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Turkey has changed the essentials of its energy markets more than a decade ago. It was mainly a transition from a state-led model to a free-market one. Although some levels of progress is observable; security of supply, particularly in times of short term supply disruption had not been widely tested. Harsh winter conditions set a litmus test for Turkish energy markets. Basing on the this test, this paper provides an analysis of to what extent Turkey is open to the risks of energy supply security; and discusses possible measures to relieve future supply disruption risks. Energy policy-making should consider the fact that electricity and gas markets are highly intertwined in Turkey; and security of supply measures could have cross-market implications, paper concludes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countries with high energy demand but limited renewable energy potential are planning to meet part of their future energy needs by importing green hydrogen. For potential exporting countries, in addition to sufficient renewable resources, industrial preconditions are also relevant for the successful implementation of green hydrogen production value chains. A list of 36 "Green H2 Products" needed for stand-alone hydrogen production plants was defined and their economic complexity was analyzed using international trade data from 1995 to 2019. These products were found to be comparatively complex to produce and represent an opportunity for countries to enter new areas of the product space through green diversification. Large differences were revealed between countries in terms of industrial preconditions and their evolution over time. A detailed analysis of nine MENA countries showed that Turkey and Tunisia already possess industrial know-how in various green hydrogen technology components and perform only slightly worse than potential European competitors, while Algeria, Libya, and Saudi Arabia score the lowest in terms of calculated hydrogen-related green complexity. These findings are supported by statistical tests showing that countries with a higher share of natural resources rents in their gross domestic product score significantly lower on economic and green complexity. The results thus provide new perspectives for assessing the capabilities of potential hydrogen-producing countries, which may prove useful for policymakers and investors. Simultaneously, this paper contributes to the theory of economic complexity by applying its methods to a new subset of products, and using a dataset with long-term coverage. • HS code list of 36 technology components for off-grid green H2 production. • Identified components and related goods are comparatively complex to produce. • China achieved a globally unique increase in relevant exports from 1995 to 2019. • In the MENA region, Tunisia and Turkey score the highest on H2-related green complexity. • Fossil fuel exporters have below-average industrial economic and green complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turkey’s rapid economic growth followed by increasing gap between domestic energy production and consumption signifies the large-scale integration of low-carbon and renewable resources into energy system. Turkey’s energy demand is increasing and supplying fossil energies such as oil and gas is becoming more challenging due to the lack of domestic hydrocarbon resources. The country is facing two main issues; first, maintaining energy balance and second, handling environmental issues. Nevertheless, Turkey has substantial renewable and low-carbon energy resources with co-benefits for the country’s fast growing economy and environmental sustainability. This paper aims to present a comprehensive update on Turkey’s renewable and low-carbon energy sector. It reviews not only the current status of the technology, policy and economy, but also provides an insight into the social aspects as well. From a policy point of view, the paper critically discusses Turkey’s energy strategy and perspectives and from the social point of view, the paper argues that there is a research gap in recent literature regarding public awareness and social acceptance of low-carbon energy technologies. Also, the future challenges for promoting low-carbon society in Turkey are discussed in terms of sustainable development and socio-environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Along with the changing concerns over energy security in the last decades, it is important to investigate the perception of different segments of society in order to understand how they view the challenges and opportunities in contemporary energy issues. Being one of the most dynamic energy economies globally, Turkey is continuously increasing both its electricity generation and consumption. Since the industrial sector accounts for higher ratios in this growth, this article explores the perception and awareness within Turkish industrial companies related to energy security, Turkish energy policy, and compatibility of corporate strategy with governmental energy and industrial policies. The study is based on the exploration of nine suppositions relating to the following issues: importance of energy costs in supply chain management, energy efficiency priority, effectiveness of legal infrastructure for energy efficiency, import dependency awareness, renewable energy awareness, the compatibility of energy strategy, climate change awareness, the level of Kyoto Protocol awareness, and compatibility between firm-specific targets and strategy papers. The study tests these suppositions with a survey based on the existing academic literature and three strategy documents related to industrial and energy policies, namely papers on Energy Efficiency Strategy, Turkish Industrial Strategy, and Electricity Energy Market and Security of Supply Strategy. These papers provide the research background and give insight for each of the suppositions. A survey was distributed to the top 500 Turkish industrial companies listed in ISO500. The results show that six suppositions are supported, one is unsupported, and two is neither supported nor unsupported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total energy consumption per capita of any country is a critical input for the economic and social development. But nowadays, the current energy production systems are not sustainable and they are not environment friendly. Increased fossil energy consumptions in manufacturing, transportation and standard of living in the growing population have the highest impact on the environment in terms of global warming potential and air pollution. Also fossil fuel prices are increasing because of shortening of fossil fuel sources. Sustainable development improves standard of life economically and environmentally over the long term in a way that must be supported by the industrial structure of the country. In order to sustain energy availability and keep environment livable for future generations, finding new alternatives is necessary. Increased awareness of society about environmental issues and fossil energy sources depletion support new clean alternatives. These alternatives are one of the important and determinant policy areas for the countries, and should include both short and long term energy policies. This paper discusses the environmental pollution caused by energy consumption, and the role of conventional and renewable energy technologies as one component of the effective sustainable development and solution. Also, renewable energy potential of Turkey for assessment of the green energy systems is investigated in terms of sustainable development, environmental impact and prices. All the given results in this paper will be useful to researchers, engineers, decision and policy makers in industry and government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Turkey as in Europe, the share of natural gas (NG) in the generation of electricity has shown a dramatic increase since the 1990s. Although Turkey