Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is the field of energy that aims to produce energy services such as heat, electricity, and fuel by harnessing flows that are continuously replenished through natural processes and can regenerate at a human scale. Sources such as solar radiation, wind, geothermal heat, the water cycle, and biomass are considered renewable due to their continuity in nature. The growth of this field is evaluated alongside objectives such as reducing the environmental impacts of fossil fuel-based production on air pollution and the climate system, strengthening energy supply security, and expanding access to energy services.

Conceptual Framework

Energy systems are classified according to the nature of the source and the mode of conversion. Renewable energy occupies a category opposite to non-renewable energy based on the depletion dynamics of the source; in terms of conversion, it is defined by technological chains that involve the transition from primary flows to secondary carriers. Within this framework, renewable energy technologies encompass not only the “source” but also the conversion, control, and operation layers that connect this source to the grid, heating systems, or fuel infrastructure.

Main Renewable Energy Sources and Conversion Technologies

Solar energy is utilized through direct electricity generation via photovoltaic conversion or through thermal systems for heat and indirect electricity production. Wind energy relies on the conversion of mechanical energy into electrical energy via turbines, and its production characteristics vary with meteorological conditions. Hydropower is defined by the conversion of the potential and kinetic energy of water into electricity using turbine-generator systems; it includes applications such as reservoir-based, run-of-river, and various scale implementations. Biomass and biofuel applications involve the transformation of organic matter into energy carriers through methods such as combustion, gasification, fermentation, or biochemical conversion. Geothermal energy is distinguished by the utilization of subsurface heat for electricity generation and particularly for heating applications. Ocean energy targets the conversion of marine flows such as tides and waves into energy; technical feasibility and local conditions are among the key factors determining the prevalence of this subfield.

Sustainability Dimension and Relationship with Climate Change

The transition to renewable energy is assessed in the context of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting the impacts of climate change. This approach aims to lower climate forcings by reducing the share of fossil fuels in energy production while simultaneously linking to development goals such as energy security and energy access. However, sustainability is not limited solely to emissions generated during production; lifecycle aspects including raw material procurement, equipment manufacturing, land use, water consumption, waste management, and recycling are also included in the evaluation.

Another key dimension in sustainability debates is policy and market design. The widespread adoption of renewable technologies is closely linked to regulatory frameworks, incentive mechanisms, the reduction of information gaps, and the resilience of supply chains. Therefore, the energy transition encompasses not only increases in technical capacity but also governance and institutional design.

Environmental and Social Impacts

Although renewable energy sources stand out for their low-carbon production potential, each technology has distinct local environmental and social impacts. In solar technologies, issues such as the use of certain chemical components during production, use, and end-of-life management, as well as water consumption in arid regions, may become prominent. In wind farms, concerns such as bird collisions, habitat impacts, and noise are related to site selection and operational practices. In hydropower, changes in sediment transport, fish migration, and river ecology are significant. In biomass, air pollutants, forestry pressures, and competition between food and land use arise. In geothermal, discharge and waste management issues gain importance due to certain fluid components.

These impacts necessitate a multidimensional assessment that cannot be reduced to a single metric. The joint consideration of criteria such as economics, efficiency, employment, and social acceptance requires that technology selection and project design be based not only on energy output but also on social and environmental compatibility.

Integration into the Electricity Grid and System Operation

The increasing penetration of variable generation sources such as solar and wind raises the need for better uncertainty management and system flexibility. Because instantaneous fluctuations in generation can challenge the balance between supply and demand, strengthening forecasting, planning, and real-time control layers becomes critical.

A significant portion of renewable power plants connects to the grid through power electronics converters, causing system dynamics to differ from traditional synchronous generator-dominated structures. This shift can complicate issues such as reduced system inertia affecting frequency stability, grid-following requirements during faults, and short-circuit current and protection coordination. Additionally, converter-based connections may introduce new operational demands related to harmonics and power quality. These challenges are addressed through approaches such as virtual inertia and virtual synchronous behavior, fault resilience enhancement methods, power quality improvement solutions, and uncertainty modeling techniques.

Energy storage systems play a dual role in this context. On one hand, they contribute to grid stability through short-term balancing and frequency support functions; on the other, they enhance market and operational flexibility by making variable generation more predictable. In the design of storage solutions, factors such as performance, cycle life, and the impact of operational strategies on equipment lifespan are also evaluated.

Distributed Generation, Local Energy Systems, and Energy Communities

A significant aspect of the energy transition is the shift from centralized to distributed generation. Local-scale systems based on renewable resources are promoted on grounds such as bringing production closer to consumption, reducing losses and costs, enhancing local resilience, and contributing to energy independence. This approach also encompasses energy community models that materialize through mechanisms such as citizen participation, collective investment, shared production, and local governance. Key determinants for implementing these models include regulatory definitions, market access, financing, data and measurement infrastructure, grid connection procedures, and social acceptance.

Assessment Approaches in the Context of Türkiye

In Türkiye, planning for renewable energy resources brings forward multi-criteria decision-making processes in terms of both resource diversity and technology selection. Evaluation frameworks that combine criteria such as economic viability, efficiency, employment impact, social acceptability, and economic lifetime may indicate certain resource types as more suitable under specific conditions. Such approaches encourage the integrated consideration of local resource potential, grid infrastructure, industrial supply chains, and environmental constraints.

Cost reductions, economies of scale, improvements in manufacturing processes, and policy designs drive the proliferation of renewable energy technologies. Concurrently, in systems with high renewable shares, issues such as grid codes, converter control strategies, fault management, cybersecurity, flexibility markets, storage, and demand-side participation become more central. On the technical side, uncertainty modeling, virtual inertia provision, fault resilience, protection coordination, and power quality enhancement emerge as core research areas that underpin the reliability and quality dimensions of the transition.