Windenergy by the Sea of MarmaraA large part of the electricity in Turkey is still generated by burning fossil fuels. At the start of the project, only one percent of the country's electricity came from wind power - despite the high potential of over 10,000 megawatts.
A positive example of alternative energy generation is the climate protection project near the city of Bandırma in the province of Balikesir in the Asian part of Turkey. Since September 2009, five 80 meter high Vestas wind turbines have been producing clean electricity here from a free, abundant and emission-free source. With a total capacity of 15 megawatts, the turbines generate up to 51 gigawatt hours annually, which flow into the Turkish power grid.
How wind energy contributes to climate actionAs the name suggests, wind turbines use the power of the wind to generate energy. During this process, a generator located inside the wind turbine converts kinetic energy into electrical energy. As energy is still mainly generated from fossil fuels in many areas around the world, clean wind energy can replace some of this fossil, high-emission energy and verifiably save CO2 emissions.
In most cases, the sustainably generated electricity from the wind power projects is fed into a regional power grid, which diversifies the power supply and improves energy security in regions that are frequently affected by power shortages and outages. A project often creates increased job opportunities for the local population and the area can be used for additional activities, such as agriculture. Wind power projects make an important contribution to a clean energy supply worldwide and contribute to sustainable development with respect to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Wind energy projects in the ClimatePartner portfolio are registered with international standards.
