Renewable energy is vast but one downside is that it is not a constant source of energy, Tanay Sıdkı Uyar, president of the Bioenergy Association of Turkey, told Anadolu Agency. The use of biomass energy in Turkey should be increased as it can provide independence from fossil fuels, he stressed. “The sun’s energy can be utilized during the day time and wind will blow sporadically, but biomass is more reliable as it can act as an energy storage facility,” he added, as quoted by the agency’s Energy Terminal.
Biomass, any organic material which has stored sunlight in the form of chemical energy, will allow the sun’s energy to be used for heating or electricity even during the night time, he elaborated. With this feature, there is no need for coal, natural gas or oil, Uyar argued.
As a fuel source, biomass may include wood, wood waste, straw, manure, sugarcane, and many other byproducts from a variety of agricultural processes. Turkey aims to raise the capacity of biomass to 1 GW from over 300 MW by 2023. However, Uyar says the target level is unambitious as the country has the capacity to reach 5 GW in the same period.
“The country should utilize biomass energy even more, the potential and infrastructure is available,” he said and added that a target of increasing its share within electricity generation to 30% would be more acceptable. Uyar highlighted renewable energy’s abundance and said there is no scarcity of source. “The share of hydroelectricity is already great; it should not be included in Turkey’s 2023 renewable goals. The country has the potential to reach the target without hydroelectricity,” he stressed.
Turkey aims to raise renewable energy’s share within energy usage to 30%. Renewable energy technology is currently cheap, affordable and found in vast amounts, which is why fossil fuel prices are falling, Uyar said. Turkey is mostly reliant on energy imports for its demand. “Renewable energy has all the necessary qualities to be a solution to the supply demand. Turkey can switch to become a 100% renewable energy country, with efficient energy use, while also decreasing it by 50%,” he said.
Efficiency in energy use will lower energy demand and lessen the supply problem’s scope, Uyar added. He urged organizations, academicians and students to attend the Irenec 2016 conference on May 26 to 28 in Istanbul, where they will discuss the possibility of a 100% renewable future for Turkey.
