Evaluating the energy utilization efficiency of Turkey's renewable energy sources during 2001

This study evaluates the energy utilization efficiency of Turkey's renewable energy sources (RESs) during 2001 by using energy and exergy analyses, giving a brief outlook on the utilization of RESs. Total energy and exergy inputs are calculated to be 3203.22 PJ and 3139.07 PJ, while renewable energy and exergy production values are determined to be 428.62 PJ and 395.68 PJ, respectively. Renewable energy is used in the Turkish conversion, residential-commercial and industrial subsectors. The energy and exergy efficiency values for the RESs of Turkey are found to be 49.86% and 24.14% in 2001, respectively. Besides this, total energy and exergy utilization efficiency values for those are obtained to be 45.02% and 24.96% in the same year, respectively. The present study has clearly indicated the necessity of the planned studies towards increasing renewable energy utilization efficiency in the subsectors studied and especially the critical role of policymakers in establishing effective energy-efficiency delivery mechanisms throughout the country. It is also expected that this study will fill a considerably large gap since it is the first attempt towards analyzing Turkey's renewable energy sources in terms of energy and exergy utilization efficiencies. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.