User:Sashakurk/sandbox/Hydroelectricity in Turkey

Hydroelectricity in Turkey is a critical source of energy for the country and takes use of the prime geographical location of the country itself. Turkey is located in a geographical location known as Eurasia. It consists of many rivers and dams that can be used to produce hydroelectricity. Hydroelectricity is a method of energy production where the gravitational force of flowing or falling water is converted to electrical energy. Turkey has implemented many units (dams and hydroelectric power plants), which use hydroelectricity to create electrical energy, and these units supply a lot of electrical energy in Turkey. There have been many projects in the past years for hydroelectricity in Turkey as well as many projects currently in progress, such as the GAP. Turkey currently has a total gross hydropower electric generation of 57,865 gigawatt hour per year. A gigawatt hour per year is a kilowatt hour per year times 10 to the power of 9.

History
The first hydroelectric plant in Turkey was contructed in Tarus in 1902. This plant produced 60Kw/year, but nonetheless was a great technical achievement for the country.

In the later years there were many more projects including: Seyhan, Sariyer, Hirfanli, Kesikkopru, Demirkopru, and Kemer. These projects were either dams or hydroelectric power plants and by 1940 there were a total of 28 hydroelectric power plants in Turkey.

In 1954 the State Hydraulic Works (DSI) was established in Turkey and after the establishment, projects were better funded and the energy produced per year was greatly increased.

Projects
The most recent project in Turkey is the GAP project. Also known as the Southeastern Anatolia Project, the GAP project was planned by the DSI and it includes the construction of 22 dams and 19 hydroelectric power plants. Most of the project is complete, but there are still dams and hydroelectricity power plants under construction. Once completed, theoretically, 27 billion kWh/year will be generated.

Currently there are 172 dams/hydroelectric power plants in operation, 148 under construction, and 1,418 projects available.

Environmental Effects
There are positive and negative environmental effects caused by the dams and hydroelectric power plants. A positive environmental effect of hydroelectric power plants in Turkey is the decrease of carbon emission because the production of energy does not emit any byproduct. Compared to thermal power generating units, it is much more environmentally friendly.

On the other hand, the hydroelectric power plants have had a negative impact on species. Many fish are killed in hydroelectric power plants because there are no fish passages. This can be fixed by implementing fish passages into new projects. Also, the high flow of water causes soil erosion, which kills plant species. This is a hard environmental issue to fix.

Another main issue is salinity. Salinity causes the reduction of water quality, soil erosion, and effect on plant growth. Salinity caused by dams has decreased the agricultural activity near dams and hydroelectric power plants. There has also been a great issue with increased bedrock exposure. Erosion is an issue that is currently trying to be solved.

These projects have also caused an issue of land acquisition and resettlement of people. The Ataturk and Karakaya project of the GAP caused the displacement of 100,000 people. Hundreds of villages have been affected by projects in Turkey to build dams and hydroelectric power plants. Some families got lands to construct new houses. On the other hand, some families were admitted back to their property after the construction process of the dams or power plants if plausible.

Hydroelectric Potential
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), as of 2012 the hydroelectric potential of Turkey is 57,865 GWh/year. This accounts for about 1% of the hydroelectric energy produced in the world. This shows that Turkey has greatly industrialized and produces a percent of all the hydroelectric power in the world.