Turkey
According to Parlaktun et al. (2013), several laws and regulations released by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey regarding the use of renewable energy sources and geothermal energy boosted the activities on the utilization of geo- thermal energy in Turkey in the past five years. More than 250 geothermal fields were discovered in Turkey, and about 95 % of them are low- to medium-enthalpy fields mainly suitable for direct use applications. However, the most remarkable change in the activities took place in the exploration of geothermal resources for electricity production. Current installed capacity is 162.2 MWe, and it is expected to become above 300 MWe by the end of 2013.
Kizildere geothermal field was the first field utilized for electricity production in Turkey. Electricity production from Kizildere goes back to 1974 where a
0.5 MWe pilot plant was used to supply electricity to the neighboring three villages. Commercial-size power production in Kizildere started in 1984 with an installed capacity of 15 MWe. Kizildere remained the only electricity producer using geothermal sources till 2006, after which there exist new additions almost every year. Installed capacity has increased with an increasing trend within the period of 2009–2013. It is expected that four more power plants will be in operation by the end of 2013 with a total installed capacity of 150.2 MWe (Parlaktun et al. 2013).
There are several geothermal projects under consideration. If all these projects were approved, then the total installed capacity will reach a value of 642.8 MWe (162.2 MWe already in operation, additional 150.2 MWe expected by the end of 2013 and 330.4 MWe received license) (see Fig. 6.10).
Generation of Electricity Using Geothermal Energy
The evolution of the generation of electricity using geothermal energy in Turkey during the period 2008–2012 is shown in Fig. 6.11.
According to Fig. 6.11, the generation of electricity using geothermal energy sources in Turkey during the period 2008–2012 increased 5.2-folds. However, the participation of this type of energy source in the total generation of electricity in Turkey, 228.080 billion kWh in 2012, is very small, only 0.37 % of the total
electricity generated in the country. It is expected that the country will continue using geothermal energy source for the generation of electricity during the coming years, but in a relative small proportion.