Solar Cities as a Model in the Utilization of Renewable Energy Sources: The Case of Manisa

*Ece Özmen, Tugberk Özmen and Funda Yirmibeşoğlu* 

#### **Abstract**

Population growth and a growing number of activities on sectoral basis increase the need for electricity. The use of non-renewable energy sources and the increase in greenhouse gas emissions cause global warming. Solar cities can be defined as a strategic planning and management model for dynamic cities and communities with the utilization of renewable energy sources, targets, and designs which reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, especially in the use of solar energy systems. In addition, published mainly in the tenth development plan and revealed policies for the use of energy resources in many reports will be enhanced the quality of life and greenhouse gas producing policies on climate change to reduce emissions of Turkey. In this chapter, a model for the selected city of Manisa has been prepared to create the solar city, and suggestions are given to different sectors about how to utilize it. On the other hand, mathematical calculations were made for three building blocks with different population densities in the central districts of Manisa. As a result, the solar city model for Manisa will contribute to the development of Manisa and this model, which will be locally utilized, will contribute to the reduction of negative impacts caused by global climate change.

**Keywords:** energy, renewable energy, solar energy, solar city, Manisa, solar application

#### **1. Introduction**

 Energy is one of the basic sources that human beings need to sustain their existence. The demand for energy is increasing day by day due to the increase in population in the world. Increasing demand for energy brings about an increase in energy production. Many countries in the world like Turkey use non-renewable energy sources to meet most of their energy needs. Generation of electricity by using non-renewable energy sources causes environmental problems. Long-term environmental problems such as dependence on non-renewable energy sources, global climate change, and increasing urbanization have become important issues to be addressed worldwide [1]. It has been accepted all over the world that the need for transition to the utilization of renewable energy is an undeniable reality.

 Utilizing from renewable energy sources has become the intersection of energy planning and urban planning as a more reliable solution for cities in the world [2]. Governments and municipalities have started to change their energy policies with

#### *ISBS 2019 - 4th International Sustainable Buildings Symposium*

the expansion of the use of solar energy, which is one of the renewable energy sources. Cities are the places where energy consumption is high, mostly nonrenewable energy sources are used and thus greenhouse gases are emitted in large quantities. Nevertheless, cities can address these problems through better design and planning, improve the quality of life, and strengthen the local and regional economies through the use of renewable energy resources and offer opportunities for solutions [1].

 The concept of solar city basically means integration of renewable energy sources into cities. Solar cities need planning and management arrangements to deal with large-scale environmental changes such as the use of energy resources and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The main objective is to encourage local governments to use renewable energy technologies and implement energy efficiency practices. However, the contribution of local governments, entrepreneurs,


#### **Table 1.**

*Components of solar city model.* 


#### **Table 2.**

*Common basic targets of all solar cities.* 

*Solar Cities as a Model in the Utilization of Renewable Energy Sources: The Case of Manisa DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836* 

and even people living in the city has an important role in implementing and sustaining solar cities [3]. When creating a solar city model, there are some components to consider and they are listed in **Table 1**.

 Solar cities include various initiatives, activities, and technologies like renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable transportation options, and architectural innovations. The first step to create a solar city is to set goals for the program. If a government and/or a local government aims to create a solar city, they may vary the policies to be applied. Many cities around the world continue to produce policies in order to get the title of the solar city at different target values. But there is a common basic target of all solar cities (**Table 2**). These main objectives are reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ecological footprints, protecting and renewing water and food sources, reducing the effects of exposure to unexpected weather events, and eliminating other features of climate change. Another basic goal is to provide a more sustainable environment for the development and management of buildings, infrastructures and land-use arrangements [4].

#### **2. Turkey's approach to renewable energy**

 Turkey is among the developing countries of growing economic structure, and its growing population leads to increase in energy requirement. As being one of the countries dependent on imported energy sources, Turkey is working on how to diversify energy sources and improve energy efficiency to meet the growing need for energy [5]. Turkey has signed the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 in order to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to prevent global climate change in the world in accordance with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Countries that have signed the Kyoto protocol are obliged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by considering their targets.