faced two economic crises in the last decade, its total electricity generation has increased by 60%. NG consumption was 0.43 bcm in 1987 and reached 40 bcm by 2014. A big fraction of total electricity generation (TEG) is produced from NG. While the NG-based electricity generation was 0.2% in 1985, its share increased rapidly and it has reached to 48% of the TEG in 2014 and share of NG in total thermal power is about 60%. The goal of this paper is to review the historical development of the electricity and NG sectors, and to forecast and review the process of electricity generation with NG. Additionally, this paper compare the use of NG in electricity generation in Turkey and World, and analyze the supply–demand projections and future prospects in the field of energy. Results obtained from the present study show that a diversity of energy resources has not been achieved and as it is today in meeting the increasing energy demand, NG will continue to be a priority in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis using 40 year spanned time series for the Turkey case. CO 2 emission series representing environmental pressure and GDP per capita values representing economic development are used for the period 1968–2007. A cointegration has been determined among nonstationary series. First phases of an inverted U form EKC relationship have been determined for Turkey from the econometric estimations. This result is conflicting with that of the similar models for Turkey case. On the other hand, this conflict refers the important arguments in the literature and constitutes the main points of the paper. Sensitivity critiques (for example, Ahking et al.) for cointegration tests (Johansen and Engle–Granger tests) have been supported in our study. Moreover, we detected important diversion in results according to drift and trend assumptions both in CI vector and EKC model specifications. We conclude that building EKC model according to cointegration (CI) equation restrictions can be important source for diversion when sensitivity exists in estimations and cointegration tests; therefore, EKC estimations should be held in non-restrictive way. The additional structural reasons have been also discussed for developing country EKC cases. The most important one is that the narrow income sample of developing countries makes it possible to be defined by similar but different paths; therefore, policy implications to be drawn from those analyses should not ignore this feature of developing country analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we investigate the system integration costs for wind and river type hydropower generation in the Turkish electricity market, which mainly covers system imbalance costs, congestion management costs and ancillary services costs. The paper also shows that reflecting the imbalance costs to the renewable generators themselves reduced their generation forecast errors drastically. By using an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model, we find that wind and river type hydro generations cause significant imbalances in the Turkish electrical system. On average 1 MWh hydro and wind generation increases imbalance costs by 12.04 TL ($2.10) and 4.03 TL ($0.7), respectively. Most of the renewable imbalance effect stems from the congestion between the main consumption areas and the generation zones of river-type hydro. These costs are socialized and reflected to all consumers through transmission tariffs. It seems reasonable to reflect the congestions costs to the ones causing them which will create the necessary incentives to curb them. Defining new price zones that consider the persistent congestions in the system is recommended for this problem as it is a market-friendly and efficient solution. • The research examine the system integration costs of river-type hydro and wind generation. • These generations caused significant imbalances between 2012 and 2019 in Turkey. • They raised imbalance costs by 12,0 TL ($2.1) and 4,0 TL ($0.7) per MWh respectively. • Most renewable imbalance stems from the congestions due to river type generation. • New price zones should be defined considering congestions for this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A smart grid is a system that uses information and communication technologies to integrate, in an intelligent way, all users connected to the electrical power system considering their behaviour and actions. For this purpose, information about the electrical network, such as the current, the voltage or the power, is gathered together over time so that the behaviour of suppliers and consumers can be observed and automatically coordinated. Smart grids are becoming a significant part in the configuration of future electrical power systems. A lot of research has been done on using smart grids to achieve highly efficient and user-friendly electrical power systems. Many new methods have been introduced to solve the difficulties energy providers face when transforming conventional electrical networks into smart grids. These difficulties include the integration of renewable energy and different grid systems at national and international levels due to changes in frequency, voltage and in the synchronisation mechanism. This paper provides an outline of the European smart grid projects and gives an overview of the current infrastructure and smart grid applications of the Turkish Electricity Production System Operator (EUAS), Turkish Electricity Transmission System Operator (TEIAS), and Turkish Electricity Distribution System Operator (TEDAS). In this paper the feasibility of the further steps required is described and some assessments are made and suggestions given on smart grid developments in general. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Detailed analysis of the literature showed that information about the role of biomass and coal in Turkey's Vision 2023 energy targets is scarce in the published literature. Also, there is no detailed information about the potential applications of co-firing and co-gasification of biomass with coal in Turkey. Consequently, this paper was written with a global to local perspective to provide these important information. According to Turkey's Vision 2023 energy agenda installed capacity of coal power plants will increase from 15.0 to 30.0 GW, and installed capacity of biomass power plants will rise from nil to 2000 MW in 2023. In this study, it was estimated that Turkey should spent between 26.3 and 28.5 billion US$ to the capital investments of new coal power plants depending on the supply ratio from lignite or hard coal to fulfil the Vision 2023 coal target. Recently, the author estimated that Turkey should spend between 3.8 and 13.6 billion US$ to fulfil the Vision 2023 biomass energy target of 2000 MW. Thus, totalling the required coal and biomass investments to fulfil Vision 2023 targets between 30.1 and 42.1 billion US$. If everything goes according to plan and these massive investments can be financed, coal and biomass will support 25.0% and 1.7% of Turkey's electricity demand in 2023, respectively. Increased consumption of coal, mostly indigenous lignite, and biomass will decrease Turkey's foreign trade deficit based on imported energy sources. However, their increased consumption will also rise Turkey's greenhouse gas emissions. In that context, synergistic solution of co-firing and co-gasification of biomass with coal could help Turkey tackle its dependency on foreign energy sources and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Conditional that research and development in this field is supported both by the Turkish government and private sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Vision 2023 agenda, the Turkish government plans to produce 30% of Turkey's electricity demand from renewable energy sources in 2023. This means hydroelectric, wind and solar energy capacities would increase to 36,000 MW, 20,000 MW and 3000 MW, respectively. Increased hydroelectric capacity would indeed benefit stability and flexibility