Turkey: ideally placed to make use of renewables
With a growing population of over 72 million and rapid economic development, Turkey has one of the fastest growing needs for power in the developed world. Electricity demand alone is increasing by 6-8 per cent each year and CO2 emissions are rising at a rate of 5.8 per cent per year. As part of its climate change strategy designed to tackle these rising emissions, Turkey recently announced it will reopen its nuclear power programme. However, new research concludes that Turkey should look beyond nuclear and older forms of renewable energy, as it is well placed to make efficient use of more modern renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind power.
Renewable sources of energy account for a declining share of Turkey's primary energy supply at 14.5 per cent in 2005, down from 18 per cent in 1990. However, a new analysis of the potential for renewable energy in Turkey suggests that renewables offer the most efficient solution to meeting both environmental and development objectives, such as those required to meet criteria for EU membership. This could also reduce Turkey's heavy dependence on imported energy sources (over 50 per cent).
In Turkey, renewable energy sources are currently dominated by 'mature' technologies such as hydropower and biomass, typically operating without government support. Biomass usually consists of wood or animal waste mixed with straw burned in rural and mountainous areas. Environmental concerns about deforestation and scarce wood supplies have led to a decline in its use, especially for residential heating, and the amount of hydropower produced by existing schemes has levelled off.
The researchers believe that Turkey's geographical location offers several advantages for extensive use of 'newer' types of renewables such as wind power, solar technologies and alternative biofuels. Coastal regions have significant potential for wind power developments and Turkey already accounts for 10 per cent of the world's installed solar hot water/heating technology capacity, compared with 11 per cent in Europe as a whole.
Turkey contains around 1 per cent of the total world hydropower potential and new schemes are being implemented including a major combined power, irrigation and development project in South-eastern Anatolia. This will result in 22 dams and 19 hydro plants on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, and will generate 27 billion kWh of electricity.
The European Union's integrated Climate Action1 proposal, announced in January 2008, called for a minimum 20 per cent of all energy, across the EU, to be from renewable sources by 2020. Currently, only 8.5 per cent of energy comes from renewable sources. If Turkey joins the EU, it will be in a position to contribute to the EU's energy market and potentially help secure the EU's energy supply.
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