A. Introduction

As one of the important components of economic and social development, energy emerges as a phenomenon that plays a vital role in raising living standards. In this sense, although energy is an important factor in the axis of economic growth and development, it is important in the management of the international policies of the countries. As a matter of fact, understanding energy efficiency in terms of achieving sustainable development is very important for the sustainability of our environment and natural resources.

B. The Concept of Energy and Energy Efficiency

Energy requirement is an important phenomenon for humanity and even for the entire ecosystem. So much so that the first needs that come to mind as energy needs can be exemplified as heating, lighting, transportation and providing fuel for other vehicles. In order to meet all these requirements, many energy sources are used in the world and even in our country, and it is aimed to meet the increasing needs related to this with each passing day. This increase is due to both necessity and the need for people to perform their daily life activities. As a natural consequence of the increase in this need, the increase in energy use results in rapid depletion of energy resources, deterioration of the environment, and foreign dependence of countries in terms of energy.

However, it is clear that humanity and the whole nature need energy to be sustainable as much as it needs energy. Again, many negativities arise, such as causing companies to experience competition problems arising from energy and creating a significant burden on family and country budgets. For this reason, instead of producing and consuming more, putting the principle of efficiency in the production and consumption stage, developing projects for this and implementing them will bring positive effects on behalf of all humanity in terms of both economy and social and environmental aspects. As a matter of fact, in addition to all these, the issue of energy efficiency, combined with the energy crises and the reality of climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions, has become an important factor in the decision-making processes in the procurement of goods and services on a global scale, first in the USA and Europe, and then in our country, and has started to be subject to legal regulations to the same extent.

As these regulations show, in order to achieve energy efficiency, first of all, less energy will need to be used. It should be preferred to save money on the energy resources we use in our daily lives and to provide incentives in this direction. So, while it is necessary not to cause a decrease in the level of social welfare while ensuring energy efficiency and fulfilling the sustainability phenomenon envisaged in this sense, it is necessary to reduce the energy used per unit service or product amount. As a matter of fact, the easiest way to achieve this would be to use emerging technologies and to comply with the benefits they provide. In this sense, it is of great importance to turn to renewable energy sources such as hydro, geothermal, solar, wind, wood, plant residues, biomass, tides and waves.

C. The Concept of Sustainability and the Role of Renewable Energy Resources

The concept of sustainability also needs to be explained. That is to say, sustainability was mentioned for the first time in the Bruntland Report published by the United Nations in 1987 as Our Common Future. In recent years, the concept in question has come to the fore much more, but it has been brought to the fore in terms of both energy efficiency and the environment we live in. Because, considering that fossil fuels, which are seen as energy sources, are the most used technologically available resources, it is clear that they have a vital importance in terms of meeting the natural energy needs of humanity today and in the future. Fossil fuels can be defined as natural energy sources containing hydrocarbons and high levels of carbon, which are formed by the dissolution of dying living organisms for millions of years in an oxygen-free environment. The best examples of fossil fuels are coal, oil and natural gas. In this sense, in terms of ensuring the future of humanity, it will be important to use fossil fuels in the most economical and efficient way and to transfer these energy resources to future generations. In this sense, it is essential to have a very good understanding of what the concept of sustainability brings and even entails.

Likewise, the International Energy Agency, of which Turkey is a member, is closely interested in the subject, and according to the statistical information it has published, it has been announced that CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions have doubled all over the world in the last thirty years. However, in terms of ensuring a sustainable development, this situation may cause bad effects, and it has become necessary to reduce the emission of dangerous greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide emissions, which constitute the greatest danger. As stated above, although these fossil sources and electrical energy are the most used energy sources in terms of meeting the needs of humanity today and in the future, it should be taken into account that they increase carbon dioxide emissions in an unavoidable way.  

It is necessary to state that the energy sources that cause the most emission of greenhouse gases, which cause the most damage to the environment by being released into the atmosphere, are shown as electricity, natural gas and liquid fuels, respectively. Among them, natural gas is the cleanest energy source used for heating, and electricity consumed for use is among the sources that cause the most damage to the environment. In this sense, in order to create a sustainable development plan, it is necessary to consider the contribution of these resources to greenhouse gas emissions, and to increase the orientation to renewable energy sources, which can be an alternative for them.

In fact, our country has important resources in terms of wind, geothermal and solar energy. Although the development of these resources is of vital importance in terms of combating climate change and overcoming the dependence on imports and fossil fuels in energy, it is possible to achieve this goal with the current technology. The share of renewable energy in primary energy use in Turkey is 6.5%, and its share in electricity generation is 24%. Within the scope of Turkey's 2023 energy strategy, it is aimed to increase the share of renewable energy in electricity generation to 30%, and in this direction, it is aimed to "use the entire hydroelectric potential of our country" as the main tool.

D. Sustainability and Energy Efficiency Legislation and Implemented Policies in Turkey

The importance of providing energy efficiency has been revealed, as the developing technologies and changes in living standards in the world have increased the energy need and caused the fossil fuels, which provide the majority of this need, to gradually decrease. Global warming, climate change and environmental pollution are the biggest factors that create this need. Therefore, in our country as well as in the world, various incentive policies have been implemented in order to increase energy efficiency in the housing sector, transportation sector and many other sectors, which are of great importance in order to meet our basic needs first and foremost in industry. The aforementioned incentives can be financial incentives, tax exemptions, providing loans, as well as providing auditing, control mechanism, and applying sanctions if necessary. In this sense, we would like to briefly explain the legislation implemented in our country.

