Çağrı Seymen
Board Member, Seul Energy
LONG TERM
Energy is a long-term business. You need to serve your customers for 25 or 30 years at a time, so you have to give them a guarantee. In Turkey, many of the local solar module suppliers are small-scale companies that have entered the sector very recently. If you are going to invest millions of dollars, you want to work with a larger solar module supplier.
EXPORT ORIENTATED
Our production is 100% export oriented. Therefore, we have decided to locate our production facilities in the Istanbul Free Trade Zone because it has better trade links with the region. Being located there gives us a better access to the European market, which right now is bigger than the Turkish market.
AFTER CHINA
Turkey may be the second-largest solar module exporter to Europe after China. Many of the other large Chinese solar manufacturers are now planning to move some of their production facilities to Turkey to get better access to the EU market. Europe is the largest market for solar technology in the world.
M. Emin Koç
President, ATG Enerji
POSSIBILITIES
We see more geothermal and solar energy possibilities. Currently, we are setting up investments in solar power and preparing ourselves for the future. It is possible that a number of international companies will seek acquisitions and purchase facilities that are up and running, such as hydropower plants.
HUGE WAVES
Interest has grown a great deal and we are seeing increased demand from Korea, Japan, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Companies from these countries are flooding into Turkey. In addition, countries and companies in the Middle East are shifting their focus to Turkey in huge waves.
ENGINES OF THE ECONOMY
I see Turkish industry as very, very strong. Foreigners and especially Europeans continue to ask, “What is Turkey’s secret?“ The secret of our economy is the SMEs in Anatolia; these are the small, but numerous, engines of our economy.
Ayhan Gök
General Manager, Ayhan Gök
ON TRACK
Turkey is the regional base for RES’s operations. Although it was not the case in 2012, the Turkish economy now has a bigger growth rate than its neighbors over the past few years. I think we are back on the right track now and the demand for energy is increasing rapidly again.
ON TARGET?
If you consider that we have yearly installed capacity of approximately 500 MW over the last three years in wind energy, we have to install a minimum of 2,000 MW per year to reach our targets by 2023.
FOREIGN NEED
Turkey needs foreign investors, especially from Europe. Foreign investors are also a source of know-how and an opportunity to create jobs. RES Anatolia is a Turkish company, but we get a lot of support from our headquarters during our projects. We employ Turkish engineers and often utilize our company’s network to send our staff to receive training in our other offices.
Zeki Aybar Eriş
CEO, Polat Energy
TARGETS
Polat Energy was established in 2000 and has grown to become a major player in the renewable energy market. Polat Energy’s key targets are to invest in renewable energy resources, reduce carbon emissions, and create a balanced energy mix for sustainable development.
CAPACITIES
Turkey has huge potential for renewable energies. In terms of wind potential, Turkey exceeds many of European countries with its 48 GW (38 GW onshore and 10 GW offshore) of wind potential. In 2000, the installed wind energy capacity of Turkey was 18.9 MW and it reached 2,367 MW as of March 2013.
WHAT TO DO
In order to increase and promote wind energy investments in Turkey, prices must be realistic and applicable. The long permission process is also another obstacle to wind energy investments. Because of the bureaucratic procedures, getting permission from institutions can be a complex and time-consuming process.
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