a>—Turkey's weak policy support for solar power hasn't stopped the sun-soaked southern city of Antalya from forging ahead with plans to exploit its solar resource — and to encourage other local governments to follow suit.In April, Antalya opened its long-awaited "Solar House," the first step in its push to become Turkey's first and only solar city.The environmental education center and renewable energy showcase boasts 24 one-kilowatt photovoltaic (PV) panels, among other clean energy solutions such as a windmill and a track that generates power from bicycles.The model house cost about $600,000 and was 90 percent funded by Turkish companies and 10 percent by the United Nations Development Program. It will produce and store all the energy it consumes and feed excess power back into the grid — though it won't profit from doing so.The country's energy authority doesn't yet buy surplus electricity from small producers of solar power. This is partly why the cost of installing solar panels remains prohibitive for nearly all Antalya residents, local observers say."We need to show the Turkish people how we can produce solar energy, because it's a very new concept for most Turks," Mustafa Akaydın, the mayor of Antalya, told SolveClimate News in an interview. According to Akaydın, the Solar House is "preparation" for its wider Solar City Green Antalya plan. Over the next decade and a half, the municipality hopes to transform itself into a clean energy dynamo on par with solar cities like Malmö, Sweden and Barcelona, Spain.Though the financial support structure for the program is still fuzzy, the goal, at least, is clear: "We want to be the pioneers here and show the rest of the country about this solar potential," said Akaydın.Massive Untapped PotentialMore than one million terawatt-hours of solar radiation hit Turkey each year. Solar leaders Spain and California, by comparison, receive approximately 0.8 million terrawatt-hours annually.Theoretically, installing PV arrays across some 770 square miles — one half of one percent of Turkey's landmass — could supply the nation's current electrical capacity.At present, PV systems account for just 5 megawatts of installed capacity. Turkey's 8-gigawatt solar thermal capacity is seen as slightly more promising, but still accounts for less than 1 percent of the country's overall energy production.Antalya's municipal government doesn't yet have a goal for how much extra solar power capacity it hopes to add. For now, there is no accepted international definition of what it takes to earn the moniker of "solar city," though several dozen such cities are said to exist throughout the world, including 25 in the United States.The European Solar Cities Initiative, a project of the International Solar Energy Society, defines solar communities by their "large-scale integration of sustainable energy sources into city planning and urban concepts."In that spirit, Antalya is developing other renewable energies besides solar. A new waste management plant, for instance, will collect 60 percent of the city's sewage and turn it into purified mud, which can then be converted into biogas.The biogas-to-energy conversion facility is still under construction — a new component was finished the same week the Solar House opened — but in two months it will have a capacity of 2 megawatts, according to Münevver Ateş, environmental director at the plant. Once the facility is able to collect all the sewage in the city, its capacity will double.More important than its capacity, however, is the fact that Antalya's plant will produce all the energy it consumes, said Ateş, making it the only sustainable waste management plant in Turkey. "Many Turkish visitors come to study our example."Starting with the RooftopsAntalya's effort to boost its solar capacity will begin with a campaign to encourage individuals to install solar panels on their houses, though it won't be easy.The city currently has between 1 and 2 megawatts of solar power atop local residences, according to Ateş Uğurel, chairman of the Turkish Photovoltaic Industry Association, and founder of Temiz Dunya, the eco-architectural firm that designed Antalya's Solar House. They may not be able to add much more because many Antalya residences are tall apartment buildings with small rooftops already full of thermal heaters, he said."There simply isn't enough space."And then there's the cost. The average Turkish house