Turkey has a great potential in terms of renewable energy sources. To promote energy efficiency and thus to be a country offering a high quality of life, Turkey aims to increase the utilization of clean and renewable energy sources and to integrate climate change policies with development policies. Producing policies on climate change to reduce carbon emissions and to improve the quality of life in Turkey, published mainly in the tenth development plan, has revealed the importance of the issue in several reports. Turkey is among the goals thanks to renewable energy sources by 2023, there are at least 30% of the total electrical energy to meet the demand. However, it is aimed that 10% of the needs in the transportation sector will be covered by renewable energy sources [5]. At the same time, it encourages energy production based on renewable energy as an alternative solution for a better evaluation of its potential, for preventing risks arising from energy dependence and for sustainability in energy [5]. Turkey has increased its installed capacity in renewable energy sources with the support of the laws and regulations issued in recent years has been almost non-renewable energy sources closer to the share of this share (**Figure 1**).

The main renewable energy source is solar energy. And the potential of solar energy varies by location. Turkey has a great solar energy potential in terms of its location compared with many European countries (**Figure 2**). This potential, as well as in terms of the potential of solar energy in Manisa is situated in the average in Turkey. This situation plays an important role in renewable energy source preferences.

The main reasons for the investments made in the field of renewable energies in our country are the laws and regulations. In this way, the number and installed capacity of power plants which produce electricity from solar energy is increasing

#### *ISBS 2019 - 4th International Sustainable Buildings Symposium*

**Figure 1.** 

*Total installed capacity (MW), Turkey [6].* 

**Figure 2.**  *Solar energy potential of Turkey and Manisa [7, 8].* 

 day by day. One of the factors in this increase is incentives and the grant systems in Turkey. Investments in the field of renewable energies in our country have provided a 10-year energy purchase guarantee. In this regard, investors are making money by selling the electricity they produce to the grid. In addition, additional incentives are provided if the elements used in power plants are domestic products. On the other hand, some ministries and development agencies in our country also provide various grants to individuals and organizations who want to invest in renewable energies.

Turkey is followed by supportive policies on energy efficiency in buildings. In particular, it supports the production of building materials that contribute to energy efficiency together with industry collaborations. In addition, Energy Identity Certificate is working for the application in existing buildings in Turkey. In this way, both energy and heat efficiency are encouraged in buildings [9]. Considering all these approaches, Turkey has demonstrated a supportive attitude towards the solar city model. Thanks to the policies implemented in Manisa of Turkey, it becomes more possible to accomplish a solar city model in the city.

*Solar Cities as a Model in the Utilization of Renewable Energy Sources: The Case of Manisa DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836* 

#### **3. A solar city model for Manisa**

 Manisa is located in the TR33 region in Turkey. Manisa is a city which has both disadvantages and advantages with it being located in İzmir hinterland and it can develop itself with its agricultural qualities and advanced technology (**Figure 3**). According to the population projections prepared for Manisa, the population size of Manisa is estimated to be approximately 2,334,237 in 2025 in İzmir-Manisa Environmental Plan with 1/100,000 scale [10]. Approximately 69% of the population envisaged in 2025 will live in urban areas and 31% of the population will live in rural areas [9]. When the population projections are analyzed, Manisa is one of the cities where there is an increase in energy demand.

Considering agricultural production, productivity, and value rankings in Turkey, Manisa is in the first place and it is an important agricultural city. It is in the 5th rank in the country in terms of animal production, the 3rd rank in fruit production, and in the 6th rank in agricultural production value. When data from 2017 are analyzed, Manisa is in the 1st rank in producing dried seedless grapes in Turkey. Also Manisa is in the 3rd place in the ranking of organic agricultural production in Turkey [11]. The agricultural sector in Manisa continues to have a high added value. Access to healthy food is possible in Manisa, where agriculture is carried out in all districts. Although irrigation practices in the agricultural sector bring about the need for energy, it is possible to get the drip irrigation by means of solar energy by applying technological methods.

The reasons for choosing Manisa as a solar city are:


**Figure 3.**  *Map of Manisa.* 


#### **3.1 Solar city Manisa**

The implementation of different investment and support systems in the National Regional Development Strategy and the rates of support varying according to the income levels in the region have been identified [13]. The TR33 region, where Manisa is located, is also defined as the middle high income region. Increasing sectoral diversity, creating new employment areas, and developing an entrepreneurship environment and culture will be ensured in middle high income regions. With the improvement of the infrastructure of the cities, the attractiveness of these regions in terms of living and investment conditions will be increased. When it is examined in terms of energy sources, it is seen that the potential of different renewable energy sources is high. Manisa province is examined in terms of its natural resources and is located on fertile agricultural lands. In addition, the industry is developing year by


**Table 3.** 

*Evaluations for Manisa in terms of compatibility with solar city common criteria.* 

**Figure 4.**  *Components of solar city model of Manisa.* 

#### *Solar Cities as a Model in the Utilization of Renewable Energy Sources: The Case of Manisa DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836*

 year. Considering these situations, it is foreseen that the population will increase in Manisa, the energy demand will increase and the air, water, and soil pollution will increase depending on the population, industry and even agriculture.

