ABSTRACT
Population and industrialization in Turkey have increased as the country develops, which has also resulted in a tremendous increase in energy demand. According to the information provided by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, electricity consumption of Turkey, which was 229.3 billion kWh in 2011, is expected to reach 499TWh by 2020, with an annual increase of around 8% according to the higher demand scenario, or 406TWh with an annual increase of 6.1% according to the lower demand scenario (MENR, 2012). Currently, over 80% of the energy supply comes from fossil fuels in Turkey. According to Aneke et al. (2011), since fossil fuels are exhaustible, there is a need for their conservation. Because of the over-dependence on fossil fuels for energy supply, fossil fuels have resulted in the release of large quantity of anthropogenic CO2 (greenhouse gas) into the environment. They cause environmental pollution and global warming. This associated environmental danger is caused by the burning of fossil fuels and has resulted in a clamor by the world leaders to develop better and more efficient means of meeting the world energy demand at the least possible environmental impact. Recently, there has been a gradual shift from over-dependence on fossil fuels to the use of renewable and cleaner energy sources such as wind and geothermal energy.