requires 3 kilowatts of electrical capacity. That amount of solar power costs approximately $10,000 to install, Uğurel said.Widespread adoption should have an impact on costs. In about one month, Mayor Akaydın said he expects the passage of a municipal bylaw that would require future apartment buildings to be lit with PV panels.After the residential campaign, the municipality will install solar power in city parks and gardens; increase its use in Antalya's abundant greenhouses; and encourage local hotel owners to install solar power.To date, the municipal government has installed 60 kilowatts of solar power — 24 kilowatts in the Solar House and the remainder in traffic lights.Solar-Powered Tourism"Antalya has the biggest solar potential in its tourism sector," which attracts 50 million visitors a year, said Uğurel.According to him, rooftops on the city's hotels are big enough that installing PV panels would be a wise upfront investment for owners, providing free electricity once the systems pay for themselves. Improving the solar capacity of Antalya's hotels, Akaydın explained, might also draw more eco-tourists."There's a trend in the world where tourists prefer an ecologically aware city as a destination," he said. "Because of this, some hotel owners are now starting to use solar energy in new constructions."During the final stages of Antalya's transformation into a solar city, the municipality intends to construct a solar farm and nurture a homegrown PV production industry.Plans are already underway for a 100-kilowatt solar "forest" near Antalya, with "trees" composed of PV arrays designed by Mehmet Bengü Uluengin, an ecological architect and professor at Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul, who also designed the Solar House.According to Uluengin, any city aiming to clean up its energy portfolio should start by reducing the amount of energy it consumes."That is where the low-hanging fruit are," he said. "It is much cheaper, and more logical, to eliminate a kilowatt of energy use than to cater to its production via solar."Uluengin also pointed out that for solar to become widely used in Turkey the country's entire energy transmission network would need to be upgraded to a smart grid that could accommodate not only millions of consumers, but also millions of producers."Antalya could become a solar city without necessarily using solar energy at high levels," said Uğurel. "It could educate many people about solar, and use solar architecture to reduce the need for heating and cooling."No Political AlliesWith the exception of Antalya's municipal government, solar power has few political allies in Turkey.The central government passed an amendment to Turkey's renewable energy law at the end of 2010, introducing a new feed-in tariff for solar power of $0.133 per kilowatt-hour. That's just under 10 euro cents per kilowatt, far less than the 45.7 and 33 euro cents that <a title="Full coverage of Germany" href="/places/germany">Germany</a> and Spain, respectively, offer their solar producers.In addition, the new amendment restricts the amount of solar power that can be added to the grid over the next two years. Only 600 megawatts of solar power can be connected by December 31, 2013, according to the rule."If there is anything positive about the amendment, it has helped to clear out the 'speculative froth' in solar," said Uluengin."The [Turkish] Solar Expo in 2010 was packed with investors ... This year, the place was virtually deserted. The only people remaining were those truly committed to solar — those with longer-term views and more realistic expectations of returns-on-investment."When applications for new solar power projects in Turkey are submitted later this year, it will present a clearer picture of just how much interest there is in developing the country's solar resource. In the meantime, the government's meager solar subsidies are discouraging foreign companies from investing in Antalya, Akaydın argued."There are a lot of people from all over the world, especially in Germany and <a title="Full coverage of China" href="/places/china">China</a>, who want to invest in Antalya's solar projects," he said. "The investors are ready, but the legislation is lacking. This isn't just a task for our municipality; this is a national responsibility."The central government's apathy toward solar power is reflected in Turks' general lack of knowledge regarding solar."People