Use of Hydroelectric Power in Sustainable Development of Turkey

Energy is a vital element of development. Clear, reliable, environmental friendly and sustainable energy is a prerequisite for the sustainable development. In recent years, it is known that fossil fuel resources are getting towards to finish and also they cause several environmental problems. Therefore, use of renewable energy sources are becoming a necessity. The hydroelectric power, also called green energy, is among the renewable energy sources although it has some disadvantages. Turkey, which is estimated that has 1% of the world and 16% of Europe total hydroelectric power, has initiated projects in order to benefit from these resources and some of them are completed and started to produce electricity. However, as it is the case for several countries nowadays, Turkey is having problems in producing required electricity. This energy necessity is partly overcome by importing petrol and natural gas. However, being dependent on outside energy resources carries important risks for economic and political development. Therefore, it appears that the best solution to the energy shortage is to maximize the use of renewable energy sources in sustainable ways. Currently, Turkey uses 34% (43 billion kwh) of the economic hydroelectric potential (125 billion kwh). Increasing this to 100% in the near future is quite important in terms of reaching planned development objective