of the existing energy infrastructure. However, increased wind and solar capacity could bring intermittency problems due to nature of these energy sources. Recently, pumped hydroelectric energy storage (PHES) has become a hot topic in Turkey. And, its potential applications via synergistic utilisation with wind and solar energy to solve the aforementioned intermittency problems is being discussed. Yet, detailed information in the literature about PHES in Turkey is scarce. Therefore, this paper was intended to provide this crucial information. Detailed analysis showed even if all obstacles are overcome and all potential PHES capacity is used PHES could only provide a storage capacity worth equivalent to 0.6-0.8% of Turkey's annual electricity demand in 2023. It is estimated that the overnight capital cost required to develop this PHES potential is between 3.6 and 6.5 billion US$. Even so, there would be serious economic risks of PHES plants. Because, PHES systems are currently net consumers of energy. Current study also showed that instead of focusing on PHES, flexibility of Turkish electricity market could be sustained by diversifying energy sources and increasing nuclear energy capacity. It is estimated that an additional 490 MW of nuclear capacity could provide the same potential PHES capacity. By this way, intermittency problems associated with increased share of solar and wind energy can be easily tackled without imperilling the Vision 2023 energy targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper quests for the intrinsic complementarities among environmental pollution abatement, induced technological innovation to combat human-induced climate change, targeted expansions for green employment, and enhanced welfare through gains in private income. Utilizing data from the Turkish economy, we implement an applied general equilibrium model to study the synergies between environmental abatement instruments and policies towards sustaining green jobs. Our results are indicative that by a proper mix of environmental taxation and technological and institutional innovations, Turkey can serve as an example for a host of developing countries in setting the stage for a pro-employment and eco-friendly, sustained growth path. We further show that for the successful implementation of a carbon emissions mitigation strategy, elimination of the burden of existing labor taxes and factor market distortions are crucial. Our analysis suggests that complemented with a strategy of substitution of environmental taxes against the existing distortionary labor taxes, costs abatement on domestic income and employment could be negligible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimization of the electricity markets under modern portfolio theory has a crucial role for financial decision makers. Power suppliers in deregulated electricity markets need to optimize their generation capacities and bidding strategies so as to effectively participate in bilateral contract and spot markets. Market players have to deal with continuously changing electricity prices in competitive electricity market environment during their daily routine system operations. Electricity not like the others is a unique product/service and cannot be stored economically, however it should be generated and consumed simultaneously. In addition to all, power suppliers face with fuel price, water regime, delivery, and network risks. In view of the scene described above, prudent decision making methodologies are of critical importance to maximize profit while minimizing managing risks. This paper presents a comprehensive comparison of mean-variance, down-side, and semi-variance methods for optimization in electricity markets and the corresponding methodologies to maximize the return while minimizing risk. Real Turkish day-ahead market data set between December 2009 and December 2012 is used in numerical calculations. Generation cost data of Hydraulic plants, lignite coal fired thermal power plants, and natural gas combined cycle power plants are taken into consideration in the course of optimization evaluations. In the present of real data, these methods can also be applied to renewable energy generation types. These three methods were able to be applied to all case scenarios effectively and produced efficient frontiers, optimal/minimal portfolios, and utility functions successfully. The results have revealed that the methods significantly provide decisions for power suppliers with different risk aversion levels, and for various instruments to maximize the profit while minimizing the associated market risks, and to meet generation obligations. Consequently, financial optimization under Lower Partial Moments constraints would give notable results in analyzing the efficient frontiers for electricity markets in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Over the last two decades; technical, economic and environmental benefits of hydroelectric power make it an important contributor to the future world energy mix, particularly in the developing countries. Turkey has a total gross hydropower potential of 433GWh/yr, but only 125GWh/yr of the total hydroelectric potential of Turkey can be economically used. By the commissioning of new hydropower plants, which are under construction, 36% of the economically usable potential of the country would be tapped. Turkey''s total economically usable small hydropower potential is 3.75GWh/yr. It is expected that the demand for electric energy in Turkey will be about 580 billion kWh by the year 2020. Turkey is heavily dependent on expensive imported energy sources that place a big burden on the economy and air pollution is becoming a great environmental concern in the country. In this regard, renewable energy resources appear to be the one of the most efficient and effective solutions for clean and sustainable energy development in Turkey. Environmentally friendly energy development has enormous implications for developing countries as major emitters due to their rapid economic and population growth. With some possible options, the paper concludes that the reduction of emissions can only be achieved when policies are supportive and well targeted, standards and incentives are realistic and flexible, and the public is actively responsive to environmental degradation. Turkey''s high rate of energy-related carbon emissions growth is expected to accelerate, with emissions climbing from 57 million tons in 2000 to almost 210 million tons in 2020. Carbon intensity in Turkey is higher than the western developed nation average. In this regard, renewable energy resources appear to be one of the most efficient and effective solutions for clean and sustainable energy development in Turkey. This paper deals with Turkey''s renewables energy sources for sustainable environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Today, the struggle of man against nature has reached the point where nature has been objectified and dominated by resource exploitation as we are faced with huge problems like decreasing natural resources; destruction of climate-ozone layer-glaciers; altering the rhythm of seasons; global warming; decreasing agricultural areas and more negative conditions brought on by the burgeoning human population. These problems threaten the life of all living creatures in the natural world itself. One critical factor is that humanity must harness the ability to create truly renewable energy sources instead of depleting the natural resources directly in order to generate the energy to sustain the lifestyles of today. One aspect of this struggle is to educate the leadership and labour force to actively realize green economies and jobs in the renewable energy sector. In the Turkish educational system, there is a true disconnect between the educational system and the labour markets that is causing a rise in unemployment rates among graduates. Educating green collar workers is an important opportunity for Turkey to develop consistency within the labour markets that