Being the only electricity distribution company from Turkey participating in the PlaMES project supported by the European Union Horizon 2020 framework program, OEDAŞ continues to make a name for itself with its high potential in the field of renewable energy. Within the framework of the three-year project, in which six institutions and organizations from Germany and Italy are involved, the company also benefits from different energy production and consumption sources in its service region. Expected to contribute to carbon footprint reduction Speaking about the PlaMES project, which aims to contribute to reducing the carbon footprint in the energy sector, OEDAŞ R&D Manager Ural Halaçoğlu says, “This project not only reduces the carbon footprint, but also provides added value for the design of the energy systems of the future with the lowest cost.” Turkey, which stands out with its renewable energy potential, is expected to become the tenth country in the world and the fourth in Europe with its 90 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity in 2027. Osmangazi Electricity Distribution Inc. (OEDAŞ), on the other hand, operates in the second electricity distribution region with the highest renewable energy production in the country. The company is carrying out various studies in an integrated way of different energy sources that will be included in the grid system, especially renewable energy sources, in the coming years. According to the said target, it is stated that the PlaMES (Integrated Planning of Multiple Energy Systems) project, supported by the EU Horizon 2020 framework program, has reached the final stage three years ago. Speaking about the project, OEDAŞ R&D Manager Ural Halaçoğlu says that they represent Turkey in the project, which includes six institutions and organizations from Germany and Italy. Safe, clean and efficient energy Stating that as OEDAŞ, they are involved in projects carried out to provide safe, clean and efficient energy within the scope of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Program, Halaçoğlu said: “While creating the low-carbon market of the future, the PlaMES project was implemented with the aim of designing a new planning tool that will enable the systems to work in an integrated manner. In this process, different energy production and consumption sources in our service area were used. As a result of our three years of work, algorithms and web interfaces to be used in the infrastructure of the project team have been developed in this planning tool (DSS-Decision Support System). Stating that information was shared for the planning tool for decentralized renewable energy systems in the OEDAŞ pilot region, Halaçoğlu continues his words as follows: “After this sharing, which includes both system information and statistical data of the region, the current system has been tested and contributed to the development of the planning tool with feedback. provided. We believe this planning tool can be useful in future planning and investment operations”. Emission reduction targets will be achieved faster Stating that the share of renewable energy sources on the installed power will increase and the emission factor in the national electricity grid will decrease with the integrated operation of all systems, Halaçoğlu said that this will ensure that the emission reduction targets applicable in international agreements that are closely related to Turkey will be achieved faster and that financial sanctions that may occur in this process will be avoided. “Besides, this project provides a new perspective for designing energy systems of the future with the lowest cost,” he says. Informing that the company’s R&D department carries out a total of 22 projects, four of which are EU-supported, OEDAŞ R&D Manager Ural Halaçoğlu points out that they research the best practices in the world with studies ranging from electric vehicles to artificial intelligence and focus on solutions specific to Turkey.