Energy efficiency as an inexhaustible energy resource in Turkey

Abstract

We are familiar with fossil fuels as the primary energy resource, but the time has come to firmly establish energy efficiency as an important resource to be considered in future energy investment decisions. Energy efficiency is already being touted as the ‘6th Fuel’ after coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear energy, and renewable energy. Because the cost of electricity from energy efficiency is often between 1-3 cents/kWh, it is also the least expensive source. Energy efficiency is also labor-intensive and locally produced, and substituting pollutants, it has a large positive environmental impact. Energy efficiency's effects and significance are widely recognized in industrialized nations, but this is not yet the case in developing nations. As an example; Turkey would require around 5 GW of additional installed capacity to meet this surplus demand if refrigerators throughout the country used power at the rate they did in the 1980s. This translates to 10 coal-fired power stations with a 500 MW nominal capacity on average. That means 10 coal-fired power plants with an average nominal capacity of 500 MW and construction costs of around 10 billion dollars. Furthermore, the protective measures introduced in Turkey in the 1970s and 1980s were sufficient to meet most of the electricity needs of the growing economy. As outlined in the energy policy report Vision 2023, the country plans to cover at least 30% of the expected future load increase through energy efficiency. Developing countries should take these developments into account and make energy efficiency a top priority in their energy investment decisions to meet increasing demand.