Wind farm project, Turkey
Context
Turkey continues to rely heavily on fossil fuels, with 81.43% of its energy in 2019 coming from coal, oil and natural gas. At the same time the government is continuing to press for large expansion in coal power, with close to 32 GW of planned coal power plants.
However, the ongoing reduction in the costs of renewable energy and storage means that reliable power can be obtained cost-effectively without resorting to coal-powered generation. Turkey’s geographical location means it has very high wind energy potential. In 2019 6.6 GW of energy was generated from wind energy, but some estimates say that Turkey could generate as much as 166 TWh a year from wind.
Project
The Metristrepe Wind Farm Project is a large-scale wind project located in the Bilecik province in Turkey. It involves the installation and operation of wind turbines which will supply electrical power to the national power grid and replace the same amount of electricity generated by fossil fuels.
The wind farm will consist of 16 wind turbines, each equipped with 3 blades. These stand at 80m tall and have a rotor diameter of 100m. The project is expected to generate 105,911 MWh per year, leading to emissions reductions of 63,216 tonnes of CO2e annually.
The project helps Turkey to stimulate and commercialise the use of grid connected renewable energy technologies and markets. It demonstrates the viability of wind power plants, while also supporting improved air quality, improved local livelihoods and sustainable renewable energy industry development.
Verification
This project is verified by the Gold Standard. You can view it on the Gold Standard registry here.
Climate solution #2
Onshore wind turbines
Onshore wind turbines generate electricity at a utility scale, comparable to power plants. They replace fossil fuels with emissions-free electricity.
Today, 314,000 wind turbines supply nearly 4 percent of global electricity, and it will soon be much more. In 2015, a record 63 gigawatts of wind power were installed around the world.
Onshore wind farms have small footprints, typically using no more than 1 percent of the land they sit on, so grazing, farming, recreation, or conservation can happen simultaneously with power generation. What’s more, it takes one year or less to build a wind farm—quickly producing energy and a return on investment.