About Institute
Foundation
Ege University Solar Energy Institute serving as a research and education center for renewable energy resources such as solar power, biomass, wind and geothermal is established in 1978. It is the first and only institute leading these fields in our country.
Departments
In accordance with the order numbered 82/655 dated 23 December 1982 of the Council of Higher Education, two departments are structured; namely Energy and Energy Technology in our institute where research and postgraduate studies are conducted in fields of solar thermal systems, photovoltaic and new generation photovoltaic systems, solar architecture, biomass energy, wind power and geothermal energy, energy efficiency and management, photochemistry and optoelectronics.
Personnel and Education
As of 2013, 26 academic, 7 administrative, 4 technical and 4 support personnel serve in our institute. 145 masters and 86 doctorate fellows have graduated from our institute that has been active in the field of renewable energy resources for 35 years. Currently, there are 55 masters and 62 doctorate researchers are continuing with their studies.
Collaborations and Projects
Since its foundation the Institute has signed protocols with 90 different institutions and organizations, having completed a total of 190 projects. Besides, 15 books, 169 national and 185 international papers have been published. Research papers have been cited a total number of 2249 internationally. 469 national, 189 international proceedings have been submitted in symposiums and congress.
The infrastructure facilities established due to the multidisciplinary structure of Ege University Solar Energy Institute are equipped enough to be considered as a support tool for research and development activities in many fields such as fundamental sciences and engineering. System design, consultancy, pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, performance analysis of installed systems and energy consultancy services are provided by the institute within the scope of collaborations between universities and industrial establishments through existing infrastructure opportunities. In addition to these several services based on analysis methods are provided by the highly advanced equipment available in the laboratories of the institute.
Ege University Solar Energy Institute fulfills a significant duty through the studies conducted regarding renewable energy resources and their utilization both in the national and international arena. Our institute holds the leading position across the country with several projects conducted in collaboration with State Planning Organization (DPT), Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (Tübitak) and the European Union. The Institute has installed 11 pilot biogas plants within the scope of a DPT project named “Development and Proliferation of Biogas Technologies in Rural Areas”. The budget required for the completion of the project is compensated by our shareholder Special Provincial Administration of İzmir enabling the start-up procedures of the installed systems. Among these studies, the first medium sized modern biogas plant of our country is installed in Ülkü Farm located in Pamukören district of Aydın. Additionally, a large scale fully automated biogas plant equipped is installed and put into operation for Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, within the scope of a TÜBİTAK 1007 project carried out with TÜBİTAK-MAM and four universities. Provisional acceptance of the biogas plant is finalized by the Ministry of Energy on November 2012 and electricity sales to the grid has officially commenced.
The Institute takes the lead on research regarding Organic Dye Sensitized Solar Cells. Production of Transparent Organic Dye Sensitized Solar Cells is performed on laboratory scale in cooperation with Türkiye Şişecam Fabrikaları A.Ş. and a mutual contribution is sustained with high end research facilities and companies of Europe in the FP6 project titled MOLYCELL, within the 6th Framework Programme of the European Commission.
Under the leadership of the Institute support has been granted to the manufacture of 20 kW wind turbines using solely local products and the support is continued for the production of local wind turbines for up to 100 kW. Preparatory work for the patent application of type testing for small scale wind turbines installed in the Institute within the scope of TÜBİTAK project numbered 110E157 completed in 2011 are finalized. The application for the project carried out under the consultancy of the Institute targeting the utilization of wind energy for the Special Provincial Directorate of İzmir is accepted by the regional electricity distribution company on 10.05.2012.
Our experts are conducting training studies on energy efficiency in buildings in internal and external institutions such as Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and General Directorate of Renewable Energy. “National Photovoltaic Technologies Platform” has been set within the scope of The Support Program for the Initiative to Build Scientific and Technological Cooperation Networks and Platforms (İŞBAP) under the coordination of Solar Energy Institute together with public bodies, universities and industrial establishments. The main objective of this project is to construct a national photovoltaic technology platform in Turkey which can determine effective plans for the development of photovoltaic technologies in our country. In order to provide the platform with an active status internationally, collaborations are made with related institutions, notably the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems (IEA-PVPS). The platform executes the representation of IEA-PVPS on behalf of the Turkish government. This authorization is granted to the Ege University Solar Energy Institute by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A report titled “Renewable Energy Sector Analysis for İzmir Province” is prepared in collaboration with Special Provincial Directorate of İzmir in order to determine the current situation, obstacles and development opportunities of the renewable energy sector in İzmir based on analytical evaluations in light of actual data, with the support of İzmir Development Agency (İZKA). In this report, companies currently active in the sector and other firms with potential are determined. Growth and investment potentials are evaluated and analyzed together with challenges the sector is facing.
Occupational Standards
A protocol regarding the determination of occupational standards concerning “Renewable Energy Resources” is signed between the Vocational Qualification Authority (MYK) and Solar Energy Institute on 8 June 2010. As per the protocol, a university is qualified to determine an occupational standard for the first time in Turkey. Within this framework, 12 standards are established for 3 different stages of 4 occupations regarding “Renewable Energy Resources” and studies for the “National Vocational Qualification” document preparation stipulated in vocational training procedures are commenced.
- Personnel on biogas systems
- Personnel on PV technologies
- Personnel on solar thermal systems
- Personnel on wind power systems
International Connections and Collaborations
Ege University Solar Energy Institute maintains the international collaborations through international projects. Endorsements are granted from Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany, UCLA-Los Angeles California University from USA and Royal Society in England. Especially via the project partnerships in 6th Framework Programme of the European Commissioning and other programmes Solar Energy Institute is in collaboration with many European countries such as French-CEA, United Kingdom-Imperial College of London, Newcastle University, Germany-Simens/Frauhofer Institute, the Netherlands-ECN, Belgium-IMEC, Austria-LIOS/Linz University, Switzerland-EPFL.
Within the scope of project partnerships the Leonardo Project titled “Benchmark of National Knowledge and Experiences to Improve Quality of Vocational Education in Renewable Energy Sector” is being carried out by the institute as an EU funded collaboration project aiming to establish a more efficient collaboration via mutual information sharing between United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Slovakia and Turkey. Student exchange programmes with Extremadura University (Spain) and Johannes Kepler University (Linz/Austria) within the Erasmus Exchange Programme are in progress.
