Turkey's electricity consumption decreased by 1.49 percent in March compared to the same month of 2018, according to Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Ministry on Monday.
The country's power consumption reached 23.784 billion kilowatt-hours in March, while electricity production decreased by 1.83 percent to reach 23.788 gigawatt-hours compared to March 2018.
Out of March's total production, 18.08 percent was generated by natural gas power plants while 32.33 percent was derived from hydro plants and 18.67 percent from imported coal.
Local coal plants contributed 17.37 percent to electricity generation, wind plants constituted 8.58 percent and the remaining 4.97 percent of electricity production was generated from geothermal, fuel oil and biogas plants.
Turkey's electricity imports from neighboring countries increased by 99.8 percent and reached 259.04 million kilowatt-hours compared to 129.64 million kilowatt-hours in March 2018.
In addition, the country's electricity exports to neighboring countries increased by 22.2 percent to 264.05 million kilowatt-hours of electricity from 216.07 million kilowatt-hours in March 2018.
Turkey's total installed power capacity reached 89.05 gigawatts by the end of February 2019, according to official figures.
Source: AA
After the announcement that Qatar will be launching the world's largest Islamic energy-focused lender in the world and would finance both domestic and global energy projects, a Qatari executive yesterday said Turkish energy projects will also be able to receive funding from the institution. "Turkey is one of the pipeline countries. Turkish energy projects can and will be able to get loans from this financial institution," Qatar Financial Center (QFC) CEO Yousuf Mohamed Al-Jaida told Anadolu Agency (AA) on the sidelines of the 8th Uludağ Economy Summit last weekend. Executives said last week the energy-focused Islamic lender would be launched later this year with a targeted capital of $10 billion and would target private sector and government energy projects, such as financing oil and gas, petrochemicals and renewable energy projects, both in Qatar and abroad.
Al-Jaida said the bank would make loans for large energy projects in energy-rich countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, the Caucasian countries, Russia and Sudan through syndication. All energy types such as alternative energy, oil, gas and petrochemicals are included, he explained.
To be established under the QFC, the Energy Bank already has authorized capital of $10 billion and paid-in capital of $2.5 billion, he said.
Touting Qatar as an energy hub, Al-Jaida said: "We're the biggest LNG [liquefied natural gas] exporter in the world and have massive reserves... But we don't have a specialized financial institution in that lucrative sector." He noted that the bank is a private sector initiative - not backed by the government.
Flourishing Turkish-Qatari Ties
Friends in bad times as well as good times, Turkey and Qatar have developed relations rapidly in various fields over the past few years. The strategic relationship at the economic, political and military levels and intensive bilateral visits at all levels have added a major impetus to bilateral relations.
Fraternal ties between the two allies gained significant momentum, particularly after the start of the Gulf crisis and the failed coup attempt in the summer of 2016, during which Turkey and Qatar strongly supported each other.
In June 2017, a handful of Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia, abruptly severed diplomatic relations with Qatar and imposed a blockade on the tiny Gulf country, accusing it of supporting terrorism. The Qatari government denied the accusation, blasting the blockade as unjustified and a violation of international law.
Touching on growing economic bonds between Turkey and Qatar, Al-Jaida noted that close political ties have helped foster good economic relations.
Trade between Qatar and Turkey surged nearly 60 percent last year compared to 2017, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). Bilateral trade between the two countries reached more than $1.4 billion in 2018, up from $913 million a year earlier, according to TurkStat.
"These relations will continue; they are becoming more strategic every day. Relations are very, very healthy," he said. Explaining how last August Qatar pledged $15 billion in investment in Turkey, Al-Jaida said nearly 40 percent of this has already been realized. "Up to now, $3 billion of this figure was realized as cash investment, $3 billion was provided through Swap agreements. That is, about 35-40 percent of the investment budget has been completed. We're constantly talking with Turkish officials in various fields and sectors on how to make the rest of the investments," he said.
Al-Jaida added that Qatar is keen to cooperate in financial services, real estate and defense. "Those are the three most prominent sectors. Having said that, we're also looking at retail, food and agriculture as secondary fields of importance between our countries," he noted.