have rapidly weakened since 2000.This paper presents an overview of educational policies regarding the development of a green collar industry by facilitating renewable energy jobs through vocational-technical high schools and graduate and post graduate university programmes. It also analyses state policies on popularising business and industry to actually create green collar jobs for the development of a new social paradigm of sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: During the last three decades, a number of studies have been conducted by various investigators in the design, modeling and testing of earth to air heat exchanger (EAHE) systems. This paper reviews the studies conducted on the experimental and analytical analysis of EAHE systems in Turkey and around the world as of the end February 2011. The studies undertaken on the EAHE systems are categorized into two groups as follows: (i) open loop for space heating/cooling and (ii) closed loop for space heating/cooling systems. This paper investigates the studies on EAHEs, also known underground air tunnel systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The effects on global and environmental air quality of pollutants released into the atmosphere from fossil fuels in power plants provide strong arguments for the development of renewable energy resources. Clean, domestic and renewable energy is commonly accepted as the key for future life, not only for Turkey but also for the world. In this regard, the objective of this paper is to present a review of the energy situation, technical and economical potential and utilization of renewables, including hydraulic energy, biomass energy, solar energy, wind energy and geothermal energy, in Turkey and then concerned with greenhouse gas emissions status, especially in air pollution, and environmental impacts of renewable energy sources. The renewable energy potential of the country, their present utilization, and greenhouse gas emissions status are evaluated based on the available data. The present paper shows that there is an important potential for renewables in Turkey and making use of renewable energy and energy efficiency resources to provide energy services to the electricity consumers can provide significant environmental benefits for Turkey. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Energy production in a safe and hazard free manner is one of the world׳s greatest concern. Since the inception of Kyoto Protocol, which was adopted in 1997 and entered into force in February 2005, countries have started to adopt different measures for emission reduction such as electricity generation from renewable energy sources; as the source is free from green house gas (GHG) or CO 2 emission. Legislations and financial incentives have been provided by some governments for encouragement and ensuring good returns to the investors in renewable energy sector. This paper analyzes how a 500 kWp solar photovoltaic (PV) system for electricity generation contributes significantly in the GHG emission reduction and also the potential impact of introducing CO 2 emission reduction cost in the solar PV electricity generation. The result shows that the emission reduction is of the order of hundreds of tons of CO 2 and CO 2 emission reduction cost has a positive impact on the cumulative cash flow of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an energy performance analysis of three different photovoltaic (PV) modules technologies under İzmit, Kocaeli weather conditions in Northwest of Turkey. Some comparative analyzes were conducted for showing solar energy potential of İzmit, Kocaeli. For this purpose, by using crystalline (c-Si), multi crystalline (mc-Si) and cadmium–telluride (Cd–Te) modules, three on-grid photovoltaic power systems (PPS) were installed on the rooftop of the Engineering Faculty at Kocaeli University. These PPSs were monitored from October, 2013 to December, 2014. In order to determine the energy performances of PV modules and PPSs, normalized energy of systems, performance ratios (PRs), mean array efficiencies (MAEs) and capacity factors (CFs) were calculated. The results show that due to the low dependency on weather changes, MAE of Cd–Te arrays result in higher value than that of the other arrays. Changes in PRs of c-Si and mc-Si arrays are lower than Cd–Te arrays within the measurement period and mean values of PRs are 83.8%, 82.05% and 89.76% for mc-Si, c-Si and Cd–Te arrays, respectively. Since Cd–Te array has the highest CF during all months, Cd–Te array can be accepted as more reliable array under İzmit climatic condition. On the other hand, one of the outcomes of this study is to reveal the solar energy potential of İzmit by on-site measurements. So, it is shown that contrary to measurement taken between 1985 and 2006 from 156 stations by General Directorate of Renewable Energy (GDRE) and Turkish State Meteorological Service (DMI), İzmit has more solar energy potential by rate of 23.79%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to bring afront the economical and the ecological consequences of the growth path of Turkey with the help of a sectoral dataset provided by the World Input–Output Database available for the period of 1995–2009. By simple Input–Output accounting, it is found that the economic growth path taken in the 2003–2009 period has gradually become both more energy and pollution intensive as compared to the 1995–2002 period. Moreover, the gradual deterioration in environmental, as well as labor standards, so as to gain competitive edge in export markets led to a rapid increase in environmental degradation and deadly workplace accidents during the post-2002 period. From the viewpoint of the long-term development plans, i.e. Vizyon 2023 which targets to bring Turkey among the 10th biggest economy in the world by 2023, past experiences, therefore, hint that the insistence on an unsustainable and dependent economic growth path which has been re-designed under the neoliberal framework of deregulation, flexibilization and privatization will aggravate not only social and ecological problems but also the current account imbalance. It is concluded that the economic growth path towards the ambitious targets set by Vizyon 2023 should be redefined in accordance with the economic, social and environmental sustainability principles. The existing subsidies to fossil fuels should be channelled to support renewable energy production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present the role of Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs) on GHG emission reduction in Turkey. Due to insufficient installed capacity, Turkey can only utilize 27% of its total economically viable renewable energy potential. To increase the share of the renewables, utilization of these sources has become a top priority in the overall energy agenda. Thus, new regulations and policies are introduced. These policies are expected to serve to increase installed capacities of renewable energy power plants, and reduce the CO 2 emissions intensities. Feed-in-Tariffs is considered as a promising policy to increase share of renewable energy and reduction of CO 2 . However, the CO 2 emission intensity in electricity generation has not changed after the FiTs were launched, indicating that additional policies, possibly including a revision of the current renewable energy support mechanism regime, should be reconsidered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prediction of global solar radiation for the regions is of great importance in terms of giving directions of solar energy conversion systems (design, modeling, and operation), selection of proper regions, and even future investment policies of the decision-makers. With this viewpoint, the objective of this paper is to predict daily global solar radiation data of four provinces (Kırklareli, Tokat, Nevşehir and Karaman) which have different solar radiation distribution in Turkey. In the study, four different machine learning algorithms (support vector machine (SVM), artificial