Turkey’s 1st Energy and Mining Forum was held last week

In recent years, Turkey's energy sector has seen groundbreaking developments, particularly in expanding the capacity of renewable energy resources, including solar, wind and hydroelectricity. This, in return, resulted in raising the share of renewables in power generation to 32 percent in the third quarter of 2017. Focused on expanding renewables' capacity to decrease external dependency in energy, Turkey is now preparing the world's largest offshore wind power plant project, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak announced yesterday at the “1st Energy and Mining Forum”. Albayrak also said bids for the project contract will start this year.

The first "Turkey Energy and Mining Forum: The Year of Opportunity 2018," organized in cooperation with the Sabah newspaper, A Haber news channel, Takvim and Yeni Asır dailies and Para magazine under the auspices of the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry was held at the Istanbul Lütfi Kırdar International Convention and Exhibition Center on Feb. 22. The event gathered industry leaders from the public and private sectors to discuss the opportunities in Turkey's energy sector and included announcements for the new energy projects the country will undertake this year. Elaborating on Turkey's current and future energy projects, Albayrak said one of the projects the ministry is planning is the world's largest offshore wind farm.

"In wind power, we are preparing a project that stipulates the establishment of the largest wind power farm in the world, which we believe will create far-reaching echoes across the globe," Energy Minister Albayrak said. Since wind power has more potential in offshore areas compared to land, Turkey is looking to seize the opportunity it has with coasts along the Aegean, Mediterranean and Black Seas.

In addition to the offshore wind power farm project, Turkey will continue its renewables investments with new Renewable Energy Resources Area (YEKA) contracts in solar and wind power this year.

"The work on the new YEKA contracts for which bids will be collected this year has begun. Our ministry has initiated the process for wind and solar power projects, each with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts," Albayrak said. "This year's YEKA contracts will include battery production and storage issues in the specifications."

He also said that the plan is to accomplish solar and wind power projects with a capacity of 10,000 megawatts within the next 10 years. "If the preparatory work is completed around March or April, we will collect bids during the spring," Albayrak said. He added that the ministry will conclude the contracting for these two YEKA projects by the end of the summer.

YEKA projects will ensure competitive prices, support research and development (R&D) activities and support employment and local production, the he said. With Turkey's new mining model, Albayrak said they have prepared the necessary infrastructure to move the industry to world standards.

"We will carry out important moves in boron mining this year. We have created a team of experts who have worked in competent and important institutions in the world. Within the scope of transforming boron into a value-added and strategic product, we will make announcements about the groundbreaking process of two or three important facilities this year. We will cooperate with local and public defense firms in this process."
He also said he met with Iraqi Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi on Wednesday, adding that the meeting was not based only on oil and gas pipeline projects, but also cooperation development in different fields. Albayrak said Turkey employs human-centered diplomacy in the region based on the win-win principle, especially after the failed coup attempt of July 15, 2016.

Source: Daily Sabah

Digitalization in Energy and Customer Satisfaction were discussed

EMRA (Energy Market Regulatory Authority) Vice President Mehmet Ertürk, ELDER (Association of Distribution System Operators) President Serhat Çeçen and Limak Chairman Nihat Özdemir talked at Digitalization in Energy and Customer Satisfaction session of Turkey’s 1st Energy and Mining Forum.

Mehmet Ertürk stated that their responsibility as the authority is to make necessary regulations and lead to the practices in the sector. Saying “We are working on what our opportunities are and how we can take advantage of those”, Ertürk continued as: “In frame of Smart Grid Roadmap, a committee was established consisting of 30 – 40 people. They are not only from energy companies, but also from software and tech companies and other stakeholders. We have completed defining the critical actions in terms of regulations. Now, we are pursuing the newest trends in the world. We are working by taking them into consideration.” Stating that there was a significant growth in solar investments in 2017, Mehmet Ertürk said: “We are working on a roadmap explaining how all the processes can be merged under a single system. We believe that we will come with a comprehensive roadmap on energy transition for the next 10 years.”

