EU investments in renewable energy in Turkey

Finance

Germany's EnBW to invest $1.25 bln in renewable energy in Turkey

AFP

The German power group EnBW wants to invest 1 billion euros ($1.25 billion) in renewable energies with a partner in Turkey, a press report said on Tuesday. 

"As a first step, we want to invest around 1 billion euros in the next three to four years," EnBW boss Hans-Peter Villis told the Financial Times Deutschland.

 

EnBW has signed a letter of intent with the Turkish group, Borusan Holding, with each side owning a 50 percent share of the joint project. 

 

The Turkish market for renewable energy is expected to grow by around 8 percent per year, the newspaper said.

 

The development of wind and hydraulic energy sources was expected to result in a maximum generating capacity of 1,000 megawatts, EnBW said.

 

Borusan is a conglomerate with sales of more than 2 billion euros ($2.5 billion) in 2007, with operations in steel production and the distribution of the German luxury automobile BMW, the report said.

 

EnBW is the fourth biggest German power company, with 2008 sales worth more than 16 billion euros ($20.2 billion).

 

The French energy group EDF owns 45 percent of the shares in EnBW.

3 Mart 2009

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/finance/11123210.asp?gid=236

Coal: dirtiest of the dirty

Environment is a way out of the crisis, a remedy for afterwards On Monday In Washington D.C. the biggest ever protest will be held against coal which, of all the fossil fuels, is the single biggest contributor to global warming (www.capitolclimateaction.org). Through a symbolic action, the protest will target the Capitol Power Plant owned by the U.S. Congress. It’s a cold fact that the use of fossil fuels will accelerate the end of the world.  The solution is to rapidly stop using coal. Whereas many countries are showing sensitivity towards the use of coal, Turkey is the record holder in greenhouse gas emissions, the main source of global warming, with a 74.4 percent increase in the period 1990-2004. In Turkey, power plants fueled by coal produce 20 percent of total gas emissions. Currently a total of 15 thermal power plants use brown coal processed in Turkey. And these plants are a nightmare for the environment because it is a low-quality type of coal. Sulphur, nitrogen and CO2 are produced during the combustion of fuels. These cause acid rain when they react with water particles in the air, in addition to soil and water pollution. Filters placed on chimneys to keep ash are insufficient most of the time. According to information provided by Greenpeace-Turkey, there are 47 power plant projects pending. If they are implemented, the country's greenhouse gas emissions will increase 50 percent. We’ll surely become the champion of all times. Our neighbor Greece, who decided to prioritize solar energy over coal and nuclear is certain to be overtaken by the champion!  Energy transmission infrastructures in developed countries was a priority in the implementation of New Deal type programs with a focus on employment and mass consumption, generated in the wake of the 1929 crisis. To increase the production of home appliances with access to affordable electricity, huge infrastructural projects such as 'Tennessee Valley Authority’ were put in place. And today in order to come out of the current crisis, we need environmental infrastructures in a way to encourage renewable energy over fossil fuels and "to care about air, water and soil." That was the core of President Obama's historic speech Monday.  A new paradigm We should also make investments in green collars. "Green collar" is a term for engineers, farmers, architects and educators working in the renewable energy (wind, solar and geothermal), organic farming and energy saving sectors. Data provided by the American Solar Energy Society, renewable energy and energy efficiency represented 8.5 million jobs in 2006. And as many as 40 million jobs can be generated by 2030. As for Turkey, no proper data exist but it is estimated to amount to 45,000 green collars.  And the third policy we need is energy efficiency and a change in consumption habits. An Open Society Foundation sponsored report made simple suggestions: commuting should be spread around as part of transportation, aged electricity production facilities should be rehabilitated, energy efficiency should be increased, power plants in the Aegean region should develop CO2 capture and storage systems, clean coal technology in coal-based power plants should be prioritized and renewable energy use should be increased. Environment friendly light bulbs and showerheads can also help. Turning off televisions before going to bed in the night and using washing machines and dishwashers at full capacity are some other simple measures to be applied. Countries that can do these will save their future. However, considering that individual remedies are not the solution, joint decisions and implementations are necessary. Unprofessional approaches by the officials in charge of the environment in Turkey to the gravity of the situation is a sign that this country won't be a part of such joint efforts. The government’s approach is self-evident. Whoever raises his/her voice against energy sources causing pollution, he/she is being accused of day-dreaming and then of having a hidden agenda. The "Environment Minister in charge of Industry" keeps arguing that such people are against employment and industry and that environmentalists, as a matter of fact, do not want the country to develop, but that we cannot go back to the Stone Age. However, the wind power potential of Turkey, for instance, is about 48,000 megawatts. In this sector, 1 megawatt is being generated by 12 people that means 576,000 jobs! The current global economic crisis is putting heavy pressure on our production and consumption habits. We have two options: either we do everything in our power to go back to the reckless development model behind the present crisis and therefore to speed up our end, or to find new ways and return from the threshold of the disaster.

28 Şubat 2009 http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/opinion/11102141.asp?yazarid=292&gid=260

Geo-thermal energy in Turkey

Turkey may be model in geothermal energy

by Ekrem Ekici

ISTANBUL - Aiming to strengthen Turkey’s renewable energy use, particularly in geothermal energy, a global consulting firm is organizing the "GeoFund Geothermal Workshop" in Istanbul from Feb. 16 to 19. 

Cooperating with the World Bank Partership International, which provides regulatory, institutional, technical and financial advice to clients on infrastructure investment projects, the workshop focuses on attracting investor attention in geothermal energy in Europe and Central Asia, as part of the World Bank’s Geothermal Energy Development Program, or GeoFund. 

Speaking to Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Partnership International Vice President Tracy Mathieu said the workshop aimed to contribute to the development of geothermal projects in Turkey, as well as centralizing the country as a model for the region by bringing government officials and international investors together. 

Promoting Turkey’s potential

"Through the Geothermal Workshop our goal is to present attendees with methods to develop a project, carry out financial analysis and economic modeling, prepare winning proposals to the GeoFund for explorations and drilling and secure international financial resources," Mathieu said. 

"If Turkish companies worked with international partners it would be a lot easier to access funding for their renewable energy projects. The workshop is fully oriented to promote Turkey’s potential in geothermal energy and to attract investors," she said. 

The GeoFund is an umbrella program to facilitate individual geothermal projects in the region, Mathieu said. "The World Bank's GeoFund Geothermal Workshop’s goal is to systematically promote the use of geothermal energy in the region by removing barriers to the development of geothermal renewable energy, leading to greater use and increase in demand for, and supply of, geothermal energy projects," she said. 

"The workshop will be directed toward high-level energy officials, developers and financiers. It will look into enabling geothermal development by bring together decision-makers with leaders in geothermal industry and finance." 

The goal of the workshop is for energy officials and businesses to enable geothermal development via private sector financing and introduce the GeoFund as a complementary supporting tool. 

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/finance/10999635.asp?gid=236

Wind Power, Datca - Sustainable Tourism

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/domestic/10307763.asp?scr=1

"...Datca will gain a new silhouette with the construction of windmills..."

-Çağla Balcı Eriş, carbon development manager, Demirer Holidng

Sustainable Management of Istanbul Local e-waste

Life Smile Project: local recycling program for old computers and other electronics

http://www.ibb.gov.tr/sites/lifesmile/Documents/smilewebson2en.html

Recycling Computers in Istanbul

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/10/new-computer-recycling-program-in-istanbul.php

Green Bazaar in Istanbul?

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/10/first-organic-farmers-market-in-istanbul.php