Turkey to become a leader in wind energy

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

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Model Enerji, which was founded during the first half of 2008 by a team of veterans from Turkey's energy sector, was the first company founded in Turkey to manufacture megawatt-class wind turbines. Istanbul-based Model Enerji plans to manufacture the 1.65-megawatt turbines, which utilize a doubly fed induction generator drive train, at a factory to be established in Ankara’s industrial zone. The investing company has purchased 38,000 square meters of land, said Nurettin Özdebir, chairman of the Ankara Chamber of Industry, or ASO.

"We aim to be a leader in the sector by designing the most suitable turbines for various regions based on their local wind exposures. We one day hope to place ourselves among world-renowned wind energy brands," said Güç İçelli, company partner and deputy director.

Collaboration

In collaboration with two key Turkish partners - Pars Makina Ltd., a developer and manufacturer of turbo and rotary heat engines, and SNC Kalite Ltd., an expert in quality assurance systems and integrated logistic systems - Model Enerji, plans to have its first prototype installed and commissioned by mid-2009 and to begin producing the turbines by the end of 2009. Model Enerji had signed a contract with American Superconductor Corporation, or AMSC, in early August that gave the company exclusive rights to manufacture, sell, install, operate and maintain AMSC’s WT1650 in Turkey and non-exclusive rights for the surrounding Mediterranean and Eastern European countries.

Model Enerji will benefit from the know-how and the expertise provided by Windtech, a subsidiary of AMS, one of the global leaders in the renewable energy sector, said İçelli.

The turbines Model Enerji will produce have Germanischer Lloyd international certificates. "We will benefit from local suppliers in production. We aim for our products to be 70 percent domestic for the next three years. After five years we aim to be producing 100 percent of local products," he said. "We believe that this move will help Turkey to lower its dependence on foreign countries for energy."

Wind turbines cost approximately 1 million to 1.2 million euros per unit on the global markets. But, the turbines produced locally in Turkey will have a lower price tag, said İçelli.

Cost
"The transfer of turbine parts produced in various factories scattered all over the world to the manufacturer’s factory costs a lot of money. Production costs, as well as labor costs outside of Turkey, are much higher. Transporting the finished product and placing it in the field also costs money, as well as the service and maintenance activities.

"An international company establishing a wind turbine farm would need to hire 30 to 40 workers. An engineer costs at least 800 euros per day, and nothing is established in a day. The whole process takes months. Adding everything together, this would all require a serious amount of money."

This wind turbine production investment is worth 30 million euros, said İçelli, adding that the company’s plans are based on producing 100 turbines a year. "We plan to see the first domestic turbines at work by October of next year."