At his speech, Serhat Çeçen said that the next phase of smart grids is smart cities. Referring that energy and technology are now indispensable parts of our lives, Serhat Çeçen told that: “With the use of artificial intelligence, robot employment will step in and number of electrical vehicles will exceed one million. There is a 20 million worth of R&D investment in these areas.” Stating that 3000 employees are working at the call centers of electricity distribution companies and 90% of them was employed in last 2 years, Serhat Çeçen continues as: “We have to exceed the customer satisfaction level of 80% at the records of the Ministry and EMRA. We will conduct those customer satisfaction polls as ELDER. The grid infrastructure was outdated and we had 42 million customers. It took 3 years to record in geographical information system. We will able to integrate those information with SCADA system and mobile infrastructure and transfer to mobile phones. We are aiming to complete these projects by 2020.”

Nihat Özdemir told that they made significant investment after they took over electricity distribution network. Özdemir said: “EMRA is decreasing the consumption level required to become a free customer. Customers are not birds in the hand. There is a good competition environment and I expect the competition to rise.”  Recalling that while distribution companies are working not to lose their own customers, Ministry and EMRA are auditing them and conducting polls, Özdemir: “Even if our headquarter is located in Bursa, we are able to manage our works from Kars. Number of customers calling our call center exceeded 1 million and our response rate increased to 91%. Our customers are now able to learn about blackouts and many other things through smart applications.”

ELDER’s ‘Smart’ Approach to Electricity Distribution

The outputs of “Smart Grids in Turkey: A Roadmap towards 2023” will be evaluated in the ICSG Istanbul 2018, which will be held in the strategic partnership of ELDER and GAZBIR, on April 25th and 26th at Istanbul Congress Center. Informing us of the details about the project, ELDER President Serhat Çeçen stresses that they continue to carry out projects to raise the awareness of energy saving and make life easier for users.

The 6th International Istanbul Smart Grids and Cities Congress and Fair, which is supported by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning, the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology, and the Energy Market Regulatory Authority, and organized as part of the strategic partnership between ELDER and GAZ-BIR, will be held on April 25 and 26 at Istanbul Congress Center.

“Smart Grids in Turkey: A Roadmap towards 2023” will be evaluated as part of a special session during the Congress. The Roadmap was launched by electricity distribution companies under the coordination of the EMRA and its output will be shared by the EMRA in March.

ELDER Chairman Serhat Çeçen made following evaluations about the project before the Congress: “Today, turning information technologies into smart solutions is key to energy saving like many other areas. More widespread utilization of technology in the field of energy, increased efficiency and constant reduction of renewable energy production costs are anticipated to enable a serious amount of energy saving on the global scale. “Smart Grids in Turkey: A Roadmap towards 2023” Project aims to ensure consumers’ active participation in the electricity market, contribute to increase the share of renewable energy in production and improve energy quality. Updates about the project are available at www.akillisebekelerturkiye.org/ website. The final report for the project will be released to the public as of March, and its output will be comprehensively evaluated together with all stakeholders during ICSG 2018.”

Serhat Çeçen stated that they are willing to finalize the project as soon as possible, and he expressed their wish to see the highest possible level of participation by the local and national technology companies in this strategic project, which would serve as the roadmap for Turkey’s transition to smart grids. Mr. Çeçen further spoke about the project as follows: “Turkey is undergoing a drastic change and transformation regarding smart grids. This change or transformation is both technological and structural, and there is a wide variety of products and services needed through this process. The transition to smart grids will offer many advantages to the Turkish electricity industry, environment, and consumers in particular. Among the primary advantages are power supply sustainability, increased electricity quality and grid durability, and self-repairing grids. We are aiming the highest possible level of participation by the local and national technology companies in the ‘Smart Grids in Turkey: A Roadmap towards 2023’ project, the outputs of which will be evaluated in ICSG. Primary output of the project includes a cost-benefit analysis of the transition to smart grids. The project describes the priorities of smart grid technologies as well as a basic framework and roadmap concerning those priorities. On the other hand, given the fact that ICSG is a platform where the state-of-art technology products and services in this context, I believe that B2B meetings will enable new business cooperation opportunities. Our country offers a great investment potential for many industries, and I expect foreign investors to see clearly the investment potential of our homeland. Therefore, as an event, ICSG Istanbul 2018 has the highest potential to become the first step towards new business cooperation opportunities and investments…”

