ENERGY NEWS - TURKEY
Turkey's Energy Actions in East Med Pragmatic, Solution Oriented, Deputy Energy Minister Says

Turkish moves in the Eastern Mediterranean are pragmatic and aim for every party including Turkey to benefit from the natural resources, Energy and Natural Resources Deputy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said.

In a teleconference organized by the Washington-based Turkish Heritage Organization (THO) on Saturday, Bayraktar explained Turkey's Eastern Mediterranean energy policy.

Expressing that Turkey imports about 70% of its energy needs and, as a result, devotes significant efforts to diversifying and enriching its energy resources, Bayraktar noted that the Eastern Mediterranean issue is critical in this regard.

Turkey has put a lot of effort into key reforms in the energy market between the years 2002 and 2017, Bayraktar said, underscoring that the ministry has been focusing on issues of supply security, the productivity of local resources and predictability in the market for investors since 2017.

"After 2017, we have accelerated our activities in the Eastern Mediterranean pursuant to the current energy supply-demand map. In this context, we have come to a new phase thanks to the drillships that we have purchased," the deputy minister said, adding that Turkey would pursue its rights in the Eastern Mediterranean arising from international law to the fullest extent.

Deputy Minister Bayraktar said Ankara's goal is to reduce its energy dependence. "Our energy work in the Eastern Mediterranean is not meant to be provocative; it is completely an economic and energy-based endeavor," he said.

Stating that the revenues of hydrocarbon resources around the island of Cyprus should be divided in a manner that would benefit all the people of the island, Bayraktar said that the Greek Cypriot side and Greece do not have a positive approach to the matter.

"We are acting constructively, pragmatically and solution oriented in this matter. The agreement we made with Libya is a good example of that. If we had made similar agreements with other neighboring countries like Egypt and Israel, I believe their situation would also be better than today," he remarked.

Bayraktar also noted that energy relations between Turkey and the U.S. had advanced to a more profound level, especially underlining the positive effect of the close relationship between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his American counterpart Donald Trump on bilateral economic relations.

Source: Daily Sabah

Work to Start in May on Turkey's 1st Domestic Car Plant

The foundation stone for Turkey's first domestic car plant will be laid in May with construction expected to take a year, its CEO said Tuesday.

Gurcan Karakas of Turkey’s Automobile Joint Venture Group (TOGG) said at a news conference in the country's industrial province of Kocaeli that the factory will start mass production in 2022 with an annual capacity of 175,000 units.

The smart plant will be set up in the city of Gemlik, northwestern province of Bursa.

"The project plan is ready. We want to have an iconic design spread over two buildings. We are in talks with the best companies of the world for issues related to the production line."

"We aim to produce one million electric vehicles by 2032," he said, adding in 2022 the TOGG will be the highest paid-up capital automative company in Turkey.

He added for the first time the forerunner model C-SUV will be displayed in the Mobile World Congress (MWC) slated for February in Barcelona.

He also noted charging infrastructure for the cars will be built across Turkey.

"The market for vehicles with an internal combustion engine will decrease below 50% in 2030, meaning that more than 50% of the car market will be electric."

In June 2018, five industrial giants: the Anadolu Group, BMC, Kok Group, Turkcell and Zorlu Holding as well as an umbrella organization, the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey, joined hands to create TOGG.

Source: AA

ENERGY NEWS - WORLD
Could This Be the Next Big Way of Creating Solar Power?

The UK has made history in renewable energy, creating a new form of energy storage that’s designed to help charge vehicles without using the grid.

Solivus – the company behind the concept – is planning to install the panels across the roofs of industrial buildings. Labelled as a ‘solar fabric’, this development will be seen across warehouses and distribution centres.

Beyond the sheets, Solivus also has specially made ‘arcs’ in the pipeline, ready for residential use. The overall intention is to help generate local renewable energy, giving residents – and businesses – the chance to create their own stable power supply. This will then contribute towards the UK’s goal to reach zero net greenhouse gases by the year 2050.

How they’re made
Created from carbon, Solvus describes the material as an “organic photovoltaic” (OPV). The fabric absorbs sunlight and creates a consistent stream of energy as a result.

Best of all, its flexibility means it can be bent into certain forms or shapes, and then glued to flat, verticle, horizontal or curved surfaces. The replace panels when the need to ensure the integrity of the building’s structure is not compromised.

Measuring one-tenth of the weight of ‘normal’ solar panels, the designs aren’t required to use rare materials or toxic materials in order to be created. They’re also able to withstand conditions for up to 20 years.

The current issue with traditional panels is that they often don’t remain stable when temperatures rise through natural sunlight. These new designs allow for 13 per cent increase in efficiency, eliminating this common problem.

Interestingly, the panels are also able to collect light from a much wider spectrum of light, allowing them to operate remarkably on greyer days.

