Istanbul, Turkey's most crowded city,听is utilizing the听city's听waste by turning it into electricity with funding on the way.
With 6.5 million Turkish liras ($2.44 million), the city is getting ready to听expand听the听capacity of its largest听waste to energy biomass plant to 45.3 megawatts, from the previous 35.4 megawatts.听
The plant had first started with a capacity of 14.5听megawatts.
Electricity generation from the plant is expected to be 364,051 megawatt-hours, up from the previous 271,808 megawatt-hours. The plant is active 335 days a year with 30 days set aside for maintenance.
As part of the country's renewable energy target, the biomass plant will provide electricity to the grid and partially replace fossil fuels.
Designed with environmental concerns, the plant is in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol, agreement with听an听internationally binding emission reduction target.
Germany, the U.K., France, Italy and the Netherlands lead in waste to energy technology.
-126,000 families听powered听by biomass听
The biomass plants in Istanbul听provide power for 126,000 families annually.
Between 2001听and 2013, four biomass plants were activated in Istanbul with over 50 megawatts of total capacity. Last year, 348,232 megawatt-hours of electricity was generated form the plants, enough to meet 126,000 families' energy needs,听based on the estimate of a听four member family consuming听230 kilowatt-hours of electricity a month.
By 2023, the country听targets听34 gigawatts of hydropower, 20 gigawatts of wind capacity, a minimum of 5,000 megawatts of solar capacity and听a minimum of 1,000 megawatts听of electricity from biomass and geothermal sources.
Writing by Zeynep Beyza Karabay
Reporting by听Goksel Y谋ld谋r谋m听
Anadolu Agency
zeynep.karabay@aa.com.tr
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