Greetings to all my valued readers from the first Corner of 2023, have a good week. We have left a year behind with both its good and bad... I wish that the good will be repeated abundantly, the bad will remain in the past and will never happen again. * My valued readers, as you know, this is the "Green Corner". Our expectations for the new year are extremely strong, determined and full of hope for a greener year, a cleaner future... Our struggle is determined, but the frequency and determination of the steps taken by legal regulators and lawmakers to expand the use of renewable energy sources are also important. My dear readers, before we start the details, the news that there will be no increase in electricity and natural gas prices was given by the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Mr. Fatih Dönmez, weeks before entering 2023. After the good news that there will be no increase in electricity and natural gas prices at the beginning of the year, the last good news came to our industrialists from the Energy Market Regulatory Authority just hours before 2023. By making a 16% discount on the industrial tariff in electricity prices, the cost pressure on our producing industrialists has been reduced to some extent. We hope that these discounts will be sustainable in the other quarters. Along with the discount news from EPDK, there is also news of an increase! The distribution fees applied by EPDK as 28.80 ?/kWh for unlicensed electricity production facilities have been updated to 66.80 ?/kWh. This creates a major burden and cost item for Unlicensed Electricity Production Plants, especially in terms of the sale of the electricity produced. My valuable readers, after the current discount and increase news, I would like to share the developments in 2022 and the innovations coming in 2023 in terms of “Electricity Production from Renewable Energy Sources”. * With the amendment made to the Unlicensed Electricity Production Regulation in the Electricity Market last year in August 2022, a limitation was imposed on the sale of excess energy to the Distribution Company. With this changed regulation, it was made mandatory to sell the amount of energy produced and give the excess to the grid free of charge. Moreover, while the energy produced was given to the grid free of charge, you were also faced with the burden of the distribution fee written to you. Many Solar Power Plants (SPP) established since 2019 have been negatively affected by this change and serious grievances were experienced by investors. It was said that the regulation was designed for self-consumption but that it was changed on the grounds that it was being abused commercially. Although it is thought to be true on one point, ultimately, as a country, we are not rich in terms of energy resources. We produce half of the electricity we consume using fossil and imported resources such as natural gas and coal. Instead of spending money on these uneconomical and unecological resources, what would be lost if it were given to a farmer, an industrialist or a merchant who produces more than they consume? Moreover, the percentage share of production facilities established in this way is quite small within the total power of power plants producing from renewable energy sources… Within the regulation amendment dated the same date, a good step was taken in terms of spreading the use of renewable energy sources within the country; in production facilities based on renewable energy sources to be established to meet the energy needs of consumption facilities, the way was opened for the production or consumption facilities to be within the borders of different distribution or authorized supply company regions. In other words, the way was opened for the energy you consume in any electricity distribution region of the country to be offset with the energy you produce from the facility you will establish in a different distribution region. The way was opened for the establishment of GES/RES in any province of Türkiye within the framework of article 5.1.h of the relevant regulation, including businesses operating within Organized Industrial Zones. This development was quite valuable; it created a great advantage especially for industrial facilities that had to establish GES on land where energy consumption was high and roofs had sufficient space to meet this consumption but could not find suitable and cheap land. Regarding this very issue, an update was made to the relevant regulation dated 31.12.2022, in the last hours of 2022; The application process for 5.1.h GES/RES applications, where the production-consumption facilities will be in different distribution regions, was postponed to July 1, 2023. It was stated that the netting transactions of the production facilities that are in operation as of the date of publication of the Regulation on Unlicensed Electricity Production in the Electricity Market or that will be in operation by July 1, 2023 and the consumption facilities within the region of different distribution or incumbent supply company will be carried out by the incumbent supply company in the region where the production facility is located until July 1, 2023. * We can interpret this issue as follows, the netting transactions of the facilities that produce-consume in different distribution regions will be carried out by the distribution company in the province where the power plant is located until July 1, 2023, the roadmap on how to continue the netting transaction is not yet clear and it is expected to be clear on July 1, 2023. Hours before 2023, the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change brought a regulation amendment to the agenda, paving the way for the establishment of solar power plants in buildings that have benefited from the Zoning Amnesty and have a Building Registration Certificate. In the regulation regarding the “Regulation on Amendments to the Zoning Regulation for Planned Areas” published in the Official Gazette dated 31.12.2022, the phrase “Solar-based renewable energy systems to be built for the needs of buildings with a building registration certificate are also evaluated within the scope of this paragraph” was added to the second paragraph of the 59th article of the regulation titled “Construction Activities Not Requiring a Building Permit”. Previously, solar power plants could not be established in buildings with a Building Registration Certificate on the grounds that they did not comply with the Zoning Law. * Please do not miss an extremely important point here! Static strength of the building! I am sure that the relevant municipalities that will issue a Solar Power Plant Conformity Letter will pay attention, but perhaps more attention will be required with this issue. As a Civil Engineer, I examine, analyze and design many roofs for the installation of Solar Power Plants. In the meantime, I come across many static projects that have not been sufficiently checked in the market, so to speak, and where the existing and additional loads are saved on paper by soaping them. After this development that has come into force, more attention should be paid to the examination of the static projects of buildings with a Building Registration Certificate! Dear readers, before concluding my article, I would like to mention another last and extremely valuable development announced by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. * The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change announced that the renewable energy obligation in buildings started on January 1, 2023, within the scope of the “Regulation on Amendments to the Energy Performance Regulation in Buildings”. If we were to interpret this announcement, my dear readers; The Ministry, which set out with the goal of “Almost Zero Energy Buildings (nSEB)”, has announced that all buildings larger than 5,000 m2 as of January 1, 2023; They will be constructed with an Energy Performance Class of at least “B”, and they will be required to meet at least 5% of the energy they consume from renewable energy sources. Buildings whose projects are not prepared according to these practices will not be licensed! With this step taken by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, it is expected that our country’s Energy Import Bill will decrease by 5 Billion Turkish Liras annually. In addition, by increasing the Energy Performance Limit of the buildings from “C” to “B”, it is aimed to improve the thermal insulation values ​​of the windows by increasing the thickness of the thermal insulation material from an average of 5 centimeters to 7-8 centimeters in Istanbul and from 6 centimeters to 8-9 centimeters in Ankara. In this way, it is aimed to save an average of 25% in energy consumption without compromising thermal comfort conditions. * Dear readers, I hope that the changes published by the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) and the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change within the scope of the 2023 regulation amendments will provide economic and ecological benefits for our country and our world. As I stated at the beginning of my article, “Our struggle is determined, but the frequency and determination of the steps taken by legal regulators and lawmakers to expand the use of renewable energy sources is also important.” I hope that in this context, solution-oriented and determined steps will be taken rapidly in 2023 and beyond, and we will all build a cleaner world for our future generations to live in, without losing our dream of a green future. Thank you for taking your valuable time… I hope to see you in my next article… Stay healthy.

Sidar Anil Ozalp