Visiting Qatar earlier this month, Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli held meetings to boost cooperation in agriculture, especially in green housing. "We're impressed with Turkey's ability to provide their own food. We intend to follow the same path and be able to grow our food within Qatar rather than import," he said.
Istanbul Can Be Islamic Finance Hub for Europe
Al-Jaida noted that Turkey and Qatar could forge successful cooperation in Islamic finance, "better than any other countries." "Doha, Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur and Indonesia can emerge as global financial capitals for Islamic finance," he said, adding, "So we're looking at the common technology, common rules and regulations between these three centers." "Our goal for the strategic long-term project is that Istanbul becomes the Islamic financial hub for Europe and Kuala Lumpur for Asia and Doha for the greater Middle East and North Africa region."
Source: Daily Sabah
Two technologies that were immature and expensive only a few years ago but are now at the center of the unfolding low-carbon energy transition have seen spectacular gains in cost-competitiveness in the last year. The latest analysis by research company BloombergNEF (BNEF) shows that the benchmark levelized cost of electricity,[1] or LCOE, for lithium-ion batteries has fallen 35% to $187 per megawatt-hour since the first half of 2018. Meanwhile, the benchmark LCOE for offshore wind has tumbled by 24%.
Onshore wind and photovoltaic solar have also gotten cheaper, their respective benchmark LCOE reaching $50 and $57 per megawatt-hour for projects starting construction in early 2019, down 10% and 18% on the equivalent figures of a year ago. Elena Giannakopoulou, head of energy economics at BNEF, commented: “Looking back over this decade, there have been staggering improvements in the cost-competitiveness of these low-carbon options, thanks to technology innovation, economies of scale, stiff price competition and manufacturing experience.
“Our analysis shows that the LCOE per megawatt-hour for onshore wind, solar PV and offshore wind have fallen by 49%, 84% and 56% respectively since 2010. That for lithium-ion battery storage has dropped by 76% since 2012, based on recent project costs and historical battery pack prices.”
The most striking finding in this LCOE Update, for the first-half of 2019, is on the cost improvements in lithium-ion batteries. These are opening up new opportunities for them to balance a renewables-heavy generation mix.
Batteries co-located with solar or wind projects are starting to compete, in many markets and without subsidy, with coal- and gas-fired generation for the provision of ‘dispatchable power’ that can be delivered whenever the grid needs it (as opposed to only when the wind is blowing, or the sun is shining).
Electricity demand is subject to pronounced peaks and lows inter-day. Meeting the peaks has previously been the preserve of technologies such as open-cycle gas turbines and gas reciprocating engines, but these are now facing competition from batteries with anything from one to four hours of energy storage, according to the report.
Source: Bloomberg NEF
The global market for smart city information and communications technology (ICT) is forecasted to hit the $994.6-billion mark by 2023 from $476.7 billion in 2018, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.8%, a report by BCC research showed. The report attributed the exponential expansion to the rising number of smart cities worldwide in light of the rapid urbanisation rate, booming population, and calls for sustainable development.
North America is seen to take the lead in terms of market size but Asia-Pacific will experience the highest growth at 18.9% CAGR, the report said. In MENA region, a separate study conducted by KPMG revealed that smart city spending will double from $1.3 billion to $2.7bilion by 2022.
“Advanced technologies are at the very heart of a connected and automated city of the future. This reality is the influential force behind the flourishing global smart city ICT market worldwide as presented by the BCC research. Sensors, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics and machine learning, blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), and many more are going to serve as a foundation for smart cities and their complex ecosystems. Discussions on the role of technologies in connectivity and sustainability, among others, will take the centre stage at the 2019 edition of the Future Cities Show in Dubai, where experts, leaders, and stakeholders will convene to tackle opportunities and challenges in establishing genuine smart cities,” said Dawood Al Shezawi, President of Strategic Marketing and Exhibitions, the organiser of the Future Cities Show. The show’s third edition will take place from 8th to 10th of April 2019 at the Dubai World Trade Centre under the theme 'Propelling Globalization through Digital Transformation’.
Geospatial and 5G technologies as well as virtual reality and augmented reality will also play a role in enabling the growth of smart cities and are seen as fundamental backbones of smart city projects.
