OBSERVATIONAL CASE STUDY: BIOENERGY GENERATION FROM BANANA FARM RESIDUALS IN ALANYA, TURKEY

Fossil fuels have been used as its primary source of energy in the world. This unsustainable energy source is not going to last long. A gradual shift towards green energy should be practiced. In Turkey, even though fossil fuels are used as a primary energy source, renewable energies such as hydro, solar, wind power and biomass have been gaining popularity because of implementation of energy policies and greater understanding on the importance of the green energy usage. Turkey has sustainable agriculture and forestry applications, however, it is still slow and didn't catch up with current trend of sustainability. In the southern part of Turkey, especially in Antalya some of the local agricultural applications are improving. These agricultural practices have possibility to provide a feedstock for energy generation, locally. However, new sources should be sought after to avoid the over dependency on a single source. Hence, other agriculture biomass should be considered such as banana plant biomass which is mainly produced in Alanya, Gazipasa province of Antalya, and Anamur, province of Mersin in Turkey. The banana plant is chosen as the subject of this study due to its availability, high growth rates, carbon neutrality and the fact that it bears fruit only once in a lifetime. This observational case study will explain the potential of banana farm residuals as a new biomass source in Alanya for biogas co-generation in a sustainable way. Banana biomass is feasible as a source of renewable energy in Alanya for local community and also other similar cities in Turkey.