still do not know of photovoltaic technology," said Solar House designer Uluengin. "At trade fairs, we have people coming up to us pointing at PV panels and asking, 'Where is the water storage tank for this thing?' In Turkey, people know solar thermal. They don't know PV."'Very Healthy'Still, Uluengin considers Turkey's solar industry "very healthy" because it is being driven by small-scale and grassroots development."Only if an industry is viable on market forces alone will it be able to survive long term," he said. In coming years, Uluengin believes that most PV systems in Turkey will be installed on the rooftops of commercial users, not in utility-scale applications.Uğurel is also highly optimistic that the solar industry in Turkey can flourish without increased government incentives.In a couple of years he expects solar power to reach grid parity, the point at which its price will rival that of conventional grid power. That's largely because of the rising costs of fossil fuel electricity. Between the first half of 2008 and the first half of 2010, electricity prices climbed roughly 30 percent for Turkish households and industry, according to European Commission figures. At the same time, the cost of PV systems is decreasing as more small Turkish entrepreneurs try their hand at producing panels, Uğurel said. "Every day, a new company enters the solar power sector." </div>okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-70990266131753922042012-01-25T03:25:00.001-08:002012-01-25T03:25:26.022-08:00FIT in TurkeyAfter months of speculation surrounding the country’s solar feed-in tariff, Turkey has now made photovoltaic power generation subsidy payments law. Under the regulation, payments for renewable energy generation will be determined as dollar cent, as opposed to Euro cent, in Turkish Parliament.Accordingly, prices for RES plants are as follows:Solar: US$13.3 cents,Biomass (including landfill gas): US$13.3 centsGeothermal: US$10.5 centsHydroelectric: US$7.3 centsWind energy: US$7.3 centsThe feed-in tariff will also support concentrated solar power (CSP) and hybrid power plants.These prices will be applied for ten years to those which apply for RES between May 18, 2005 and December 31, 2015. For companies beginning operation later than December 31, 2015, the FiT rates will be determined by the Council of Ministers.The licensing will be arranged by the supervisory Energy Market Regulatory Board, taking into consideration of Interior Ministry, Energy and Natural Resources Ministry, and also State Hydraulic Works’ opinions.Further, if the products utilized for the plants carry the ‘Made in Turkey’ stamp, additional credit will be given for five years after the facility’s establishing date. This support will be applied from US$0.4 to 2.4/kWh.There is however a 600MW cap in place up until December 31, 2013. For applications later than that date, the Council of Ministers will be authorized to determine total installed power.For the first decade, 85% discount will be applied for the power grid permission, lease, easement and certificate of occupancy fees for the facilities which will be established until December 31, 2015.okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-29229674965979124892012-01-23T06:54:00.000-08:002012-01-23T06:56:47.240-08:00Turkey Adopts Limited Feed Law<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWd1jxf79nVuLGnLTjf0F5UoKMT8OgL_0fa2cvHt3mjSOK5nBxg2V_C_pj_g09tlefUU5rhEybJTRx0FrpUZK8ZVU70c4DlCXknj0oUBwJ71gAgyghy16K-LksngVpSGrJVsHf1FqsmhcQ/s1600/Turkey2011Tariffs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 238px; height: 400px; float: left; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700841288836639010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWd1jxf79nVuLGnLTjf0F5UoKMT8OgL_0fa2cvHt3mjSOK5nBxg2V_C_pj_g09tlefUU5rhEybJTRx0FrpUZK8ZVU70c4DlCXknj0oUBwJ71gAgyghy16K-LksngVpSGrJVsHf1FqsmhcQ/s400/Turkey2011Tariffs.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />January 17, 2011<br />By Paul Gipe<br /><br />Turkey's parliament has revised its limited feed law with adoption of a<br />similarly limited policy.<br /><br />Turkey has had a limited feed-in tariff policy since 2005. The previous<br />policy paid the equivalent of $0.07 per kWh for wind energy for a period of<br />seven years. By international standards, the policy was a failure.