Al Shezawi said: “These advanced solutions will be used for waste management, intelligent lighting, parking and traffic control, pollution monitoring, and efficient public transportation system. The possibilities are simply endless. We have to continue our dialogues to ensure that we are harnessing the full potentials of new technological innovations available today. If technologies are properly utilized, the benefits are going to be enormous.”
Barcelona, one of the world’s best smart cities along with Singapore and London as per the report of Philips Lighting released in 2018, is said to have been reaping the benefits of deploying IoT solutions. According to the report, the implementation led to the creation of an estimated 47,000 jobs, savings of EUR 42.5 million on water, and increased revenues of EUR 36.5 million a year through smart parking fees.
Future Cities Show will focus on five leading future city solutions, namely AI, blockchain, smart infrastructure, smart mobility, and sustainability. It will also provide a platform to ensure that the latest technological projects will have the opportunity to secure medium- to large-scale investments. In addition, the show will highlight the achievements and plans of its host city, Dubai, such as Dubai 10X Initiatives set by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.
Source: Smart Energy International
Germany covered over one third of its entire net electricity production in March with wind power alone, setting a new record for the renewable energy source’s share in the country’s power mix.
Onshore and offshore turbines together produced more than 16 Terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity since 1 March, bringing wind’s share to 35 percent of total power production, while renewables together accounted for 55 percent, the German Wind Energy Association (BWE) said in a statement. Meanwhile, power production from hard coal and lignite together accounted for less than 11 TWh in the month and nuclear power for a little over 6 TWh. On some days, wind even contributed about 70 percent to the German power mix, the BWE said. “It is worth noting that grid operators had no problems integrating the renewables share of 55 percent into the system,” BWE head Hermann Albers said.
Germany’s government wants to bring the share of renewables in the country’s power consumption to an annual average of 65 percent by 2030, while simultaneously carrying out the dual phase-out of nuclear and coal power. Although renewables at times already covered the country’s power demand completely, the sluggish expansion of Germany’s grid and a lack of storage capacities for electricity from renewable sources continue to make a broader reliance on wind power and other low-carbon sources difficult.
Source: Clean Energy Wire
Constructing new wind and solar projects would be less expensive than continuing to run 74 percent of existing U.S. coal plants, according to a new study. That number jumps to 86 percent of coal plants by 2025.
The study from new energy and climate policy firm Energy Innovation and Vibrant Clean Energy says the U.S. has entered the “coal cost crossover,” a period in which existing coal is increasingly more expensive than cleaner alternatives.
For the study, a coal plant’s marginal cost of energy (MCOE) was compared to the lowest levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for wind or solar resources localized around that coal plant, within 35 miles. The researchers claim the methodology made the analysis “conservative, considering most coal, wind, and solar all travel from more remote locations to load centers via transmission.”
Coal cost estimates were compiled from Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) filings.
The study claims that in 2018, 211 gigawatts of existing U.S. coal capacity (74 percent of the fleet) “was at risk from local wind or solar that could provide the same amount of electricity more cheaply.” That number is estimated to increase to 246 GW by 2025 (86 percent). Energy Innovation notes,
“Due to the rapid recent cost decline of wind and solar, the combined fuel, maintenance, and other going-forward costs of coal-fired power from many existing coal plants is now more expensive than the all-in costs of new wind or solar projects. This cost crossover raises substantial questions for regulators and utilities as to why these coal plants should keep running instead of new renewable power plants.”
The report includes a number of maps illustrating the data. Below are two maps showing the cost of operating existing coal-fired power plants compared with building new wind or solar within a 35-mile radius, in 2018 and 2025, respectively.
Source: Electrek
Renewable Energy Capacity Statistics
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) produces comprehensive renewable energy statistics on a range of topics. This publication presents renewable power generation capacity statistics in trilingual tables for the last decade (2009 - 2018).
Renewable power generation capacity is measured as the maximum net generating capacity of power plants and other installations that use renewable energy sources to produce electricity. For most countries and technologies, the data reflects the capacity installed and connected at the end of the calendar year. Data has been obtained from a variety of sources, including IRENA’s questionnaire, official national statistics, industry association reports, other reports and news articles.
Please click here to read the full report.
