Established in 1993, Zorlu Enerji is an international integrated energy company based in Türkiye which has more than 30 years of experience in electricity generation and distribution from renewable energy sources, including geothermal, solar, wind, and hydro power. Zorlu Enerji’s total installed capacity is 991 MW. It operates four geothermal power plants, seven hydroelectric power plants, two wind farms and one solar power plant.
Beside these areas, with its ZES brand domestically and Electrip globally, the company aims to accelerate popularisation of electric vehicles and to facilitate the journeys of electric vehicle owners in Turkiye and abroad with several rapid charging stations commissioned in city roads and highways.
Zorlu Enerji has been carrying out R&D projects since 2018 and now it has 10 ongoing funded projects and seven completed projects in cooperation with more than 100 partners from 20 different countries. Digitalisation, O&M optimisation, predictive and preventive maintenance, green hydrogen, lithium extraction, energy storage technologies and CCUS (carbon capture, utilisation, and storage) could be some examples for research areas of R&D projects.
With nearly 30 years of experience across multiple sectors, Zorlu Energy differentiates itself by combining engineering, procurement, construction, operation, maintenance, and repair services. (Image © Zorlu Enerji.)
Role in EOLIAN
Zorlu Enerji is leading the Exploitation activities – IP management task. It is involved in the project with the experience gained from its role as a wind energy producer, investor, and operator.
Zorlu Enerji will provide support to all intellectual property owners as well as potential partners to establish end-to-end supply/value chains and to provide successful technology and knowledge transfer for rapid market acceptance.
What are Zorlu Enerji’s innovation priorities in the wind energy sector?
Zorlu Enerji aims to deliver innovative solutions through optimization, digitalization, hybrid systems, and extensive predictive and preventive maintenance efforts across its renewable energy plants. In the wind energy sector in particular, the company conducts in-depth research in areas such as data transmission, supporting the circular economy through recycling and the development of digital product passports. It continues to expand its areas of interest with new topics every day.
Why did Zorlu decide to join the EOLIAN project?
Zorlu Enerji decided to join the EOLIAN project because it is a company that supports R&D and innovation and strives to closely follow the latest ideas and applications.
The aging of wind power plants indicates a forthcoming increase in turbine blade waste. In line with its environmental responsibility strategies, Zorlu Enerji supports awareness, circularity, and innovative solutions in this area.
What do you see as the main challenges in developing supply chains for new vitrimer composite blades?
The wind farm industry is utilising conventional composite materials. Therefore, it might be hard to convince them about the new material properties of vitrimer composites. Moreover, the price of new vitrimer composite blades might naturally be higher since it would be an early-stage market product.
How can market acceptance of the technologies developed in EOLIAN be accelerated?
At Zorlu Enerji, we recognize that accelerating the market acceptance of innovative technologies is key to ensuring a more sustainable and efficient future for the wind energy sector. Within this scope, the EOLIAN project presents a valuable opportunity, enabling us to both track developments in next generation turbine blade technologies and explore circular economy approaches for managing end-of-life blades.
To accelerate market acceptance of the technologies developed within EOLIAN, it is essential to demonstrate their technical and economic viability through robust pilot implementations, ensure compliance with industry standards, and actively engage key stakeholders across the wind energy value chain. Raising awareness about the environmental and operational benefits of these innovations, supported by transparent data and collaborative industry partnerships, will further enhance confidence and facilitate widespread adoption.
Zorlu Enerji supports the renewable energy transition through its wind power investments. (Image © Zorlu Enerji.)
What does Zorlu hope to have achieved by the end of the project?
Zorlu Enerji is expecting to get the know-how of the project results and disseminate it throughout the wind farm community with its leading role in the renewable energy business.
How does Zorlu plan to use the knowledge gained from EOLIAN?
At Zorlu Enerji, we leverage our extensive experience in operation and maintenance to ensure that wind power plants at mid-life continue to operate at peak efficiency. In doing so, we closely monitor advancements in wind energy technology from the smallest components to entire wind farms. The technology offered by the EOLIAN project enables us not only to stay up to date with innovations in next generation turbine blades, but also to explore sustainable solutions for managing the end-of-life blades currently in our portfolio.
For further information visit the Zorlu Enerji website.
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