By Oguzhan Ozsoy and Bahattin Gonultas
ANKARA
Turkey looks to renewable energy as an alternative source to relieve its dependency on foreign energy and fossil fuel resources such as oil, gas and coal, according to experts.
Turkey is second in the world after China in terms of its rising energy demand, and consequently the country aims to upscale renewables by 30 percent by 2023.
Turkey generated 45 percent of its electricity from natural gas, 25 percent from coal, 25 percent from hydro-power and 3 percent produced by wind power plants in 2013.
Turkey consumed 245.5 billion kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity in 2013 and Turkey’s total electricity consumption for 2014 is estimated to be 256 billion kilowatt-hour (kWh), an increase of 4.1 percent compared to last year, according to the Turkish Electricity Production Company (TEIAS).
Turkey meets half of its electricity needs from fossil fuels - 32 percent from coal and 23 percent from natural gas.
According to the study from the country's Energy Ministry, Turkey's electricity demand will reach 620 billion kilowatt per hour.
Turkey will generate 15 percent of its electricity from hydropower, 12 percent from wind and geothermal power, 11 percent from nuclear energy, 5 percent from solar power and 2 percent from others by 2030, according to the ministry.
Solar Energy Industrialists Association (GENSED) Professor Sener Oktik, said "Clean energy is the guarantee of our future energy needs and our environment," and he claimed that solar power will expand into the world’s biggest source of energy before the next century.
"Solar power will dominate, making up almost 37 percent of all energy supplies, with oil providing 10 percent, wind power 8 percent and natural gas 7 percent by 2100," said Oktik.
He also said the photovoltaics sector, which is a method of generating power by converting solar radiation into direct electricity current using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, is rapidly emerging in the Asia pacific region.
Turkish Wind Energy Association (TUREB) President Mustafa Serdar Ataseven said, "If Turkey increases the number of wind power plants, this could be reflected in lower energy costs for citizens because we use our own local resources, with no payment required for the energy sources and no gas emissions from wind power."
"Turkey has energy sources that are environmentally friendly. We need to work together to use these resources very effectively," Ataseven said.
Ataseven stated that energy imports to Turkey are very expensive. "Imports make the country dependent on foreign sources. We need to produce our energy locally without damaging our environment," he added.
Turkey's wind energy has a 3,000 megawatt (MW) production capacity and will reach 4,000 MW levels by the end of the year.
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