<br />Early this year the Turkish parliament adopted a new feed-in tariff policy of<br />equally limited duration, ten years, and equally limited objectives, 600 MW of<br />total capacity. As before, tariffs are limited as well.<br />The tariffs for solar photovoltaics (PV), the most costly of the new<br />renewable technologies, are only $0.13 per kWh, a third of that in Germany.<br />One departure from previous policy, Turkey will now offer incentives or bonus<br />payments for hardware "Made in Turkey". Solar PV systems made in Turkey would<br />qualify for a bonus payment of nearly $0.07 per kWh.<br />Industry observers have widely panned the new program as insufficient to<br />create the volume necessary to attract manufacturing.okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-38100263721752702372012-01-23T06:52:00.001-08:002012-01-23T06:53:41.532-08:00Renewable-Energy Cars Heat Up in Turkey<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtp01GM8TuPQIVXEffz8rEezr65jOo83Wu3HsrzNjKVNPKbmL3zq9qJuWK_4qrDFEOGZeo30KUGuTmFKeZP5OvkNiNqGl812bGoXg1at-tbhmIpbuUtLSqcrFFimk1FLjtzkUzyhW3_DZ9/s1600/solar-powered-car-560x280.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px; height: 200px; float: left; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700840625907421650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtp01GM8TuPQIVXEffz8rEezr65jOo83Wu3HsrzNjKVNPKbmL3zq9qJuWK_4qrDFEOGZeo30KUGuTmFKeZP5OvkNiNqGl812bGoXg1at-tbhmIpbuUtLSqcrFFimk1FLjtzkUzyhW3_DZ9/s400/solar-powered-car-560x280.jpg" /></a><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>A strange array of vehicles were seen speeding around Izmir, Turkey last week, as the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) hosted its first Alternative Energy Vehicle Races in the sunny Aegean coastal city. Thirty-eight teams entered the solar car races, while 20 teams brought vehicles to the hydrogen car competition.The event inspired Nihat Ergün, of Turkey’s Ministry for Science, Industry and Technology, to declare that the government will up its investments in renewable vehicles in coming years.Vague promises from the governmentThough Ergün expressed enthusiasm for developing renewable energies at the TÜBİTAK races, the government’s material support for these technologies has been lackluster so far.Ergün’s ministry recently published a <a href="http://www.sanayi.gov.tr/Files/Attachments/OtherFiles/turkish_industrial_strate-16022011152724.pdf">Strategy Document</a> for Turkey’s industrial sector between 2011 and 2014. While the paper sets some concrete goals for that time period, such as the development of Turkey’s first automotive brand, it stays vague on renewable energy targets despite frequently mentioning the need for a cleaner energy economy.The document mentions old laws that have been passed to support renewable energy in Turkey, but does not point out that these laws have so far only resulted in <a href="http://www.greenprophet.com/2011/04/europes-biggest-solar-farm-to-be-built-in-turkey/">subsidies that are too low to make solar and wind power competitive</a> in the wider energy marketplace.Recent reshufflings of the government ministries, though, could improve the prospects for renewable energy in Turkey. In June, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that the former Ministry of Industry and Trade would lose “Trade” and add “Science and Technology” to its name.As a result of this change, Ergün said in Izmir, his ministry will be able to focus on research and development projects more than it used to.Promising activity from international bodies, private sectorWhile the government slowly begins to appreciate Turkey’s abundant renewable resources and technological potential, private companies and international organizations are already taking advantage of them.The United Nations’ International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies, for example, has <a href="http://www.greenprophet.com/2011/07/gp-exclusive-interview-turkey-beginning-to-lay-infrastructure-for-hydrogen-economy/">already been holding competitions for hydrogen vehicles</a> for several years now. Solar power is widely popular at the grassroots level, as evinced by the omnipresence of solar water heaters and small PV arrays on Turkish rooftops. And Turkish investor MetCap Developments recently contracted <a href="http://www.greenprophet.com/2011/06/worlds-first-integrated-renewables-combined-cycle-power-plant-to-be-built-in-turkey/">a renewable integrated combined cycle power plant from General Electric</a>, the world’s first application of this unprecedentedly efficient power-producing technology.The impressive turnout by university teams at the TÜBİTAK races suggests that Turkey’s next generation of scientists and engineers will be actively engaged in bringing their country into a cleaner energy future. Let’s hope the government follows their lead.