neural network (ANN), kernel and nearest-neighbor (k-NN), and deep learning (DL)) are used. In the training of these algorithms, daily minimum and maximum ambient temperature, cloud cover, daily extraterrestrial solar radiation, day length and solar radiation of these provinces are used. The data is supplied from the Turkish State Meteorological Service and cover the last two years (01.01.2018–31.12.2019). To decide on the success of these algorithms, seven different statistical metrics (R2, RMSE, rRMSE, MBE, MABE, t-stat, and MAPE) are discussed in the study. The results shows that R2, MABE, and RMSE values of all algorithms are ranging from 0.855 to 0.936, from 1.870 to 2.328 MJ/m2, from 2.273 to 2.820 MJ/m2, respectively. At all cases, k-NN exhibited the worst result in terms of R2, RMSE, and MABE metrics. Of all the models, DL was the only model that exceeded the t-critic value. In conclusion, the present paper is reporting that all machine learning algorithms tested in this study can be used in the prediction of daily global solar radiation data with a high accuracy; however, the ANN algorithm is the best fitting algorithm among all algorithms. Then it is followed by DL, SVM and k-NN, respectively. • Comparison of four machine learning algorithms in the prediction of daily global solar radiation. • Discussion of the performance success of the algorithms with seven metrics. • Different regions come different algorithms to the fore in terms of prediction success. • ANN is generally presenting better prediction results in comparison with those of DL, SVM, and k-NN. • k-NN algorithm is giving the worst prediction results for almost all metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Electricity markets have undergone regulatory reforms since the early 1980s around the world. Technical analyses of these reforms usually pay lip service to the influence of politics over regulatory processes. Existing studies examine certain aspects of the market such as demand, pricing, and efficiency, and they touch upon political issues only passingly when economic models cannot provide sufficient explanation. This approach problematically takes politics as an ad hoc variable. This study shows that electricity is intrinsically a ‘political good’ and argues that any meaningful reform effort should take institutions as the starting point rather than a residual. The argument that politics has to be an endogenous variable in any model aspiring to explain behavior in electricity markets is demonstrated in the paper. The evidence for the political good character of electricity is found by examining the Turkish regulatory reform, for which it is argued that there is not a satisfactory relationship between expected and realized gains. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper examines the renewable energy consumption–economic growth causality nexus in Turkey. Studies in the literature can be grouped as country-specific and multi-country studies. The results of these studies are inconsistent, and there is no agreement on the existence or the direction of causality between renewable energy consumption and economic growth. The results of this country-specific study support conservation hypothesis. The results of empirical tests from ARDL approach show that renewable energy consumption has a negative impact on economic growth, and the ones of Toda–Yamamoto causality tests show that there is a unidirectional causality running from economic growth to renewable energy consumption. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Despite the growing literature on renewable energy sources, causal relationships between the variables that are selected as inputs of the models proposed in forecasting studies have not been investigated so far. In this paper, a novel approach to decide prediction input variables of wind and/or temperature forecasting models is suggested. This approach uses time series techniques; more specifically, Granger causality and impulse-response analyses between some meteorological variables. To conduct our study, wind speed, temperature and pressure data obtained from different regions of Turkey are employed. The results suggest that bidirectional causal relationships exist between these variables and that short-run dynamics differ with respect to location (inland versus coastal area). From this, it is concluded that renewable energy models must be built accordingly to improve prediction accuracy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Turkey is a recently developed country, a regional power in the Middle East and an economic powerhouse of the region. Turkey's electricity demand is continuously increasing due to fast economic growth coupled with the country's vibrant young population. It is envisaged that this demand would keep on increasing almost exponentially in the next decade according to the recently avowed Vision 2023 agenda. According to which, the Turkish government ambitiously wants to provide 30.0% of the country's electricity demand from renewable energy sources by 2023. Turkey has vast renewable energy potential including hydro, geothermal, solar and wind. However, historically there is only one playmaker that is hydropower. Thus a detailed review of the current status and future prospects of Turkish hydropower market is urgently needed to generate a roadmap for the Vision 2023 agenda. This paper was intended to provide that vital information. Currently, more than 25.0% or 57.5TWh of the country's electricity demand is supplied from hydropower. According to official projections this would increase to approximately 116.0TWh in 2023. In this study, hydropower's supply rate of Turkey's annual electricity demand was assessed based on the official projections and a forecast was generated. Results showed that between 22.0% and 27.0% of Turkey's annual electricity demand should be supplied from hydropower in 2023. Therefore, between 22.5TWh and 45.0TWh of electricity should be generated from renewable energy sources other than hydropower to provide a total of 30.0% renewable energy based electricity generation in 2023. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Thermal energy storage (TES) is regarded as among the most feasible environmentally friendly solutions for saving energy. R&D activities for heating and cooling of buildings lead to the development of various technology types. This paper attempts to give an overview of the energy situation, solar energy potential, TES concepts and technologies used in solar applications around the world with the emphasis on two Mediterranean countries, Turkey and Slovenia. Energy savings and CO2 emission reduction potential when TES is used in various solar applications of buildings are also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nowadays, energy consumption is progressively boosting in all sectors because of the rising in population and enhancing lifestyle. The dependency over fossil-based fuels has been increasing due to the ever-growing need for energy. The declining characterization of such energy sources and the increment nature of energy demand have led to vital apprehensions of energy regarding future energy safety. Keeping this in mind, the usage of alternative fuels such as biodiesel can be one of the possible solutions in order to accomplish the future energy demand. In this context, the biodiesel production is an attractive way for researchers. Biodiesel is non-toxic, biodegradable and renewable fuel that can be produced from vegetable oils, animal fats and also their wastes by applying different techniques. Contrary to the advantages, the biggest disadvantage of biodiesel is that costs are largely dependent on the feedstock. Although it has the nature of the food, safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) can be utilized as a feedstock for biodiesel production because its oil consumption is limited and it can be grown in arid and dry areas all over the world. This review paper has presented a detailed overview of safflower