Analysis for Turkey s Self-Sufficiency in Electric Energy Sector and the Role of Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy Sources (RES) is vital for self-sufficiency of countries because it is, unlike fossil fuels, environmentally friendly, domestic and most importantly sustainable sources. Nevertheless, a large proportion of Turkey s electricity demand is satisfied with fossil resources such coal and natural gas. This situation not only makes our country dependent on foreign sources but also jeopardizes our energy supply security. However, Turkey has a great potential of renewable energy that could provide self-sufficiency in electricity sector. In this study, Turkey s self-sufficiency in electricity sector between the years of 2000-2016 is assessed using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Also, this study discusses the place and importance of RES for self-sufficiency. CCR model, one of the DEA methods, was built with two inputs; total primary energy supply and gross domestic product, and three outputs; export-import rate, domestic production and generated electricity by RES. The analysis shows that Turkey s self-sufficiency in electricity sector has been worsening recently. The main reasons for this deterioration are the high energy demand, increasing reliance on imported natural gas and hard coal, and underutilization of RES. Therefore, to become self-sufficient, Turkey should give priority to RES and utilization of RES should be promoted by using appropriate incentives and policies.

کلیدواژه ها:

Self-sufficiency ، Renewable Energy ، Data Envelopment Analysis