</div>okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-72771255883210522662012-01-23T06:50:00.000-08:002012-01-23T06:51:48.150-08:00Welcome to TIREC2011TIREC 2011 is 4 days of high level congress and exhibition, where Turkish and international renewable energy experts meet to drive innovation and do business.Over 100 leading Turkish and international renewable energy experts will speak at TIREC 2011, during 4 days of high level keynotes, interactive panel discussions and in-depth training courses. 3 focused conferences and additional seminars will ensure in-depth coverage on <a href="http://www.greenpowerconferences.com/WE1109TR">Wind</a>, <a href="http://www.greenpowerconferences.com/SP1109TR">Solar</a>, <a href="http://www.greenpowerconferences.com/GE1109TR">Geothermal </a>and other renewables.3 leading business conferences, the TIREC exhibition, Academy training courses and the TIREC awards and networking evening.okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-69667109889252632442012-01-23T06:46:00.000-08:002012-01-23T06:50:28.634-08:00Renewable Energy Law Unlikely to Tap Turkey’s Potential<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjco-VvVSx7oMCS4QFoRuhKOXYxwIW75HBCdbkzTS8ak6AeXGdkhZhq1nOHuZb8n91iGP-nAJXcb_gjUulF8zXHZnrjGitaOheeHqQxNLPfXi3IAotJ5LAC5TznXjv2eYT2dFA6edlVE3qs/s1600/hydrogen_airship.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px; height: 203px; float: left; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700839524521454706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjco-VvVSx7oMCS4QFoRuhKOXYxwIW75HBCdbkzTS8ak6AeXGdkhZhq1nOHuZb8n91iGP-nAJXcb_gjUulF8zXHZnrjGitaOheeHqQxNLPfXi3IAotJ5LAC5TznXjv2eYT2dFA6edlVE3qs/s400/hydrogen_airship.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Last month the Turkish Parliament passed a long-pending renewable green energy law written by Energy Minister Taner Yildiz. The Energy Minister says this law would create jobs and encourage investments in new sectors. While parliament agrees, environmentalists and members of the renewable-energy industry think the law doesn’t go nearly far enough to help Turkey reach its green-power potential.While <a title="Germany's goal of 100% renewable green energy" href="http://www.tomorrowisgreener.com/germany-can-get-100-renewable-electricity-by-2050/" target="_self">Germany is seeking to get 100 percent</a> of its energy from renewable energy by 2050 and <a title="UK aims to reduce carbon emissions" href="http://www.tomorrowisgreener.com/uks-low-carbon-transition-plan-34-reductions-by-2020/" target="_self">England aims to reduce carbon emissions to zero</a>, Turkey’s law should have promoted renewable green energy far more. Turkey, which has great wind and solar energy potential, could do better then this.Investors’ biggest concern is the feed-in tariff, or guaranteed price for energy, set by the Parliament. The renewable green energy law guarantees a price of 7.3 U.S. cents (5.6 euro cents) per kilowatt-hour for wind and hydroelectric power and wind energy, 10.5 U.S. cents (8.1 euro cents) for <a title="geothermal energy" href="http://www.tomorrowisgreener.com/category/energy/geothermal/" target="_self">geothermal energy</a>, and 13.3 U.S cents (10 euro cents) for energy from waste products and <a title="Solar Energy" href="http://www.tomorrowisgreener.com/category/energy/solar-energy/" target="_self">solar energy</a>.Environmentalists say that a 24 euro cent feed-in tariff is necessary to launch a strong solar energy market in Turkey. Energy Minister Yildiz disagrees and thinks that investors will do business at those prices.okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-40730823106025158122012-01-23T06:43:00.000-08:002012-01-23T06:46:40.493-08:00Turkey's Renewed Clean Energy Hopes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAxPmfCMl0X5D-nbCEBaZOlF47jutJTMTEHBTpbkKggMX5ZKd6MSHlo0Ax6EfBJMbFuBEBuEqwhDz8KJBR3m2dnUkEHNugWBKmVS525ea-GJmBuchnuLSwGiawhqvcvty-jT2ZVHsQ1rO/s1600/rrr.