plant, the physicochemical properties of safflower oil and its biodiesel, the performance, emission and combustion characteristics of the safflower oil biodiesel when used in a diesel engine. The findings of the present work revealed that biodiesel production from safflower oil is possible and the observations from the literature resulted in comparable fuel properties, engine performance and emission parameters with those of diesel. • This paper presents a comprehensive review of safflower as a potential biodiesel feedstock. • One of the countries that have the greatest potential to produce this crop on a commercial scale is Turkey. • High oil ratio and quality of its characteristics of the oil makes it a choice to produce biodiesel. • The physico-chemical characteristics of the safflower oil biodiesel are studied in a detail. • Safflower oil biodiesel and its blends can be used in different types of engines without any modification on the engine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In deregulated power markets, power firms bid into the day-ahead power market either with buy offers or sell offers. The auction mechanism and competition determine the equilibrium price and quantity for each hour. If the bid price of a company is below the market clearing price, then the offer of the company is accepted and rewarded with the market price. A company can be a price maker or price taker depending on the capacity it offers to the market. A price-taker unit must determine the right offer that will maximize their profit given price uncertainty and blind auction rules. This paper first examines power supply in the Turkish electricity market and bidding process. Then a marginal cost-based Monte Carlo method is developed to determine hourly and block bidding strategies of price taker units. Historical market prices are then implemented in a normal distribution to generate hourly price scenarios. A solution methodology is developed that maximizes the expected profit of each hourly and block bidding strategy over price scenarios. The generator is able to both evaluate the hourly bidding and block bidding strategies and find the best bidding strategy that will be submitted to the market using the proposed methodology. The model is illustrated for two coal units in Turkish power market and the results are presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Turkey is a rich country from the point of variety and potential of renewable energy resources. Hydros, winds, biomass, solar and geothermal are important renewable and environmentally friendly sources for energy in Turkey. Turkey produces large amount of hydropower with a total gross hydropower potential of 433TWh/yr, which is equal to 13.8% of the total hydropower potential of Europe. Technically useable potential is 216TWh/yr and economic potential is 140TWh/yr. The main aim of the present study is to investigate hydropower potential of Turkey and small hydropower plants in Eastern Black Sea Region for sustainable energy development in Turkey. The geography of Turkey especially, Eastern Black Sea Region supports and suitable the development of the small hydro plants to increase the energy generation and utilization of available water sources in Turkey. Besides, the paper deals with hydropower policies to meet ever increasing energy demand for sustainable development of Turkey. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper deals with finding the optimum tilt angle of solar panels for solar energy applications. The optimization of tilt angles was performed using solar radiation data measured for eight big provinces in Turkey. The optimum angle for tilted surfaces varying from 0° to 90° in steps of 1° was calculated by searching for the values of which the daily total solar radiation was at a maximum for a specific period. It was found that the optimum tilt angle changed between 0° and 65° throughout the year in Turkey. It was seen that the optimum tilt angle reached a minimum of 0° in June and July and, the monthly average daily total radiation at this angle was generally at a maximum. In addition, the optimum tilt angle increased during the winter months and reached a maximum in December in all provinces. Likewise, general correlations were developed to estimate the optimum tilt angle of solar collectors used in Turkey and their accuracies were compared on the basis of statistical error tests of Mean Bias Error (MBE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), t-statistic (t-stat) and correlation coefficient (r). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Market reform, energy security and environmental protection are three primary energy policy goals of Turkish government. Although Turkey''s abundant solar energy resources can directly address the government''s energy policy goals, Turkey has not utilized solar power yet. Utilization of country''s huge solar energy potential would decrease dependence on imported fossil fuels and contribute to fulfill environmental commitments. However, lack of regulatory and financial support for the development of solar power has considerably delayed the utilization of country''s huge solar potential. The government has taken only modest steps to promote investment in solar power until the end of 2010 when a new feed-in tariff policy was adapted. Turkey''s solar energy potential, PV technology status and prospect for concentrating solar power in Turkey have been explored in a number of studies; yet literature dealing with recent policy developments, associated investment environment and opportunities for solar power investors are limited. The aim of this paper is to set out the latest legal framework for investment in Turkey''s emerging solar power market and to provide some guidelines to potential investors who appreciated country''s huge solar energy potential. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The purpose of this survey is about to analyze the heating coefficient of performance (COP) of geothermal district heating systems. Actual system data are taken from the Salihli GDHS, Turkey. The collected data are quantified and illustrated in tables, particularly for a reference temperature for comparison purposes. In this study, firstly energy and COP analysis of the GDHSs is introduced and then Salihli GDHS coefficient of performance results is given as a case study. Moreover, this paper offers an interesting empirical study of certain geothermal systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The objective of this paper is to assess the environmental performance of Turkish provinces by using a non-parametric method, Data Envelopment Analysis. The results of ranking are based on the provinces’ ability to produce the largest equi-proportional increase in the desirable output-gross domestic product and decrease in the undesirable output namely, air pollutants. The results indicate that 7.41% of the sample provinces are relatively efficient. The results also show that, regions with the highest level gross domestic product per capita have the highest efficiency scores. New industrial districts have lower efficiencies in spite of relatively higher income per capita. In the second stage of the study the possible relationship between environmental efficiency scores and input, output variables are investigated by a regression analysis. According to the results, there is a positive relationship between gross domestic product and efficiency scores. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, the potential of wind energy and assessment of wind energy systems in Turkey were studied. