Wind Energy

Electricity Generation with Wind Energy

Wind energy is the kinetic energy of air in motion, caused by differential heating of the earth's surface by solar radiation. The different heating of the earth's surface causes the temperature, humidity and pressure of the air to be different, and this different pressure causes the air to move. About 2% of the solar energy reaching the Earth is converted into wind energy. Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy of the wind into electrical energy. The rotating blades of wind turbines are connected to an electric generator by means of a shaft. The electric generator converts the rotational motion into electrical energy.

According to Ember, a global independent think tank, about 1,814 TW hours, or about 7.3% of the world's electricity consumption, which is projected to reach about 25,000 TW hours in 2021, is projected to be generated from wind energy. In 2011, this ratio is estimated to be 440 TW hours, which is only 2% of the total generation of 21,640 TW hours.

Turkey's Wind Energy Potential

According to the information obtained from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Turkey, according to the 2006 Turkey Wind Energy Potential Atlas (REPA-V1), it was accepted that a wind power plant with a capacity of 5 MW per square kilometer could be established in usable areas 50 meters above ground level and with annual average wind speeds above 7.5 m/s, and it was determined that the total capacity of wind power plants that could be established in Turkey was 47,849 MW.

Wind Energy Potential Atlas

Source: https://enerji.gov.tr/eigm-yenilenebilir-enerji-kaynaklar-ruzgar

According to EMRA data, the amount of installed capacity based on wind energy in Turkey over the years and the ratio of this amount to the total capacity in Turkey are shown in the following graphs. As can be seen in the graphs, the amount of installed capacity has increased approximately 6.5 times in 11 years from 1,729 MWe in 2011 to 11,199 MWe as of September 2022. This amount corresponds to only 23% of Turkey's wind power capacity as stated in the 2016 report.