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px; height: 167px; float: left; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700838897534114866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAxPmfCMl0X5D-nbCEBaZOlF47jutJTMTEHBTpbkKggMX5ZKd6MSHlo0Ax6EfBJMbFuBEBuEqwhDz8KJBR3m2dnUkEHNugWBKmVS525ea-GJmBuchnuLSwGiawhqvcvty-jT2ZVHsQ1rO/s400/rrr.jpg" /></a><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>In 2004, the government of Turkey made a bet on the future: To take advantage of its solar power potential and reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels, the liberal Muslim nation at the crossroads of Europe and Asia passed a renewable energy law, something officials thought would spark a wave of clean energy projects.Several years later, Turkey's feed-in tariffs, which are widely thought to be inadequate, have helped increase <a href="http://energyboom.com/wind/vestas-new-93mw-wind-contract-makes-company-part-turkeys-big-renewable-future">domestic investment in alternatives</a>, but they still haven't significantly boosted solar, wind, hydro and geothermal production—coal and gas still dominate its national energy mix.<br />Undeterred, last month the Turkish parliament more than doubled tariffs for PV installations, while also increasing subsidies for wind, hydro, geothermal and waste-from-energy projects. Istanbul also set an ambitious target of Turkey receiving 30% of its total power capacity from renewables by 2023.But even with the most recent moves, industry experts and environmentalists say the government is still not doing enough, insisting that new program has created bureaucratic barriers likely to deter investment in related sectors. The government itself acknowledges that more work is needed for the country to reach its long-term goals.Although multinational PepsiCo, <a href="http://energyboom.com/emerging/pespsico-announces-release-web-based-farming-tool-reduce-water-use-and-carbon-emissions">which is committed to environmental sustainability</a>, uses solar power in its Turkish operations, others haven't waited for the country to do more. Homegrown energy giant Senas Group has instead turned its attention to pursuing solar projects in <a href="http://energyboom.com/emerging/germanys-energy-could-be-100-renewable-2050">cleantech-friendly Germany</a>.</div>okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-47403190008792018442012-01-23T06:41:00.000-08:002012-01-23T06:42:50.459-08:00RENEWABLE ENERGY IN TURKEYTurkey has abundant reserves of renewable energy, such as solar, wind and geothermal. The<br />benefits of exploiting these sources would be enormous:<br />by relying completely on indigenous resources, renewables would reduce<br />reliance on imported fuels and enhance Turkey's energy security.<br />the environmental impact of renewable technologies is far less than that of<br />nuclear and fossil fuel power plants. There are no emissions of greenhouse gases<br />or toxic wastes;<br />the cost of electricity from some renewable energy sources is already<br />competitive with many conventional technologies, and is dropping rapidly;<br />renewable technologies have no fuel costs and are virtually inexhaustible;<br />Solar<br />It has been calculated that Turkey receives sunlight equivalent to roughly 11<br />thousand times the amount of electricity generated in Turkey in 1996. Clearly,<br />both photovoltaic and solar-thermal systems could be used to great effect. Use<br />of solar thermal is already widespread. In 1995 it was calculated that solar<br />thermal generated 52,000 tonnes-of-oil-equivalent of heat. Indications suggest<br />that this could increase six-fold in the next 15 years. The potential for PV is<br />virtually unlimited, and the price for these systems is declining rapidly.<br />Wind<br />Wind energy is already in use in many parts of the world at a price<br />competitive with conventional technologies. The latest technologies can produce<br />electricity at 4.4c/kWh, comparable to many conventional sources<a href="http://archive.greenpeace.org/nuclear/reactor/turkey/renew.html#1">1</a>. In Turkey, w ind energy has great potential. Figures<br />from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) show that<br />Turkey theoretically has 160 TerraWatt hours a year of wind potential, which is<br />equivalent to twice the country's electricity productio n in 1996.