 Solar cities are possible with planning and management of planned environments. Planning studies such as planning the use of renewable energy sources and integrating land use should be carried out. As in other solar cities, Manisa will be able to fulfill the solar city criteria as a result of its local features. Manisa is evaluated in **Table 3** in terms of the compatibility with the solar city common criteria. Accordingly, it has an application strategy for all criteria except for the production of heated water with solar energy.

Many of the steps will be taken in support of creating healthier environments such as low-carbon emissions and energy-efficient buildings. Solar cities, which address issues such as healthier food access, technological infrastructure, advanced industry, and sustainable employment, also include guiding targets and strategic steps for Manisa. Considering all these reasons, the solar city model was created by combining clean energy, smart industry, planned environment, and ecological agriculture components in Manisa (**Figure 4**). In order for these important sectors to work together, the criteria of the solar city must be taken into consideration.

 The use of renewable energy sources and technological and environmentally sensitive industrial infrastructure are supported. The importance of agriculture in Manisa is an undeniable fact. In addition to ecological agriculture, eco-cultural agriculture should be supported and a planned environment should be established by planning for a clean and sustainable environment. Energy efficient buildings and sustainable transportation solutions are also included in the solar city model literature. Besides the objectives required by the literature in Manisa, carbon dioxide emissions will decrease as a result of the projects to be implemented. Manisa solar city model that will set an example for other residential areas in Turkey will bring global impacts occur in the long term with the local strategies (**Table 4**).


#### **Table 4.**

*Key strategies and application projects of solar city model of Manisa.* 

#### **3.2 Application on the basis of building blocks**

In this chapter, three sample building blocks are selected according to Manisa solar city model. The areas of the building blocks are approximately equal and 1 hectares. These three building blocks, which are different in terms of population density, are classified as less dense, medium dense, and high dense. The electricity consumption of Manisa province in the commercial and residential buildings in 2017 was 2,103,304,070 kWh. Annual electricity consumption per capita is calculated as 1488.49 kWh/person by dividing the amount of electricity consumption by 1,413,041 people, which is the total of commercial and residential population.

 The number of flats in the selected three building blocks and then the number of flats on the floors were determined and the number of flats with the average household size taken from the TUIK data was multiplied. Thus, the total number of people for the dwellings in the building blocks was found. The total amount of annual electricity consumption per capita and the total number of people in the building block have been multiplied and the total annual electricity demand for that building block is determined.

The roof surface areas of the houses located on the building blocks were calculated by NETCAD program. Since the structures such as antenna, chimney, and elevator room on the roofs are constraints for the installation of a photovoltaic panel, an approximation was made in the calculation of the roof usage area. When this approximation was made, the surface areas of the roofs were multiplied by a factor of 39% to obtain the available roof surface area [14].

 In this study, a 260 W photovoltaic panel was taken as a reference. The surface area of this selected panel is approximately 1626 mm2 . It is assumed that the roofs are suitable for the panel placement slope and that the photovoltaic panels will be mounted directly to the floor. The total roof usage surface area is/was divided into the surface area of a photovoltaic panel to calculate the number of photovoltaic panels to be installed on each roof. Based on the installed capacity of the photovoltaic panels on the roofs of the houses, the simulation of electricity generation in the PVsyst program was made.

**Figure 5.**  *First building block which has less density.* 

#### *Solar Cities as a Model in the Utilization of Renewable Energy Sources: The Case of Manisa DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836*

The building block given in **Figure 5** is less dense in terms of population, and the available roof surface area is 1013 m2 . It is estimated that a total of 162,042 kW photovoltaic system will be installed on this area. The annual electricity generation amount to be obtained from the first building block is calculated as 242,000 kWh. It is assumed that approximately 110 people live on this building block, and the annual energy consumption is estimated to be 16,3734.41 kWh. When the estimated amount of electricity consumption due to the population in the building block compared with the amount of electricity generation by photovoltaic system, it is seen that the entire consumption can be met by the photovoltaic system.

The same process was carried out for the second and third building blocks. The population of the second building block which is given in **Figure 6** was calculated as 215 people and the annual estimated electricity consumption was calculated as 32,0026.36 kWh. The available roof surface area of these buildings is 1179 m2 and the annual electricity generation by the photovoltaic system is calculated as 282,000 kWh. Accordingly, 88% of the annual electricity demand can be met by the photovoltaic system to be installed on the roofs of the houses on the second building block.

