One of the biggest shackles on Türkiye’s feet, external dependency in energy, is about to be broken thanks to the ever-increasing investments, technological advances of domestic companies and new discoveries in natural resources. Yes, we cannot say that we will be free of external dependency in a decade, but the developments and global energy trends play an important role in Türkiye’s rapid progress towards independence. The ‘world’ no longer wants to use fossil fuels. What is more important is that all stakeholders and decision-making mechanisms, from governments to individuals, from states to companies, are focused on ‘Green Transformation’. Due to this focus, countries and companies are announcing their ‘carbon reduction’ targets and commitments, while governments are rapidly making changes to the law and supporting renewable energy sources.
Banks and financial institutions have also rolled up their sleeves for the Green Transformation, which is estimated to exceed 9 trillion dollars globally. While fossil fuel investments are no longer financed, companies can find loans more easily for energy efficiency projects. While the effects of the European Green Deal and the Paris Climate Agreement are rapidly moving countries away from fossil fuels in almost every field, renewable energy investments are increasing exponentially.
Meanwhile, we should not forget the effects of the Russia-Ukraine war. Fatih Birol, President of the International Energy Agency, draws attention to the fact that this war has triggered a global energy crisis. Birol, who attended the conference organized by the Sabancı University Istanbul International Energy and Climate Center, also added that the global energy crisis that emerged due to the war will accelerate the transition to clean and reliable energy technologies.
Indeed, many countries have enacted financial and legal programs due to the crisis and accelerated their investments in clean and safe energy technologies. Birol says, “There is tremendous development in renewable energy in the world today. The renewable energy capacity in the world will increase to 2,400 GW in the next five years.” This rate is equal to the increase the world has made in the last 20 years.
TREND 2: RENEWABLE INVESTMENTS
The situation is no different in Türkiye. Renewable energy investments are supported and technologies are developed in a wide range from the state to financial institutions, from large investors to start-ups. According to the figures provided by Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez, Türkiye’s installed power has reached 102 thousand MW. Dönmez stated in his statement that in terms of renewable energy, we are ranked 5th in Europe and 12th in the world. 94 percent of the electricity production facilities put into operation this year alone were made up of renewable energy sources. There are currently 11,142 licensed and unlicensed electricity producers in Türkiye. The share of renewable energy in the total installed power is 54 percent. 55 thousand MW of the 102 thousand MW installed power consists of renewable energy source facilities.
Among renewable energy sources, it is necessary to allocate an important place to solar power plants (SPP) because this is the first area that comes to mind when it comes to the energy trend in Türkiye’s new century. Solar energy, which had a share of 0.1 in the total installed power in 2014, started to rise with the effect of tender and incentive mechanisms from 2015 and reached 7.8 percent of the total installed power in 2021.
In the nine-month period of 2022, the ratio of solar power plants, which increased by 1,146.1 MW in capacity, to Türkiye’s total installed capacity has increased to 9.1 percent. Türkiye’s place in the world rankings in renewable energy and solar energy is also on the rise. In the World Total Installed Power of Renewable Energy ranking, Turkey ranked 14th in 2010, and 12th as of 2020. In the World Total Installed Power of Solar Energy ranking, Turkey ranked 51st in 2010, and 16th as of 2020.
The growth in solar power plants in Türkiye’s new century will be tremendous. According to IEA President Birol, there will be a 65 percent growth in five years. Kalyon Energy CEO Murtaza Ata, on the other hand, draws attention to the 65 percent target and says, “This target is too small for Türkiye. We believe there will be more growth.” Ata’s assessment is important because it has solar panel technology and the largest solar power plant in Europe.
TREND 3: HYDROGEN IS COMING
Hydrogen stands out as a savior solution for companies that want to reduce carbon emissions, especially in the manufacturing, transportation and aviation sectors, by radically changing their jobs and obtaining green energy. Green hydrogen, especially obtained from renewable sources, reduces emissions to zero both in production and consumption by releasing only water vapor into the atmosphere. As fossil fuel use decreases within the scope of the net zero target by 2050, hydrogen is expected to increase its share 10-fold.
While the global hydrogen production market has a size of 160 billion dollars, this sector is expected to reach 263.5 billion dollars in 2027 it is expected to reach . There is a breakthrough in Türkiye, especially on the initiative side, regarding hydrogen. Phoenix Energy, founded by Yusuf Furkan Ergür, uses the filter it developed to separate hydrogen from gases emitted from thermal power plant chimneys, while also minimizing emissions by burning harmful gases before they are released into the air.
Another local initiative, Hebunk, is trying to solve the charging problem in e-mobility with hydrogen fuel cartridges and to produce both these cartridges and hydrogen.
In the energy crisis caused by the Russia-Ukraine war, moves to increase the share of hydrogen and renewables have become more frequent on the EU side. The eighth day of COP27, organized due to climate action, was also devoted to energy, and hydrogen was the most talked about topic. The EU and the host country Egypt agreed on a target of 20 million tons of hydrogen consumption throughout Europe by 2030 with the memorandum they signed. In Türkiye, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources is also expected to announce a hydrogen strategy consisting of 5 headings and 50 actions. The information obtained from using natural gas mixed with hydrogen in indoor installations in Konya has also enabled the collection of data on the future use of hydrogen.
TREND 4: NUCLEAR ENERGY
The most important problem of renewable energy sources is the lack of continuity. Yes, it is possible to produce huge amounts of electricity from wind or solar energy, but unused energy needs to be stored. Storage technologies are one of the most talked about topics of the upcoming period, but although technological development in this area is now accelerating, the need for uninterrupted energy is also a reality. Just as the Russia-Ukraine war caused coal power plants to reopen in Europe, the need for uninterrupted energy is an urgent and vital issue.
At this point, nuclear power plants come into play. The European Union sees nuclear power plants within the scope of green energy. Of course, the investment cost of these plants is quite high. However, Turkey has already set out in this field with the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant. Developments in nuclear power plants will be closely followed as a clean and uninterrupted energy source in the new century. Large companies have already started planning in this field. Kalyon Energy wants to build 400-500 MW power plants.
Source : https://www.inbusiness.com.tr/surdurulebilirlik/2023/02/06/bagimsizlik-atilimi
