Search

The demand for energy increases day by day. Traditional energy supply methods contribute to the worldwide ecological crisis mostly. Therefore, the tendency towards using renewable energy (RE) is increasing tremendously. Turkey meets most of its energy demand from fossil fuels and is highly dependent on imported sources. This scheme shows that RE potentials prove very important. Istanbul, the home city for a significant part of Turkey's population and economic activities, also imports most of its energy sources and cannot benefit from RE sufficiently. Therefore, this study aims to develop policy recommendations to increase RE use in Istanbul. For this purpose, current regulations and actors in the sector, primary sources, and the best practices were examined, and open-ended semi-structured interviews were conducted with the municipal and private sector representatives. The results show that to increase RE use in Istanbul; it is recommended to (i) implement regulations and plans that highlight the city's needs, (ii) make action plans compatible with national energy policies, (iii) make legal arrangements to promote coordination between the central and local governments, (iv) enhance the infrastructure and electricity grid system to adapt the new technologies and resources, (v) measure the RE potential and sharing it with the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing global energy demand and fluctuating costs drive mankind to sustainable and cost-effective energy solutions. Renewable resources and relevant energy-generating technologies stand out as sustainable and eco-friendly options. In recent years, with a significant decrease in energy production costs, solar energy has come to the fore and increased its production share in the national economies. Solar based electricity production technologies are preferred not only with their cost-effectiveness but also with their contribution to combating climate change and achieving sustainable development targets. In this context; the aim of this study is to analyze the techno-economic and environmental aspects of a system consisting of photovoltaic (PV) modules that use solar energy as a source to provide electrical power demand in a campus located in Istanbul. The solar potential of the Turkish Naval Academy of the National Defense University has been calculated based on the available rooftop area for PV modules in the campus, the availability of per unit area of the roof, the efficiency, inverter efficiency and temperature effects on the PV array's performance. The potential of the roof-mounted PV system was calculated using a modified calculation and then the feasibility of the proposed energy system has been developed by the RETScreen simulation tool. As a result, it is calculated that the proposed system will reach positive cash flow at the end of four years repayment period and continue its profit condition throughout the 25 years project life cycle, which will decrease the total greenhouse gas emissions by 93% and save 721.1 tons of crude oil. It has been evaluated as a cost-effective and environment-friendly application for the campus of the Turkish Naval Academy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]