<br />Geothermal<br />Turkey has one eighth of the world's geothermal potential and is ranked 7th<br />in the world. The cost of electricity generated from geothermal reserves is<br />between 3-10c/kWh. The bottom end of this range is competitive with conventional<br />systems. The Turkish G overnment has already recognised the potential of<br />geothermal and in 1972 began to implement a program of construction which would<br />have seen nearly 710 Megawatts installed by now. Unfortunately, the program was<br />not fully implemented and this rich resource remains unexploited. Recently some<br />local authorities have announced plans to utilise geothermal, but there is still<br />a lack of coordinated support from the central Government<a href="http://archive.greenpeace.org/nuclear/reactor/turkey/renew.html#2">2</a>.<br />NOTES:<a name="1">1)</a> Elsam Power Pool Report, Denmark, , Jan 1997.<br /><a name="2">2)</a> Yeni asir, 19.2.98.okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-71204781688098921572011-12-05T10:21:00.000-08:002012-01-29T10:23:48.184-08:00US companies seek local energy accords<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xTYuskhyphenhyphenph5FSXcfdHmuQsfh7UUS1xWEL7U3U7X46XxP7Im5a3rmS7PC0oeC4CrpsIWRUljfJAogl8-z8Fy2hveipmslPk8FaI2qYehjrMnKcnsj_T5fixC0W3RdIrKwy_M8KaSiNJwr/s1600/n_8533_4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 350px; height: 233px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703121272650397250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xTYuskhyphenhyphenph5FSXcfdHmuQsfh7UUS1xWEL7U3U7X46XxP7Im5a3rmS7PC0oeC4CrpsIWRUljfJAogl8-z8Fy2hveipmslPk8FaI2qYehjrMnKcnsj_T5fixC0W3RdIrKwy_M8KaSiNJwr/s400/n_8533_4.jpg" /></a><br /><div>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 <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/America.aspx">American</a> 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 <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Ankara.aspx">Ankara</a> Industry Chamber (ASO). “To achieve this goal, <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Turkey.aspx">Turkey</a> 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 <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Turkey.aspx">Turkey</a> to achieve that goal.”He said <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Turkey.aspx">Turkey</a> 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 <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Ankara.aspx">Ankara</a> 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 <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Recep%20Tayyip%20Erdoğan.aspx">Recep Tayyip Erdoğan</a> 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 <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Turkey.aspx">Turkey</a> 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. </div>okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-22836645746388287412011-11-29T01:32:00.000-08:002012-01-30T01:34:04.439-08:00Why 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.okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-51477563955521887352011-11-22T12:40:00.000-08:002012-01-28T12:46:22.039-08:00Ukraine delegation invites Turkish companies for mega projects<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwXEIED99C6rL_TN9ECVJ8PZ06qdXmnsVtT-c6msIn2QTSi_YEGv9vCR-U5s_Jli6Mr4eSid7bHZZ_WRnO_XTX-mcxlYHnja2hepe_mZ9GhRownRWxi7QDkJlcLL13xTlyFp_tPr4P3hfT/s1600/regnum-towered01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 311px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702785805348974674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwXEIED99C6rL_TN9ECVJ8PZ06qdXmnsVtT-c6msIn2QTSi_YEGv9vCR-U5s_Jli6Mr4eSid7bHZZ_WRnO_XTX-mcxlYHnja2hepe_mZ9GhRownRWxi7QDkJlcLL13xTlyFp_tPr4P3hfT/s400/regnum-towered01.jpg" /></a><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div>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 <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Turkey.aspx">Turkey</a> 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 <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Turkey.aspx">Turkey</a> 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 <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Black%20Sea.aspx">Black Sea</a> 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 <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Turkey.aspx">Turkey</a> 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 <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Istanbul.aspx">Istanbul</a> Chamber of Commerce, noting that the Ukrainian construction projects of Turkish firms were worth $3.7 billion</div><div>November/22/2011</div>okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-52929172898409332102011-11-18T09:45:00.000-08:002012-01-29T09:49:23.746-08:00GE, Metcap invest in energy facilities<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha3zIhnoD-AYfQyv_TaZk6R41j1eZ-PjRDUlCdnYijG00lRaTttgDZ0cZe5oX9mcVonD0tlg-NfnXwBDLg5F19S_q5JXnqY8lTQk3Xl2lxppYMytJ9nmsO5hQk7_QiF_bN7a9Y5aoCpfdP/s1600/1332_Wind-energy_USE.