**Figure 6.**  *Second building block which has medium density.* 

**Figure 7.**  *Third building block which has high density.* 

The available roof surface area on the third building block, which is meticulously chosen in terms of population density, is 1331 m2 and its annual electricity consumption is estimated to be 732,339,40 kWh (**Figure 7**). The annual electricity generation that can be obtained with the photovoltaic system to be installed on 1331 m2 of available roof surface is calculated as 318,000 kWh. The amount of annual electricity generated by the photovoltaic system meets the 45% of the total electricity consumption per year.

#### **4. Conclusion and evaluation**

Urbanization and economic development are reasons for the rapid increase in energy demand in urban areas as in the world. Due to the greenhouse gases emitted by the non-renewable energy sources and their limited life span, energy systems are transformed. Transformation in energy systems is possible with the increase in the utilization of renewable energy sources. The total installed capacity of the facilities, which are connected to renewable energy sources, especially to solar and wind energy, is increasing every year. Solar energy is one of the renewable energy sources. One of the ways to achieve transformation in energy systems can be the more widespread use of solar energy and the transformation of more cities into solar cities. As a result of all these approaches, it is preparing the ground for the application of solar city model in our country. The concept of solar city can be defined as a new strategic planning process and a management model for urban communities, with renewable energy use at the forefront, targets, and designs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In the solar city model, there are some criteria applied according to the targets. Although the target criteria are different from country to country, the criteria evaluated to achieve the goals are similar. Utilization of renewable energy sources, reduction of carbon dioxide emissions to certain levels or to zero, thermal and electrical utilization of sunlight, sustainability in transportation, whether energy efficiency in buildings are the main criteria for creating solar city. Solar cities are possible with planning and management of planned environments. Planning studies such as planning the use of renewable energy resources and integrating land use should be done. Many of the steps will be taken support the creation of healthier environments such as low-carbon emissions and energy-efficient buildings. Solar cities, which address issues such as healthier food access, technological infrastructure, advanced industry, and sustainable employment, also include guiding targets and strategic steps for Manisa.

 Manisa is located in the Aegean Coast in the western part of Turkey. In Manisa, where both the industry and the agricultural sector are at the forefront, the population and energy needs are increasing every year. In addition to existing energy resources, Manisa has a high potential in terms of renewable energy sources and tries to produce solutions for environmental pollution. Manisa is one of the main cities to which Turkey's 2023 target to meet 30% of energy consumption from renewable energy sources will contribute. In Manisa, which is annually invested in to generate electricity from geothermal and wind energy as well as from solar energy, the dissemination of renewable energy is also encouraged.

Turkey's policy on the form as well as the Department of Energy's energy efficiency and climate change policy leads to creating a potential to transform many cities of Turkey into solar cities. In addition, the fact that Manisa has high-potential renewable energy sources and the population is increasing indicates the necessity of energy and urban planning.

While creating a solar city model in Manisa, solar city models created in the world have been considered. However, Manisa has developed important *Solar Cities as a Model in the Utilization of Renewable Energy Sources: The Case of Manisa DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836* 

transportation axes due to its current situation in terms of agriculture and industrial sector. In a multi-dimensional approach, according the solar city model; the existence of fertile agricultural lands in Manisa made it necessary to emphasize the issue of agriculture. Clean energy, intelligent industry, ecological agriculture, and planned environment are based on the basics of Manisa solar city model.

The use of solar energy in solar cities is among the main targets. The amount of electricity per capita in Manisa is calculated and it can be determined how much electricity the population living in each building block may need. In this context, the benefits of the use of solar energy have been tested on the blocks of three different densities selected from the districts of the central districts of Manisa, Yunusemre, and Şehzadeler. According to these simulations:


Finally, the solar city model for Manisa will contribute to the development of Manisa. Moreover, this movement, locally started, will contribute to the reduction of negative impacts caused by global climate change. If the model is applied in Turkey, it is expected to be the first. The amount of solar energy produced based on the building blocks will be an example for the use of electricity generated from solar energy in urban areas in order to meet the electricity demand per capita in Manisa.

#### **Author details**

Ece Özmen1 , Tugberk Özmen<sup>2</sup> \* and Funda Yirmibeşoğlu1

1 Department of Urban and Regional Planning, İstanbul Technical University, İstanbul, Turkey

2 Vocational School of Manisa Technical Sciences, Manisa Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey

\*Address all correspondence to: tugberk.ozmen@cbu.edu.tr

© 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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#### **Chapter 34**
