Izmir NIC Talks #3 event was held on November 24, 2021 at the Hilton Garden Inn. The event started with the opening speech of İzmir NIC Project Coordinator Miray Şanlı Taşkın. In the first session of the event, she gave a presentation on the project and Accelerate Izmir Programme, which was joined by the Commercialisation Key Expert Gökhan Çelebi. Stating that the applications for the programme will be evaluated based on objective criteria, Çelebi informed the participants about how the entrepreneurial ideas will be conveyed, Pitch-Deck methods, and the financial details and metrics that should be included during the events and investor meetings within the scope of the Programme.
There followed the Izmir NIC Fireside Chat session under the moderation of Özge Özeke, with the participation of ENISOLAR General Manager Enis Fakioglu and Loggma Co-Founder Mustafa Ozan Tuncan. The speakers revisited their experiences in the field of clean energy and the sectoral challenges they have faced. They evaluated the changing sectoral trends and conditions, and compared Turkey’s position with other European and Asian countries in the RE sector. Enis Fakıoğlu stated that they have grown by focusing on opportunities in the field of solar energy and there has been a great increase in solar energy projects in the past 6 years. Pointing out that investment is also an important factor in company growth, Fakıoğlu explained that their companies had been trying to get investment in the past, but as they didn’t manage to receive sufficient support, they grew organically and with their own equity. Fakıoğlu further explained that the access of solar energy panels for domestic use has become widespread, and if quick actions are taken, there can be a great potential in the sector. In order to succeed and grow, the RE innovators and companies should focus on differentiation and innovative solutions in accordance with the needs and demands of the consumers, while constantly following the global trends in the field, concluded Mr. Fakıoğlu.
Loggma Co-Founder Mustafa Ozan Tuncan stated that, as an entrepreneur with experiences in the telecommunication area, the clean energy sector has completely different and dynamic structure compared to the conventional sectors. He pointed out that the global approaches to the solar energy are widely differentiated, he stated that they have developed their companies within the framework of a certain strategy since 2018. Highlighting that one of his most remarkable experiences is that to recognize and understand the demands and trends of the customers in the sector, as each customer has unique demands in this business, the supplier should always keep their services up to date. He then stated that the production of distributed energy systems will become more widespread in an immediate future. Mr. Tuncan went on explaining that concepts such as remote monitoring, control, process optimization and consumption estimation have gained new meanings and importance with digitalization process, he further added that innovative ideas and initiatives will continue to be deemed important in this highly competitive sector. Mustafa Ozan Tuncan concluded his speech by recommending all guests to participate in and experience the application process for Accelerate Izmir programme, regardless of company size or content of their ideas.
Izmir Development Agency, Best for Energy Project Coordinator Hülya Ulusoy and BEST for Energy Project Team Leader Ekin Taşkın had an engaging conversation by sharing information about their Project, programmes and services offered within the Project. In the “Best for Energy – Future of Clean Technology in Izmir” session, the Project Team reiterated that Izmir has a great potential to become the capital of clean energy in Turkey and that they are striving to achieve this goal. The project team stated that they analysed clean energy production processes and the clean energy infrastructure in Izmir, and the city offers unique opportunities for RE innovators. The services and activities offered by project include; Needs Assessment Analysis, Capability Matrix, Advisory and Training Programme, B2B Meetings and Technical Visits, Information and Network Portal for companies. It was emphasized that the Project works in collaboration with universities and institutions throughout the Ideathons, R&D studies and various informative events.
The Project Team, concluded that there are some challenges in terms of human resources, number of patents in the clean energy ecosystem, therefore the project aims to contribute to the potential of Izmir with solution-oriented approaches to overcoming these problems and creating competent human resources.
In the last session, Özge Özeke gave a presentation about “Global Trends and Opportunities in Renewable Energy”. Offering future projections for current trends in renewable energy, Özeke drew attention to the reducing carbon use rates and climate financing on a global scale. Pointing out that instead of traditional and long-distance energy production methods, on-site generation and consumption and distributed systems have become more preferable, Özeke stated that Turkey also has a high potential in this new trend. Pointing out that by 2030, there will be a great financial flow for infrastructure, transforming coal power plants and gradual transition to clean energy in the developing countries, Özge Özeke noted that within the scope of “decarbonization” process, there is a great change and transformation to electric vehicles and other clean energy production systems. She further stated that these changes are being monitored through legislation and sanctions. Emphasizing the importance of processed and meaningful information containing data, Özeke highlighted those new technologies will be integrated into clean energy systems and energy consumption systems of the future.
