Turkey made plans to invest 150 million Turkish liras in research and development (R&D) studies along with 1 billion liras for improvements to the grid operating system from 2016 to 2020, head of Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA) said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the fourth International Istanbul Smart Grid and Cities Congress and Fair in Istanbul, Mustafa Yilmaz, head of EMRA, stated that they are closely following developments in grid technologies and have planned R&D which will be carried out by Turkey's electricity distribution companies.
Yilmaz emphasized, however, that investment steps will be taken very carefully so Turkey can avail of real value benefits to the grid system and avoid wasteful usage of technology.
He also stated that introducing smart grid technologies in Turkey's market will benefit consumers by generating a more efficient and secure electricity supply.
"Making the grids smart and implementing the necessary regulations according to smart grid technologies, are likely to increase costs. However, our target is to support investments in smart grid technologies and related technologies this year and in the following years as well," Yilmaz concluded.
The introduction of smart grids to Turkey's energy sector will prevent power cuts through automatic measuring systems by conducting situation analysis and providing grid reliability by controlling overloads and failures. The grid allows for the introduction of renewable energy resources into the system and offers many benefits to utilities and consumers -- mostly seen in improvements in energy efficiency and reliability on the electricity grid and in energy conservation in users’ homes and offices.
(Anadolu Agency)
