New Approaches to Efficiency in Energy and Time

In today's world, where we are increasingly recognizing the value of energy and time, innovative ideas and new approaches are emerging daily. For our country, catching up with and even producing these innovations is far more than just a choice. In this context, each individual's responsibilities are significant.

As of 2023, if we think about the critical areas we need to focus on in technology, we can create a long list. This correlates with the numerous gaps we need to address. In this article, I will touch upon a few promising topics that come to mind and that our country could adopt.

Regarding Energy Efficiency…

At the beginning of 2022, the SETAŞ Energy Efficiency Team conducted a detailed study at a large hospital that was quite troubled by its energy bills. By 2023, we observed that many improvements had already been implemented. While some proposed improvements are still pending, the annual natural gas consumption has decreased from 819,000 Sm³ (Standard Cubic Meters) to 608,000 Sm³. Electricity consumption has dropped from 11,100,000 kWh (Kilowatt-Hours) to 9,350,000 kWh. This translates to a total decrease of 15.67% in electricity and 25.75% in natural gas. Considering the average energy unit costs for 2023, this means a savings of 9,130,000 TL in just one year for a single hospital. More importantly, this has prevented the release of 1,280,000 kg of CO2 annually.

Imagine applying this work to 10 hospitals or 100 factories—or all of Turkey.

You can ponder the results. A partial efficiency in one hospital saved energy equivalent to the annual consumption of 127 households. With this perspective, perhaps our existing power plants are generating more energy than we need; however, due to our inefficient energy use, we perceive a shortage and invest in additional plants. Let’s not forget that energy efficiency is a hidden energy source.

A special thank you to those who read this and intend to implement these ideas.

Serhat KAYA
SETAŞ Electrical-Electronics Engineer