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the wind energy potential and future wind conversion systems project in Turkey. The wind energy potential of various regions was investigated; and the exploitation of the wind energy in Turkey was discussed. Various regions were analyzed taking into account the wind data measured as hourly time series in the windy locations. The wind data used in this study were taken from Electrical Power Resources Survey and Development Administration (EIEI) for the year 2010. This paper reviews the assessment of wind energy in Turkey as of the end of May 2010 including wind energy applications. Turkey''s total theoretically available potential for wind power is around 131,756.40MW and sea wind power 17,393.20MW annually, according to TUREB (TWEA). When Turkey has 1.5MW nominal installed wind energy capacity in 1998, then this capacity has increased to 1522.20MW in 2010. Wind power plant with a total capacity of 1522.20MW will be commissioned 2166.65MW in December 2011. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Promotion of renewable energy sources is a widely adopted policy since they are accepted to positively contribute to ensure the security of energy supply, mitigate CO2 emissions and meet the increasing energy demand. In parallel with that global thought, wind energy has been a hot topic in Turkish energy agenda although the share of wind energy in total energy resources of the country is still low. In this framework, the policies and applications regarding wind energy in Turkey are examined, the short-term and long-term priorities are evaluated and some suggestions are provided in this paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The energy issue is considered as one of the most important issues on the global agenda not only to meet the increasing energy needs but also for environmental protection and enhancement. Practices on utilizing renewable-clean energy sources and discussions related to these practices have been increasing worldwide. This paper''s purpose is to provide empirical data for the deliberation of clean energy and its social acceptance by exploring Istanbul residents’ understanding on clean energy. The overall outcome of the conducted survey indicated that Istanbul residents have accepted the clean energy concept at the theoretical level. However, to carry out this acceptance, they should be provided more information and the changes to use them. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: World energy demands have been increasing rapidly, so natural gas sources in the world play significant role in order to meet those demands. The fastest consumption growth rate of the world''s primary energy sources belongs to natural gas; in addition, it has the highest consumption growth rate among the developing countries. Based on supply–demand models, declining domestic gas production in some regions will lead to a growing supply–demand gap. In fact industrial countries which are also the largest natural gas consumers will lose their key roles in the global natural gas supply in the next two decades. Middle East countries with considerable increase in gas production and due to their economical, political and geopolitical situations could be the best players in the future demand–supply scenarios. This paper deals with natural gas policy of Turkey as a bridge for energy to connect Europe to Asia and Middle East. Because of its geographical and strategic location, Turkey is in an important position to vary European countries supply. Therefore, Turkey''s role for energy security of European Union has increased with current and planned natural gas pipelines that cross over Anatolia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Energy is an essential factor to achieve sustainable development. So, countries striving to this end are seeking to reassess their energy systems with a view towards planning energy programmes and strategies in line with sustainable development goals and objectives. As would be expected, the rapid expansion of energy production and consumption has brought with it a wide range of environmental issues at the local, regional and global levels. States have played a leading role in protecting the environment by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. Turkey is an energy importing country with more than half of the energy requirement being supplied by imports, and air pollution is becoming a great environmental concern in the country. On the other hand, Turkey''s geographical location has several advantages for extensive use of most of the renewable energy sources. In this regard, renewable energy resources appear the most efficient and effective solutions for clean and sustainable energy development in Turkey. This paper provides an overview of global energy use and renewables for clean and sustainable energy policies in Turkey. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Republic of Turkey, located in Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe). Nowadays, Turkey with its young population and growing energy demand per person, its fast growing urbanization, and its economic development, has been one of the fast growing electrical energy markets of the world for the last two decades. Unfortunately, Turkey''s energy is largely dependent on foreign countries and the country''s energy is imported spending billions of dollars each year. On the other hand, the effects on global and environmental air quality of pollutants released into the atmosphere from fossil fuels in electric power plants provide strong arguments for the development of renewable energy resources. Solar energy is one of the best available among renewable energy sources. There are possess many advantages of solar energy such as relativity, viability, silent, non-polluting, little maintenance, suitable for remote site application, not require any fuel and independent from electricity network. Turkey has advanced a great deal in the generation of electricity from solar energy because of much higher solar energy potential than lots of developed countries on solar energy applications. This study is taken into account that overview of the photovoltaic technology status and perspective in Turkey and the contains of photovoltaic power systems utilization and potential status in the world, energy consumption and demand in Turkey, geographic description of the solar energy in Turkey, PV industry current and potential status in Turkey, solar energy legislation framework in Turkey, R&D status of photovoltaic industry in Turkey, future strategy of PV industry in Turkey, current and future status photovoltaic power systems economics in the world. Also, this paper on the basis of this subjects is analyzed the SWOT of Turkey''s photovoltaic industry, its advantages, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Balancing and settlement market is a crucial part of restructured Turkish electricity market. In this framework, the main purpose of this study is to examine whether the prices constituted in the transitional balancing and settlement market reflect the real cost of imbalances. Although it is observed that the prices are not powerful in indicating the real cost of imbalances, Turkey has the opportunity to form a well-functioning market within the context of planned new market structure. Turkey needs to define a proper roadmap reckoning the points mentioned in this paper to be able to achieve her objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Limited fossil resources and severe environmental problems require new sustainable electricity generation options, which utilize renewable energies and are economical in the meantime. Concentrating solar power (CSP) generation is a proven renewable energy technology and has the potential to become cost-effective in the future, for it produces electricity from the solar radiation. In Turkey, the electricity demand is rapidly increasing, while the solar resources and large wasteland areas are widely available in the western and southeastern part of Turkey. To change the energy-intensive and environment-burdensome economical development way, Turkish government supports the development of this technology strongly. These factors altogether make Turkey a suitable country for utilizing CSP technology. In this paper, the potential of CSP in Turkey was studied and strategies to promote development of this technology were given. