Turkey's renewable energy sources: Part 2. Potential and utilization

In Turkey, renewable energy sources (RESs) production is the second biggest production source after total coal production. About two-thirds of the need of the RESs is met by biomass, while the remaining is mainly met by hydroelectric energy. This article addresses both potential and utilization relating to Turkey's RESs such as hydroelectric, solar geothermal, wind energies and biomass, while these energy sources have been reviewed in Part I of this study in terms of their historical developments. Turkey has considerably high levels of RESs. The utilization of these energy sources could cover a significant part of the energy demand in the country. Moreover taking into consideration that Turkey is seeking admission to the European Union (EU) and is trying to meet EU environmental standards, it could make a substantial contribution to a wide range of the objectives of environmental, social and economic policies of the EU.