The overall plan is to house the locally-produced energy in electric vehicle batteries, which can then be distributed rapidly.

How the arcs are used
The film is bent into an arc shape to create units that have curved sides. Because of this design, they’re able to span a considerably large surface area, absorbing more light without the need to focus on where the sun is positioned directly.

It’s expected that a single unit will feature a 1-kilowatt system, offering 1,000 kWh annually across the UK.

But before the rollout begins, issues surrounding water leakage and degradation need to be resolved first.

The journey remains an exciting prospect for the UK’s renewable energy target and the industry overall.

Source: Energy Matters

Rolls-Royce Plans Mini Nuclear Reactors by 2029

Mini nuclear reactors could be generating power in the UK by the end of the decade.

Manufacturer Rolls-Royce has told the BBC's Today programme that it plans to install and operate factory-built power stations by 2029.

Mini nuclear stations can be mass manufactured and delivered in chunks on the back of a lorry, which makes costs more predictable.

But opponents say the UK should quit nuclear power altogether.

They say the country should concentrate on cheaper renewable energy instead.

Environmentalists are divided over nuclear power, with some maintaining it is dangerous and expensive, while others say that to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 all technologies are needed.

However, the industry is confident that mini reactors can compete on price with low-cost renewables such as offshore wind.

Rolls-Royce is leading a consortium to build small modular reactors (SMRs) and install them in former nuclear sites in Cumbria or in Wales. Ultimately, the company thinks it will build between 10 and 15 of the stations in the UK.

They are about 1.5 acres in size - sitting in a 10-acre space. That is a 16th of the size of a major power station such as Hinkley Point.

SMRs are so small that theoretically every town could have its own reactor - but using existing sites avoids the huge problem of how to secure them against terrorist attacks.

Source: BBC News

National Grid Awards £328m Contracts to Manage Stability of Electricity Grid

This new approach is expected to save consumers up to £128m over the six-year period.

National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) has awarded contracts worth £328 million over six years to manage the stability of the electricity grid.

Drax, Rassau Grid Services (Welsh Power), Statkraft, Triton and Uniper will either build new or modify existing assets to provide stability services to National Grid ESO to help manage electricity system properties such as inertia, voltage and short circuit.

The key service to be provided is inertia, which helps to keep the electricity system running at the right frequency.

System inertia is a measure of the energy network’s resilience to some types of disturbances on the power system, such as the sudden disconnection of a large power station due to a fault.

This service is currently a by-product of traditional power generation, like coal or gas – however, the new approach will see the new or modified assets providing a standalone service to the ESO, without the need to produce electricity at the same time.

This will allow more renewable energy generation to operate, helping reduce energy use and carbon emissions and is expected to save consumers up to £128 million over six years.

The contracts are procuring 12.5GVA seconds of inertia – the equivalent of the inertia provided by around five coal-fired power stations.

Julian Leslie, ESO Head of Networks said: “This approach is the first of its kind anywhere in the world and is a huge step forward in our ambition to be able to operate the GB electricity system carbon free by 2025.

“Our system is one of the most advanced in the world, both in terms of reliability and the levels of renewable power, and we’re really excited to be adding to that with this new approach to managing stability. These contracts are finding new ways to help balance the grid which are cheaper and greener, reducing emissions and saving consumers over £100m.”

Source: Energy Live News

Australia in Landmark $1.3 Billion Project to Turn Farm Waste to Energy

Melbourne-based company AgBioEn will start construction next week on a A$2 billion ($1.35 billion) project to turn agricultural waste into energy for use in food production.

The facility at Katunga in Victoria state is the first of its kind in Australia, the company said in a media statement, converting organic waste materials such as cereal straw into electricity, renewable diesel and jet fuel, and fertilizer.

“All agricultural land used to supply biomass to the facility will also be used to cultivate food crops,” said Program Director Lubey Lozevski. “It is a priority for AgBioEn that no agricultural land is taken away from food cultivation to create fuels.”

About 75,000 hectares of land will be used by 2023 to supply biomass to the facility, while hydroponic tomato grower Katunga Fresh will take power from the project to add more glasshouses to its operation.

Australia is gradually waking up to the potential of bio-energy generation with three major projects in development across the country using household waste as a feedstock.

Source: Bloomberg

REPORT OF THE WEEK

Innovation Insights Brief - Five Steps to Energy Storage

As the global electricity systems are shaped by decentralisation, digitalisation and decarbonisation, the World Energy Council’s Innovation Insights Briefs explore the new frontiers in energy transitions and the challenges of keeping pace with fast moving developments. We use leadership interviews to map the state of play and case studies across the whole energy landscape and build a broader and deeper picture of new developments within and beyond the new energy technology value chain and business ecosystem.

Please click here to read the full report.

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