Ongoing Projects by ELDER

Mr. Çeçen also mentioned other ongoing projects carried out by ELDER and told: “We are in active cooperation with the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, EMRA, the Ministry of National Education, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, and the VQA (Vocational Qualifications Authority) to ensure that electricity distribution operations are carried out by certified professionals in line with the standards. ELDER has been accredited by TÜRKAK (Turkish Accreditation Agency) and VQA as a certification agency to contribute to efforts for increasing qualified and certified labor force within the electricity distribution industry. Moreover, thanks to the “E-Blackout” application we launched to take measures against power outages and share information during an outage, our consumers are able to monitor planned outages before 48 hours. In addition, with “Our Rights as Consumers in the Electricity Market: Consumer’s Handbook”, which includes each and every detail from power generation to utilization, connections to breakdowns and bills, we are presenting the A to Z of electricity to our consumers and stakeholders, explaining every process and detail in a clear language.”

Mr. Çeçen further informed us about the PeakApp project, which is deemed worthy for a European Union grant as part of the Horizon 2020: “With the PeakApp project, we will encourage consumers to save electricity by enabling them to monitor their consumption through a mobile app. Thanks to PeakApp, consumers will observe their electricity consumption figures, compare those figures with those of other consumers and be able to see saving opportunities.”

Popularity of Ride-Hailing Rises Globally

The popularity of ride-hailing continues to increase. On-demand, ride-hailing services have grown sharply this decade, and more studies point their potential to reshape transportation and produce numerous public benefits, including declining energy consumption, less pollution, increased transportation access for the elderly and disabled, and reduced congestion.

“There is a high level of awareness of ride-hailing worldwide,” Alexandre Marian of AlixPartners told The Fuse.

One consequence of ride-hailing’s popularity is it has led some consumers to delay or avoid buying their own personal vehicle. A recently released study from AlixPartners shows that in the U.S., slightly more than 20 percent of ride-hailing users say they have delayed or avoided buying their own car due to the availability of services such as Lyft and Uber. Among those who use car-sharing companies (Maven, Car2go, Zipcar), almost 30 percent say they have postponed buying a vehicle.

In other parts of the world, ride-hailing and car-sharing are also having a significant impact. In European countries, car-sharing has led to even a higher percentage of the population rethinking vehicle ownership. AlixPartners says 39-64 percent in European markets have delayed buying their own cars. Meanwhile, Chinese consumers are expected to see the sharpest rise in ride-hailing usage in 2018.

AlixPartners’ study is one of many that reflect the growing popularity and societal benefits of ride-sharing. Research from MIT released last year showed that if more riders were willing to use services offered by companies such as Uber and Lyft, instead of riding alone, the city of New York could reduce the number of vehicles by factor of three. Data from the city of San Francisco also shows how popular these services have been: On weekdays, vehicles from Lyft, Uber, or similar companies make up a quarter of the city’s trips in the downtown areas. In a study from McKinsey, of the consumers surveyed, more than 60 percent said that they plan to increase their use of ride-hailing.

Challenges to shared mobility

Despite the upsides, there are limitations to ride-hailing and car-sharing. As McKinsey notes, ride-hailing makes up only “a small fraction” of total miles driven in the U.S., and services are typically not available in rural areas and the costs are too high for commuters to use on a daily basis. Furthermore, there is not yet any data that shows that total vehicle demand in the U.S. has declined as ride-hailing and car-sharing have picked up. The reported dramatic reduction in urban vehicle purchases has not been corroborated by U.S. Census data on household vehicle ownership. Lastly, one potential risk of ride-hailing is that it may increase traffic and cause congestion in downtown areas. “As of now, it hasn’t had a significant effect on congestion, but if it does have negative impacts, they can be mitigated through regulation and incentives for ride-sharing,” Marian said.

The AlixPartners survey found that costs are the main deterrent to using ride-hailing and car-sharing, with 36 percent saying they would utilize them more if they were less expensive. Against that backdrop lies the potential of shared autonomous vehicles—or robotaxis—to open services to more consumers. By eliminating the driver, costs would drop, making rides more economically attractive. Moreover, robotaxis would be less limited by geography and would have the potential to go beyond cities. AVs can target different areas and utilize various fleets based on consumer preference and need.

Consumers appear comfortable with robotaxis, but there is still some hesitation. In China, more than 60 percent of respondents in the AlixPartners survey said they would use a robotaxi, but for the U.S., the number dips to under 30 percent. However, analysts say consumer acceptance of AVs will grow over time as they are used more on public roads.

