Bioenergy potential, utilization and policies in Turkey

Since the turn of this century, in the early 2000s, the issues of energy and climate change have been put at the top of political and economic agendas. There are many reasons such as increasing petrol prices, the problem of energy safety and of natural gas supply are under debate, the Kyoto Protocol came into force in 2005. Turkey is heavily dependent on imported energy resources that place a big burden on the economy. Air pollution is also becoming a great environmental concern in the country. In this regard, renewable energy resources appear to be one of the most efficient and effective solutions for clean and sustainable energy development in Turkey. Turkey’s renewable sources are the second largest source for energy production after coal. About two-thirds of the renewable energy produced is obtained from forest biomass and other bioenergy sources, which is used to meet a variety of energy needs, including generating electricity, heating homes, fueling vehicles and providing process heat for industrial facilities. The yearly amount of usable biomass potential of Turkey is between 15-18 Mtoe. Since biomass energy will be used more and more in the future, its current potential, usage, and assessment in Turkey is the focus of the present study. The paper not only presents a discussion of the potential and utilization of the biomass energy in Turkey but also provides some guidelines for policy makers.