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Over the last decade, Turkish electricity demand has increased more than 8% per annum as a result of economic development. Being one of the renewable energy sources par excellence, non-exhaustible, non-polluting and economically more attractive than other renewable sources, hydropower has turned out to be an important contributor to the future energy mix of the country. This paper deals with hydropower policies to meet increasing electricity demand for sustainable energy development in Turkey. Turkey has a total gross hydropower potential of 433TWh/year and 140TWh/year of this capacity can be used economically, corresponding to the second largest economic potential in Europe. Currently only 35% of economic hydro potential of the country is utilized. After completion of hydropower plants under construction, this figure will increase to 49%. It is obvious that even after the construction of all projects there will still be a huge hydro potential in Turkey. Besides, Turkey is a poor country in terms of fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, coal and so on) and has no nuclear power plant in operation, which strengthens the role of hydro energy among other alternatives. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper examines the long run and causal relationship issues between economic growth, carbon emissions, energy consumption and employment ratio in Turkey by using autoregressive distributed lag bounds testing approach of cointegration. Empirical results for Turkey over the period 1968–2005 suggest an evidence of a long-run relationship between the variables at 5% significance level in Turkey. The estimated income elasticity of carbon emissions per capita is −0.606 and the income elasticity of energy consumption per capita is 1.375. Results for the existence and direction of Granger causality show that neither carbon emissions per capita nor energy consumption per capita cause real GDP per capita, but employment ratio causes real GDP per capita in the short run. In addition, EKC hypothesis at causal framework by using a linear logarithmic model is not valid in Turkish case. The overall results indicates that energy conservation policies, such as rationing energy consumption and controlling carbon dioxide emissions, are likely to have no adverse effect on the real output growth of Turkey. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The most important renewable sources are hydropower, biomass, geothermal, solar and wind. Turkey''s geographical location has several advantages for extensive use of most of these renewable energy sources. In recently, electricity has demand increased significantly; it is the fastest growing end-use of energy. Therefore, technical, economic and environmental benefits of hydroelectric power make it an important contributor to the future world energy mix. In the world, particularly in the developing countries renewable energy resources appear to be one of the most efficient and effective solutions for sustainable energy development in Turkey. Turkey''s geographical location has several advantages for extensive use of most of the renewable energy sources. This paper deals with policies to meet increasing energy and electricity demand for sustainable energy development in Turkey. Turkey has a total gross hydropower potential of 433GWh/year, but only 125GWh/year of the total hydroelectric potential of Turkey can be economically used. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to point out the importance of renewable energy as a key way for resolving the Turkey''s energy-related challenges. As a consequence of economic and social development, Turkey''s energy consumption has risen dramatically over the past three decades. At present, fossil fuels account for more than 90% of the total energy consumption in the country. Turkey has no large oil and natural gas reserves and it import nearly all of these fossil fuels. Turkey''s current energy mix is not likely to support development of sustainable energy. The energy mix shows a relatively small contribution from renewable energy sources in the country. They have the potential to make a large contribution to Turkey''s sustainable and independent energy future. In particular they can help to reach the environmental goals of Turkey and to increase the security of energy supply by reducing the dependence on imported-fuel supplies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Renewable energy resources have played an important role to meet increasing energy demand in the world. Among the renewable energy resources, especially, wind energy is of interest due to some advantages, such as being clean, environmental friendly etc. However, the intermittent nature of wind creates several problems to the power system operation and new approaches based on the combined use of wind power and energy storage technologies need to be developed. One of these combined systems is wind-hydro pumped storage systems. In this paper, hydropower and wind energy potential of Turkey are investigated in details. Besides, the importance and the necessity of wind-hydro pumped storage systems for Turkey are comprehensively examined and finally, the contribution of wind-hydro pumped storage systems is emphasized in meeting Turkey''s electric energy demand. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper analyses the potential and the feasibility basis for the wind energy resources in some locations of coastal regions of Turkey. The dominant wind directions, the mean values, wind speeds, wind potential and the frequency distributions were determined. The results showed that Balıkesir and Çanakkale among annual averages show higher value of mean wind speed. The mean annual value of Weibull shape parameter k is between 1.54 and 1.86 while the annual value of scale parameter c is between 2.52m/s and 8.34m/s. A technical assessment has been made of electricity generation from four wind turbines having capacity of 600kW, 1500kW, 2000kW and 2500kW. The yearly energy output and capacity factor for the four different turbines were calculated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The long-term increase in Earth''s temperature is known as the global warming or the greenhouse effect. Taking into account the fact that the ice age only involved a global temperature variation of around 4°C, it is clear climate change is arguably one of the greatest environmental threats the world is facing today. The impacts of disruptive change leading to catastrophic events such as storms, droughts, sea level rise and floods are already being felt across the world. In this context, the signing of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 has been argued to be a historic step in reversing the inexorable increase in the emission of the greenhouse gases. The primary achievement of the Protocol has been so-called commitment of countries referred in the Annex I of the Protocol to reduce their emission of GHGs some 5% below their country specific 1990 level. On February 5, 2009, Turkish Parliament ratified an agreement to sign the Kyoto Protocol after intense pressure from both the European Union and international environmental organizations; however, so far it has not taken any step to bring about real reductions in emissions. In short, Turkey simply signed but ignored the Protocol. Present paper investigates Turkish position vis-à-vis Kyoto Protocol and critically questions Turkish policies in that area. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents measurement system and detailed analysis of power quality at the substation of two different wind farm sites which are of low and high power rate. Measurement system has been designed using a data acquisition board (DAQ), Labview software, Matlab programming and a portable PC. The system has been installed at medium voltage level at substation of both wind farms. The real measurement results at substations are compared to current regulations in Turkey. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]