Wind energy.. Will the “Turkish experience” solve the electricity crisis in the Arab world?

Wind energy.. Will the “Turkish experience” solve the electricity crisis in the Arab world?

In light of the acute shortage of electricity in some Arab countries, the continuous decline in production costs and the development of technology, the need for wind energy has become more evident than before. And it became easier as the experience and expertise of Turkey in this field was benefited from.

At a time when some Arab countries are experiencing a severe shortage of electric power. Turkey has managed to break records in the field of electricity generation from renewable sources of wind energy ، To make it easier through the experience of Turkey and benefit from the experiences of Turkey and its products in the field of wind electricity generation.

Undoubtedly, the rise and fall of oil and gas prices in some Arab countries has opened the door wide for new energy sources. Such as solar and wind energy ، The issue of renewable energy and its sources has received remarkable attention in the recent period, especially after the low costs in general. For the installation of clean energy plants and the availability of their technologies and tools in abundance.

Wind is a vital source of renewable energy, but the downside is that it is an intermittent source. Therefore, the wind turbine market is witnessing a remarkable development. In light of the global trend to manufacture large, high-capacity turbines in regions that suffer from wind scarcity.

Wind energy and the Turkish experience

Over the past two decades, Turkey has made great strides in using renewable energy sources to generate electricity. As of this year, Turkey has succeeded in generating 53% of its total electricity needs by relying on renewable energy sources. Perhaps its biggest qualitative leap was in its ability to generate electricity through onshore and offshore wind energy. Where it managed to occupy the 12th place globally and 7th in Europe in the production of electricity from wind energy after exceeding the threshold of 10,000 megawatts.

On November 28, wind power became the largest source of electricity generation with a share of 22.6% for the first time in the history of the Republic of Turkey, according to data released by the Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEİAŞ).

Wind farms in Turkey broke all records by producing approximately 178,964 MWh. Of the country’s total daily electricity production of 791,794 MWh, with its conventional fossil and renewable branches, from various sources ، Turkey’s installed wind capacity reached 10,585 MW, making it the second largest renewable energy after hydro, which produced a total of 28.5 GW of installed electricity in 2019. Power plants came in third place with a 17.8% share.

In addition to the richness of oil and gas in traditional fossil energy sources, the Arab world also has abundant renewable energy sources, primarily solar and wind energy, in addition to hydroelectric power used in some countries with large rivers such as Egypt, Iraq, Syria and Morocco.

Experts believe that the Middle East and North Africa has different geographic regions, starting with the Arab countries on the Atlantic coast and the desert, which encouraged the construction of huge power plants with a wind capacity of more than 7 meters per second. Through the countries of the Red Sea Basin to the Sultanate of Oman.

Arab world

According to statistics from the World Wind Energy Council in 2019, the countries of the Arab world, as well as Iran, witnessed a huge leap in investment in wind energy. Whereas in 2007 it was only 300 megawatts. After installing an additional 6.5 gigawatts of turbines by 2023, energy growth in the Arab world is expected to continue.

In light of the continued decline in production costs and the development of technology in the field of wind energy, the year 2019 witnessed a rapid growth in the number and size of wind power plants built by some Arab countries to meet their needs. The demand for electricity produced from renewable and clean energy sources increased.

At the end of 2019, Egypt opened its first commercial wind farm. The Ras Ghareb facility in the Gulf of Suez, Egypt, with a total of 125 turbines, can partially generate 262.5 megawatts of electricity ، The government plans to produce 20% of the total electricity the country needs. It will rise from clean sources by 2022 to about 42% by 2035.

The Sultanate of Oman announced the establishment of the first and largest wind farm in the Arabian Gulf region in 2019, to generate electricity at an estimated cost of about $125 million and an annual generation capacity of approximately 160 gigawatt-hours. In the same year, Saudi Arabia announced its intention to launch the Douma factory project. The capacity of the Al-Jandal wind farm located in the Al-Jawf region in the northwest of the country is about 400 megawatts.