Marian pointed out that car-sharing awareness has actually declined over the past four years, when AlixPartners last did a survey on the subject. But it is by no means “dead,” and car-sharing companies will be well positioned to take advantage of an economy running on robotaxis since they will require fleet

Autonomous and electric vehicles to bring peak demand?

The rapid growth in ride-sharing and the potential of AVs may have a profound effect on fuel consumption. Many forecasters are suggesting earlier timelines for peak oil demand. In the latest Energy Outlook from BP, the oil major says in its evolving transition scenario, oil demand will eventually peak in the 2030s as a result of vehicle technology changing at a quick pace and a large increase in electric vehicles. The massive growth of EVs, from about 3 million now to 320 million by 2040, would in large part stem from advancement of autonomy and shared mobility.

But this outlook is a best-case scenario. Although technology is changing rapidly, petroleum’s monopoly on the transportation sector will be difficult to break. Strong government policies and a major shift in consumer preference will be necessary to alter the current path for oil demand and spur greater diversity in the transport sector. “Changes in the car industry will definitely slow down the growth of oil, but it will still grow,” the IEA’s Fatih Birol told Bloomberg TV this week. “We don’t see a peak in the next two decades.”

Source: The Fuse

UK’s big 6 energy firms hit record low market share

The market share of Britain’s big six energy firms of domestic customers in the country fell to a record low in 2017, as smaller rivals lured customers away with cheaper deals, according to energy regulator Ofgem.

The market share of the big six suppliers tallied 79% for electricity and 78% for gas in December 2017, down from 84% for both gas and electricity a year earlier, says Ofgem.

Last year, 5.1 million electricity consumers and 4.1 million gas consumers in total switched supplier, the highest number for almost a decade. More than a third of these customers switched away from the big six to a challenger firm, Ofgem said.

A seperate survey conducted by uSwitch has also found that satisfaction levels are lower at the UK’s big six power companies, causing customers to seek better treatment at smaller competitors.

The company's annual customer satisfaction report, now in its 12th year, surveyed more than 17,000 energy customers. The findings include UK consumers are happy with services offered by smaller utilities such as Octopus Energy, Bulb and Utility Warehouse, taking the top three places in the survey.

The survey has listed big six customer satisfaction levels as lower down and at the bottom of the table. For instance,  British Gas is listed 14th with 68% and Npower 15th on the list.

The news comes at a time when UK energy companies are under pressure to reduce bills as prime minister, Theresa May has this week introduced new legislation to cap energy prices until 2020, preventing customers from being ripped off and protecting vulnerable citizens.

Britain’s big six energy suppliers include Centrica’s British Gas, SSE, E.ON, EDF Energy, Innogy’s Npower and Iberdrola’s Scottish Power.

Source: Metering & Smart Energy

Article

With the European energy transition demanding closer inter-DSO cooperation in the interest of customers and society at large, the European associations representing DSOs (distribution system operators) – CEDEC, EDSO for Smart Grids, Eurelectric, Eurogas and GEODE – have been working together constructively now for several years.

In recognition of the fact that DSO issues are becoming of increasing interest and importance to European energy policy, the European Commission has repeatedly expressed its desire to receive trusted, expert level advice on a range of matters affecting DSOs. These include market design, DSO/TSO cooperation, flexibility patterns and procedures, integration of renewable energy sources, deployment of smart grids, demand response, digitalization and cyber security.

With this in mind, the above associations have agreed to deepen their cooperation and are prioritizing the issue of flexibility. They have established a programme of work and a committee of experts covering flexibility for both electricity and gas.

The work of both focus areas, which has run in parallel over the past year, resulted in two reports, one for electricity and another for gas. Both reports together provide a holistic overview of how DSOs can use flexibility and thus contribute to the transition towards a more decarbonized and sustainable European energy sector. They present a set of solutions to enable DSOs to use flexibility as a tool to operate their grids in a cost-efficient way.

The reports also provide clear recommendations to policymakers on how the regulatory framework should evolve to make better use of flexibility, both by the DSOs as well as by other stakeholders.

Please click here to read the full report.

Global Coal Demand (2015-2022)

Source: IEA