Micro turbines to generate electricity for households

It is now possible to generate electricity using small rivers and even shallow brooks thanks to the brand new micro turbines developed and produced by Turkish Electromechanics Industry (TEMSAN).

TEMSAN, committed to manufacturing turbine and generator equipment for hydroelectric power plants and designing and producing micro turbines and transformer substations under the supervision of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, has recently completed its four-year long studies and managed to design 12 different turbine prototypes. The prices of these turbines vary from YTL 3,000 to YTL 40,000 depending on their capacity and strength.

A micro turbine, able to produce 3 kilowatt/hour (kWh) of power, meets all the electricity needs of four houses — from illumination to temperature control. Turbines with a capacity of 100 to 200 kWh, on the other hand, are enough to supply electricity for moderate-sized villages and even small-sized towns.

It is not necessary to get a license or to establish a company to install micro turbines on rivers or brooks. Anyone is able to get one of these turbines and install it under the guidance of local ministry representative. They will also be able to sell the electricity to the local electricity network.

Hamit Akdere, a fish farm operator in Sivas, was the first to acquire and run one of these micro turbines. He notes that this system is “extremely profitable” as long as there is water to spin the turbine. “The electricity generated by these turbines will contribute significantly to meeting the country’s energy hunger,” Turkey’s Energy Minister Hilmi Güler has said on several occasions since the project began in 2003. “In the past, people used to say ‘water flows in vain and Turks just watch’. This will no longer be the case,” Güler stressed frequently. If micro turbines start being widely used across the country, they will supply at least 10 percent of Turkey’s total annual electricity usage — in other words they will produce around 3,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity.

TEMSAN General Manager Osman Kadakal pointed out that conventional hydroelectric plants could only be constructed on large rivers with high flow potential, whereas micro turbines can get electricity from even small streams. Kadakal also notes that it is possible to install numerous micro turbines on rivers as long as the depth and strength of the river’s water flow allow it.

Although this technology is new for Turkey, it is already in use in many countries. This method is especially useful in countries with an abundance of small rivers. Electricity-hungry workshops, like foundry works, are usually established around such small rivers in these countries. The turbines are designed to also cover some major risks. For example, they utilize high-capacity batteries that immediately step in if the turbines are broken or temporarily out of service.

Kadakal said the micro turbines are 100 percent Turkish products and no foreign technology was used in manufacturing them. A separate research and development body is employed to develop micro turbines for this.

A single micro turbine of the smallest capacity can produce enough electricity to cover all electricity needs of two ordinary houses and costs around YTL 3,000, excluding batteries and other supplements. Assuming that the cost of electricity for homes is roughly Ykr 10 per kilowatt-hour — which comes out to around YTL 880 in one year, taking into consideration the annual average consumption amounts in Turkey, these machines will pay for themselves in just two years. They also work with no operational costs.

The Energy Productivity Law, passed by Parliament in May 2007, allows the generation of electricity from small rivers provided that a person or institution establishes a plant with a maximum capacity of 200-kilowatt (KW). The law also exempts them from having a production license or owning a company for generation so long they use the electricity only for their own needs.

İSMAİL ALTUNSOY  ANKARA

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