Nuclear Energy in The World and Turkey

Although the usage of nuclear power has been severely criticised, it tends to increase worldwide. Especially developing countries and the countries that prioritize increasing the energy supply security are taking steps to generate electricity by using nuclear power technologies. In other respects, countries that utilised from nuclear energy extensively in the past are now highlighting the harms of this energy type and they defend the usage of nuclear power should be limited. Turkey, on the other hand, carried its nuclear power adventure, which lasted more than half-century, to a new stage with the Akkuyu Power Plant. With this step, it is aimed primarily to enrich the energy profile of the country. In addition, it is projected to make a significant contribution of the energy supply security of the country with this power plant, which is planned to be set into operation in 2023. In this study, the general situation of nuclear energy in the world will be examined. Furthermore, the positive and negative aspects of nuclear power will be emphasized. For this purpose, the current data on the usage of nuclear power in the world will be utilized. In addition, the process of establishing a nuclear power plant in Turkey will be evaluated. Lastly, several suggestions will be presented within the framework of possible opportunities and risks that the country may face in terms of the nuclear energy.

Quantitative Assessment of Energy Supply Security: Korea Case Study

Ensuring energy supply security has become one of the most important purposes for many countries. To make the strategies for ensuring the energy supply security of a country, it is essential to quantitatively assess the security. This paper aims to present a methodology to evaluate the energy supply security of a country by using different indices of energy dependence and energy diversity, which have been raised as two main paradigms of energy supply security. This study also proposes two indices reflecting the correlation between a country’s energy diversity and energy import dependence to evaluate its energy supply security based on easily accessible data. The presented methodology and indices were applied to the evaluation of the primary energy supply security of Korea from 1991 to 2018. The results show that a country highly dependent on energy imports is not evaluated as secure enough in terms of energy supply even if it obtains higher energy diversity. This finding supports the importance of the correlation of energy dependence and energy diversity of a country to ensure its energy supply security. This approach could be further adapted to other countries and help them to make their energy policy and strategies.

Analyzing the Efficiency of Renewable Energy Sources in Terms of Electricity Generation

Electricity generation, one of the renewable energy sources (RES), delivers a solution for various problems such as energy efficiency, energy supply security, reducing foreign dependency, and especially, environmental concerns. However, the solutions provided for these problems bring along the question of which RESs are produced more effectively. Therefore, in this research, RESs used for electricity generation in Turkey were analyzed by using generation data to show which one is more effective. Bi-objective multiple-criteria data envelopment analysis (BiO-MCDEA) method, a goal programming-based efficiency determination method, was used for the efficiency analysis conducted for five years between the years of 2014 and 2018. As a result of the analysis, geothermal energy came into prominence as the most effective RES for all of the years included in the solution. Geothermal energy was followed by biomass energy, wind energy, hydroelectric, and solar energy, respectively.

Theoretical Structure of Wave Energy and Its Importance in Terms of Energy Supply Security

The establishment of wave power plants helps the country reduce its dependence on fossil resources. In this regard, the country is least affected by the changes in fossil resource prices. Energy supply security is ensured when the sustainability and availability of electrical energy obtained from wave energy is ensured. This is an important issue for the development of the country's economy. Therefore, attention should be paid to the effect of studies on wave energy on energy supply security. In this study, it is aimed to explain the theoretical structure of wave energy and its importance in terms of energy supply security of the country. In this study, it is intended to generate appropriate strategies for Turkey to improve wave energy system. For this purpose, four different criteria are defined based on balanced scorecard methodology which are finance, customer, organizational effectiveness, and research and development. An evaluation has been conducted by DEMATEL methodology. It is identified that finance is the most significant criterion for Turkey to improve wave energy projects.

The Role of Hydrogen in the Black Sea for the Future Energy Supply Security of Turkey

In this study, the importance of hydrogen sulfide resources in the Black Sea region for future energy supply security has been analyzed. In this context, Turkey has been the scope of review. Through the world's largest hydrogen sulfide deposits in the Black Sea region with which hydrogen can be used effectively in the production of this resource, Turkey will be able to meet the annual energy needs face. This will provide benefits to many aspects of Turkey's economic development. Turkey's current account deficit, which would import energy problem, can also be reduced. This situation will contribute to reducing the fragilities in the country's economy. In this respect, Turkey should give priorities for the hydrogen sulphide reserves in the Black Sea. In this framework, detailed studies should be conducted on the conditions of the region.

The North Caucasus Region as a Blind Spot in the “European Green Deal”: Energy Supply Security and Energy Superpower Russia

The “European Green Deal” has ambitious aims, such as net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. While the European Union aims to make its energies greener, Russia pursues power-goals based on its status as a geo-energy superpower. A successful “European Green Deal” would have the up-to-now underestimated geopolitical advantage of making the European Union less dependent on Russian hydrocarbons. In this article, we illustrate Russian power-politics and its geopolitical implications by analyzing the illustrative case of the North Caucasus, which has been traditionally a strategic region for Russia. The present article describes and analyses the impact of Russian intervention in the North Caucasian secessionist conflict since 1991 and its importance in terms of natural resources, especially hydrocarbons. The geopolitical power secured by Russia in the North Caucasian conflict has important implications for European Union’s energy supply security and could be regarded as a strong argument in favor of the “European Green Deal”.