Yıldız Technical University Energy Efficiency Center Opens

YTÜ Energy Efficiency Center Opening Ceremony was held with the participation of Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez via video conference. Minister Dönmez stated in his speech at the opening, "We will integrate the gas found in the Black Sea into the system in the first quarter of 2023." The 18th RLC Days are being organized by Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi IEEE Student Club. At the event attended by Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez via video conference, the opening of the YTÜ Energy Efficiency Center, established to train the Energy Efficiency Specialists that Turkey needs, also took place. The center will provide the opportunity for engineers and other technical personnel to obtain Energy Manager Certification, provided the ministry approves. Additionally, the center is expected to train specialized personnel in increasing energy efficiency in Turkish industry by providing theoretical and practical training for personnel required for the most important processes and machines encountered in industrial facilities, reducing energy consumption and harmful environmental impacts, and contributing to university-industry cooperation. Minister Dönmez noted in his speech that the RLC Days event organized by IEEE Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Student Club provides a university-sector meeting and addresses mutual needs, and made the following remarks: "You don't become an engineer by just attending lectures. If progress is to be made in a subject and ground is to be covered, you need to add practical effort, market and sector experience to theoretical knowledge and school work. At the university, I see diligent young people trying to add something to students' education and experience, and we are proud of them. I would also like it to be known that we will always stand by them and support them. We stand by everyone who creates value for the future of this country. The IEEE Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Student Club, which has been trying to raise awareness for nearly twenty years at the university, is made up of these diligent young people. In a relay of sorts, they pass on existing knowledge and experience to the students coming after them and enable this tradition to continue. I congratulate and thank everyone who contributed to the organization. I wish for their success to increase." Noting that the event fills an important gap in university-industry cooperation, Dönmez said, "It is truly important that leading companies from the electrical, electronics, energy, automation, automotive and lighting sectors meet with academics and sector professionals and students interested in these sectors. The students who will graduate here will undoubtedly play an important role in meeting this country's future needs. Perhaps from among you will come a bureaucrat, a scientist who will present energy alternatives that have not yet reached a certain level of knowledge today, business people who will produce domestic national automobiles like TOGG, perhaps one or many ministers. For this reason, I welcome with appreciation every effort shown for our country and humanity. Especially when those showing this effort are dynamic, energetic and bright-eyed young people, I value them even more and see them as Turkey's future chances."

"We will integrate the gas found in the Black Sea into the system in the first quarter of 2023"

Saying that "Energy is an indispensable necessity on the path of development and this necessity increases as it develops," Dönmez stated, "Turkey is currently a country that unfortunately depends on foreign sources to a certain extent among the fossil fuels used in electricity production. We are trying to reduce this dependency through natural gas drilling work we are conducting, nuclear power plants we are building, and renewable energy. As you know, we are undertaking work that you can be proud of as a country in the Black Sea. We found a natural gas reserve of 540 billion cubic meters and we will integrate this gas into the system in the first quarter of 2023. This gas reserve is large enough to meet the 30-year needs of all residential and residential buildings in Turkey. Turkey currently has 100,000 megawatts of installed energy capacity. 54,000 megawatts of this capacity consists of renewable energy. Every day, we are increasing our environmentally friendly energy ratio. In addition to all this, we are conducting work on the efficient and economical use of energy, both to raise awareness and to reduce consumption rates, thereby supporting Turkey's resources. We are working to develop specialized personnel on reducing harmful environmental effects.

"60 percent of our electricity needs are met from domestic sources"

Referring to the importance of domestic energy, Dönmez said, "The world is currently going through an energy bottleneck. There are serious problems both in terms of prices and supply. In such an environment, the importance of domestic energy becomes even more prominent. With the major strides we have made in recent years, we have been able to meet 55 to 60 percent of our electricity needs from domestic sources." Minister Dönmez included the following statements in his speech regarding the opening of the Energy Efficiency Center: "The Energy Efficiency Center is a center established for students, engineers and technical personnel to gain awareness. Through this center, pre-field, theoretical, practical and experimentation opportunities will be obtained. Our ministry carefully examines and concludes the applications we receive for increasing the number of such centers. Hopefully, the number of these centers will increase further. I believe in this with all my heart."

"We have considerable experience in clean energy technologies"

Speaking at the opening of the center, Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Rector Prof. Dr. Tamer Yılmaz said, "Our university is pioneering in some fields. One of these is clean energy. We have considerable experience in clean energy technologies. Both our academics conduct work in this field and our students, student clubs and TEKNOPARK carry out production in this field. Today we have acquired the Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Energy Efficiency Center, which is a first in the region, and have become an approved center by the ministry. We will create awareness here, provide some training and authorize companies that want to work in this field. In other words, we are transforming into an authority and a guiding center. In this center, we are making academic knowledge available to the sector." Noting that the center is based on energy efficiency, Yılmaz said, "The energy crisis the world is in has made energy efficiency and work in the energy field very productive. In fact, policy will also be produced here. This will be a place where certain policies related to energy are discussed, certain technologies are developed, and together with TEKNOPARK, incubation companies are created and transformed into larger-scale companies. In fact, we will fund and support them with a fund we have established ourselves and try to create world-class companies. In fact, this needs to be thought of as part of and the focus of such an ecosystem. May it be beneficial to our country."

"Our goal is for the machines in industrial establishments to become more efficient"

Noting that they will train energy managers at the center, Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Department of Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Doç. Dr. Şaban Pusat said, "We aim to have working engineers or technical personnel in the market receive training at our center and, with the training received, ensure that equipment, machines and systems at industrial establishments function more efficiently. Within this scope, we have many pieces of equipment in our center we established. All of these pieces of equipment are the ones we see most in industry. We will have the chance to show these pieces of equipment directly to our students and engineers."

"With the center, we have moved beyond theory"

Noting that they received authorization certificates from the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry for the training, Associate Professor Doç. Dr. Pusat said, "With the authority given to us by the ministry, we will provide training to engineers and personnel coming from outside. After this training, they will be able to take an exam and obtain a certificate. With this authorization, they will be able to work as energy managers in industrial facilities and buildings. When establishing the center, we worked with dozens of companies and with their support, we tried to set up equipment needed by the industry. We moved beyond theory and placed all equipment that technical personnel in industry can see in our laboratory. Those who receive training in our laboratory will be able to adapt very easily when they move to industry. They will be able to carry out the necessary work to increase the efficiency of the facility where they work." Source