  • Legislation studies on energy efficiency in our country started with the "Regulation for Providing Economy in Fuel Consumption of Heating and Steam Facilities and Reducing Air Pollution" published in the Official Gazette dated 3/11/1977 and numbered 16102.
  • The studies in question continued with the "Regulation on Thermal Insulation in Buildings" published in the Official Gazette dated 30/10/1981.
  • In accordance with the provisions of the "Regulation on the Measures to be Taken by Industrial Organizations to Increase the Efficiency of Energy Consumption" published in the Official Gazette dated 11/11/1995, the National Energy Savings Center was established within the General Directorate of Electrical Works Survey Administration to carry out national and international activities related to energy efficiency. The first concrete output of these studies was the "Energy Efficiency Strategy for Turkey" published in April 2004.
  • On 17/04/2007, "Energy Efficiency Law No. 5627" was put into effect, and a direct legislative application was started by Turkey in the field of energy efficiency.
  • Subsequently, "Regulation on Allocation of Heating and Sanitary Hot Water Expenses in Central Heating and Sanitary Hot Water Systems" published on 14/04/2008, "Regulation on Procedures and Principles for Increasing Energy Efficiency in Transportation" published on 09/06/2008, "Regulation on Increasing Efficiency in the Use of Energy Resources and Energy" published on 25/10/2008 (renewed on 27 October 2011. ), "Regulation on Energy Performance in Buildings (BEP Regulation)" published on 5/12/2008, "Regulation on Environmentally Sensitive Design of Energy Related Products" published on 7/10/2010, "Energy Efficiency Audit Regulation" published on 6/07/2018.
  • In addition, targets, methods and implementation plans have been determined with the "Energy Efficiency Strategy Document 2012-2023" published on 25/02/2012 and the "National Energy Efficiency Action Plan 2017-2023" published on 2/01/2018.
  • In addition, although 2008 was declared as the Year of Energy Efficiency, "Prime Ministry Circular on the replacement of incandescent bulbs in public sector", "Presidential Circular on 15% Energy Savings in Public Sector" published on 16/08/2019 and "Presidential Decree on the Implementation of Energy Performance Contracts in Public Sector" published on 21/08/2020 were published.

In addition to these legislative studies, sustainable energy policies are also implemented in our country. As an example of these;

  • Energy costs not being affected by economic fluctuations,
  • Ensuring energy supply security,
  • Reducing foreign dependency,
  • Reducing emissions from energy consumption,
  • Effective fight against climate change,
  • Maintaining comfort and production quality and increasing competitive power

Can be shown. For an environment defined as sustainable, it is necessary to reduce the emissions of dangerous greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide emissions, which constitute the greatest danger. It is necessary to state immediately that the energy efficiency potential in Turkey has been determined as 30% in the building sector, 20% in the industrial sector and 15% in the transportation sector. It is planned to achieve this target with "zero emission renewable energy on the supply side" and "energy efficiency on the demand side". According to the data of the General Directorate of Renewable Energy (YEGM, 2017), the sub-sectors with the highest energy consumption in the Turkish industry are the manufacturing of basic metal and non-metallic minerals (cement, glass, ceramics) and the energy consumption in these sectors constitutes 55% of the total energy consumption. In these sectors, which constitute more than half of the energy consumption of the Turkish industry, the electricity and heat saving potential varies between 7-21% for the metal sector and 7-34% for the non-metallic minerals sector. On the other hand, although the energy consumption shares of the paper, sugar and textile sub-sectors in the Turkish industry are relatively low, it is seen that there is an energy saving potential reaching 57% in these sectors.

Again, national programs aiming to reduce emissions have been adopted in many European countries as well as in our country. Various policies and measures have also been adopted at EU level through the European Climate Change Programme, which will be implemented through the following work:

  • Greater use of renewable energy (wind, solar, biomass) and combined heat and electricity utilities
  • Improvements in energy efficiency in buildings, industry, electrical appliances,
  • Reducing carbon dioxide emissions from new passenger vehicles,
  • Emission reduction measures in the manufacturing industry,
  • Measures to reduce emissions from landfill

As can be seen, it is vital to act in accordance with the legislation, to produce and implement incentive programs for these in order to ensure sustainable development and energy efficiency in this sense, but it will be necessary to closely follow both national and international literature and developments in these matters.

E. Conclusion

Essentially, sustainability and energy efficiency have a very broad perspective, and they require a detailed examination, research, follow-up and audit. In addition to globally accepted practices, in our country, as of 1977, it has started to focus on the subject officially. Legislation and regulations enacted in our country include developments in parallel with global regulations and contain innovations and incentives that should be taken into account, especially in housing, industry and transportation sectors. Of course, in the centuries-old life of humanity, human needs have emerged from the new living standards created by the advancing technology in recent years. It has emerged as a result of the consumption of fossil fuels, which have been the most preferred for many years, due to the new needs that have arisen.

As it is known, all of the mentioned resources are resources that can be exhausted, and instead of them, it is necessary to start to turn to renewable energy resources that will not be exhausted. Moreover, the increase in consumption has started to threaten the future by causing the amount of carbon dioxide to double globally in the last 30 years due to the greenhouse gas emitted. In this sense, it is necessary to produce different energy sources in order to prevent this situation, which threatens even the existence of humanity, and in order to continue to meet the needs of people in the best way and to transfer this opportunity to future generations. The use of renewable energy resources is very important for humanity and our future, and in order to increase the use of these resources in our country, there is a need to increase various incentive programs, especially in terms of industry and then society.

In our country, it is expected that the share of renewable energy in electricity generation will be increased from 24% to 30% by "using the entire hydroelectric potential of our country" in 2023. In order to ensure sustainability and energy efficiency, it is necessary to reach a certain consciousness individually and act with energy saving awareness, since it is important to act socially as well as to provide individual benefits. Ultimately, this world we live and breathe in will belong to our future generations as well as all of us. In this sense, it is of great importance to follow the developments closely and to be able to produce many new models that are new and open to development as a country.

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