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 282px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703112256770207282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha3zIhnoD-AYfQyv_TaZk6R41j1eZ-PjRDUlCdnYijG00lRaTttgDZ0cZe5oX9mcVonD0tlg-NfnXwBDLg5F19S_q5JXnqY8lTQk3Xl2lxppYMytJ9nmsO5hQk7_QiF_bN7a9Y5aoCpfdP/s400/1332_Wind-energy_USE.jpg" /></a><br /><div>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.</div>okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-74339815243252722011-10-17T12:47:00.000-07:002012-01-28T12:53:38.081-08:00Turkish politics hindering renewable energy, group says<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkuwyv_6pdeERkRMOI6oFT7KDf2d9pnur9JWkqpRFDc_j50vCpPUjR2ciW-GCvQ-pkEz18lmiLMxIztWyRe9xwIMpvIfHGhU6q_JV5GqnVzd5a2FGVG-3VXDJhGqEShQFQ01LBHsiEM8hB/s1600/solar+panel+pics.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 350px; height: 254px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702787577888516370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkuwyv_6pdeERkRMOI6oFT7KDf2d9pnur9JWkqpRFDc_j50vCpPUjR2ciW-GCvQ-pkEz18lmiLMxIztWyRe9xwIMpvIfHGhU6q_JV5GqnVzd5a2FGVG-3VXDJhGqEShQFQ01LBHsiEM8hB/s400/solar+panel+pics.png" /></a><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div>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 <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Istanbul.aspx">Istanbul</a> 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 <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tag/Denmark.aspx">Denmark</a> 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.</div><div>October/17/2011</div>okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-11561651032027574212011-09-25T01:42:00.000-07:002012-01-30T01:43:23.409-08:00Turkey, potent in geothermalTurkey 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.okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-74328242317212260132011-09-10T12:54:00.000-07:002012-01-28T13:00:39.448-08:00Turkish village opts for wind energy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFJn6-6bo21AduQxc9AOIpTt5cl4Ycp9r1rhi8tc7H91PT2L36WqEjh7lvL60_a9OqFSluWNV6xJgCBmBbsz-IEXm3tubjnHTKnT9y9c5oULRUSiPf7QWX2PZfZJVL6_a8sw5QEgDJuRY/s1600/bozcaada5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 275px; height: 183px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702790491292193778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFJn6-6bo21AduQxc9AOIpTt5cl4Ycp9r1rhi8tc7H91PT2L36WqEjh7lvL60_a9OqFSluWNV6xJgCBmBbsz-IEXm3tubjnHTKnT9y9c5oULRUSiPf7QWX2PZfZJVL6_a8sw5QEgDJuRY/s400/bozcaada5.jpg" /></a><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div>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.</div>okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-79768195000917066222011-07-06T09:52:00.000-07:002012-01-29T10:01:07.756-08:00Vestas competes with rivals for Turkey wind power sales<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhC9me3DCZ4Ivsv_UO81zvS0zncX3FcTHFunO0jq_rbasOEyU0Mk5xVZ_9VFYEyvmwlkbKF50c_e3rnxKu0lRyqlUHZpbwFASzSHf4gdGwHzM-_8MdbLwv9ZQYv3c_lPCBcS3yvSR0J13S/s1600/bostas_ruzgar1_300_300.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 300px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703115219581538546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhC9me3DCZ4Ivsv_UO81zvS0zncX3FcTHFunO0jq_rbasOEyU0Mk5xVZ_9VFYEyvmwlkbKF50c_e3rnxKu0lRyqlUHZpbwFASzSHf4gdGwHzM-_8MdbLwv9ZQYv3c_lPCBcS3yvSR0J13S/s400/bostas_ruzgar1_300_300.jpg" /></a><br /><div>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.</div>okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6423168592343585265.post-11528386187333077922011-07-06T01:44:00.000-07:002012-01-30T01:44:54.146-08:00Interest in renewables rising, Frost saysThe 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.okan koraltanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00918390599547929483noreply@blogger.com0