An Energy Efficiency Portal (EVP) will be launched in Turkey by the end of this year, the chair of the Energy Efficiency and Management Association (EYODER) Cihan Karamik told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday.
The portal aims to facilitate communication by creating a shared database between energy efficiency partners including consulting firms, academicians, NGOs, finance and insurance sectors, Karamik explained.
The platform will allow players in the energy efficiency sector to supply information to generate statistical data, which can then be filtered to make comparisons between similar sector companies, he said.
He gave the example of a cement factory owner in Spain who, through the portal, would be able to determine whether other cement factories in Spain consume less energy to produce a bag of cement.
鈥淭here have been positive developments regarding energy efficiency in Turkey," Karamik said, citing a presidential decree issued in August along with guidelines to hit the target of a reduction in energy consumption by 15% in public buildings.
The Guidelines of Saving Energy in Public Buildings specifies that public buildings that consume 250 tonnes of oil annually or with a total construction area larger than 10,000 square meters need to reduce 15% of their energy consumption.
The decree was published to hit Turkey鈥檚 2020-2023 energy savings target with the coordination of Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Ministry.
Other strategies have also been applied to help Turkey become more energy efficient. In 2011, an Energy Performance Certificate was introduced for buildings to show the minimum energy needs, energy consumption classification and the efficiency of insulation and cooling-heating systems. Energy performance levels were classified from A to G, with A indicating the highest energy efficiency and G the lowest.
Since 2011, new buildings in Turkey are required to hold a minimum C energy performance level, while the owners of old buildings were given up to 2020 to make building improvements to receive their energy identity certificate.
Karamik explained that energy efficiency potential in the industrial sector is rated at 20-30% and more in buildings at between 40 and 50%. He emphasized that energy savings differ from energy efficiency strategies in that efficiency applies new technologies, such as control and automation, without decreasing the comfort of the end consumer.
-Turkey on right path for energy intensity improvements
Currently, Turkey falls behind OECD countries in terms of energy intensity, a measure of the energy efficiency of a nation鈥檚 economy that is calculated as units of energy per unit of Gross Domestic Product.
EYODER Vice-Chairman Sermin Onaygil specified that energy intensity in Turkey ranks at 0.12, but the country aims to reduce this to 0.08 - similar to OECD levels.
"While we are getting better in energy intensity, the developed countries are also advancing," Onaygil said.
Therefore, she advised that Turkey keep pace with technologies that will close the gap between it and developed nations through setting research goals.
"We have to control labor resources, competition, and technology with these research mechanisms. I hope that this project will be a model for others," she said.
Many factors influence an economy鈥檚 overall energy intensity. It may reflect requirements for general standards of living and weather conditions in an economy. Not only cold but also hot climates require greater energy consumption in homes and workplaces for heating or cooling.
Furthermore, a country with an advanced standard of living is more likely to have a wider prevalence of consumer goods, which would further impact energy intensity than one with a lower standard of living.
The energy efficiency of appliances and buildings through the use of more efficient building materials, more fuel-efficient vehicles, better modes of transportation, off-grid energy sources and energy subsidies all impact the overall energy intensity of a nation.
By Talha Yavuz and Busra Begcecanli
Edited by Anne Akti
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr