The fourth session of the “New Talks on Renewable Energy” webinar series, organized by the Faculty of Engineering of Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKU) together with the Kalyoncu Innovation Technology and Transfer Office (KALITTO), was held via a video conferencing system. The event, which provided detailed information on renewable energy resources, this time welcomed Prof. Dr. Raşit Turan, Chairman of the Board of METU-GÜNAM (Center for Solar Energy Research and Applications), with his presentation titled “The Development and Future of Photovoltaic Solar Energy Technologies.” The opening speech of the webinar, held online via video conferencing, was delivered by HKU Rector Prof. Dr. Türkay Dereli. Expressing his wishes for the success of the webinar, Prof. Dr. Türkay Dereli also thanked all those who contributed and the participants.
Turning to Renewable Resources Is Necessary to Meet the Growing Energy Demand
Beginning his presentation with the strategic importance of solar energy, Prof. Dr. Raşit Turan stated: “The warming of the atmosphere and climate change threaten our world. Sanctions related to the use of fossil fuels will come in the near future. There are very pessimistic scenarios regarding these issues. These very reasons are increasing the importance and necessity of renewable energy systems day by day. In this regard, if we look at our country, the energy demand felt in our country at the economic level and the current account deficit that arises as a result are extremely high. If we, as a country, reduce our energy imports, our level of prosperity will increase, and the current account deficit in this sense will decrease and perhaps disappear altogether. This will make a very significant contribution to Turkey’s development. Reducing energy imports begins with increasing the use of domestic products. Options such as coal and nuclear energy can be used in our country, but these will be both short-term solutions and may create environmentally hazardous situations. To take a long-term view, we need to increase the use of wind energy and especially solar energy. Today, the cost of solar energy production is decreasing day by day. In this context, solar energy is today the most economical method of energy production.”
“Kalyon PV’s 1300 MWp Solar Power Plant in Karapınar Is Our Country’s Largest Solar Power Plant”
Noting that approximately 3.5–4% of Turkey’s electricity demand is generated from solar power, Prof. Dr. Raşit Turan said: “Although this rate may seem low, it is a good ratio compared to many countries around the world. Our country has made a very large leap in solar energy, especially in recent years. We anticipate that our country will soon reach a position to compete with the world’s leading countries in this field. In particular, Kalyon PV’s 1300 MWp solar power plant in Karapınar is our country’s largest solar power plant. Such large investments and developments are extremely important in terms of our country’s national production initiative.”
GÜNAM’s Activities
Providing information about the Center for Solar Energy Research and Applications (GÜNAM) with visuals, Prof. Dr. Raşit Turan said: “Established on the METU Campus in 2009, GÜNAM is a center that develops projects and conducts research on renewable energy studies. The solar energy work of this center established at METU dates back to the 1970s. As GÜNAM, fully established in 2009, we produced our first industrial cell in 2010. Later, we carried out clean room and organic solar energy cell production. Today, we have become a center capable of working at whatever level the world is at in this regard. In addition, we left METU last month. Our name will remain METU GÜNAM, but financially and administratively we have now become an independent center. Many of the people we have trained at GÜNAM are involved in very important positions and very important projects. One of them, Dr. Fırat Es, serves as the R&D Manager of Kalyon PV. As GÜNAM, by the time we reach 2024, our goal is to continue our work with a team of 200 people. We have accomplished many successful endeavors in terms of our activities,” giving examples of GÜNAM’s successful work.
At the end of the webinar, which was held with intensive participation, Prof. Dr. Raşit Turan, Faculty Member and Chairman of the Board of METU-GÜNAM, answered the participants’ questions.
