Türkiye's First Urban Clean Energy Applications Ideathon was held in İzmir!

Türkiye's first Urban Clean Energy Applications Ideathon was held at Izmir University of Economics between 04 - 05 December to encourage and expand the production and use of clean energy and clean technology.

 

The CASY team won the BEST For City open innovation competition, which was organized within the BEST For Energy Project, which aims to make our country and its nearby geography a production center in the clean energy sector and to enable İzmir to specialize in the clean energy and clean technology sector, with the "Color Of The Wind" Project. At the event, innovative projects were produced to develop and apply clean energy technologies with creative design ideas in the city. With the projects developed, the connection of clean energy transformation with cultural change was also analyzed.

 

On the first day of the event, Bora Cenk ÖZDEMİR from GreenPlatform, Luc Eric KRIEF, Hazar TAHER from New World Wind, and Rasmus Wiinstedt TSCHERNING from Creative Business Network shared with the participants the global developments on Urban Clean Energy Applications.

 

In the open innovation event, the participants worked in teams to produce innovative ideas and practical solutions for 24 hours. Industry companies and academicians contributed to the groups with mentorship support.

 

Energy Industrialists and Businessmen Association (ENSİA) Chairman of the Board Alper KALAYCI, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Climate Change and Environmental Protection Department Chair Şükran NURLU, İzmir Development Agency YDO Coordinator H.İ. Murat CELIK, Prof. Dr. Azize AYOL, Assoc. Dr. Ceylan ÖNER, Assoc. Dr. Onur MENGİ and Assoc. Dr. Fehmi Görkem ÜÇTUĞ evaluated the projects of 15 teams as the jury.

 

The CASY team won the first prize with their “Color of The Wind” project, RE-THOUGHT team won the second prize with their “Material Bank Network” project, and the BIOMC team won the third prize with their “Restore” project.

 

The awards to the winning teams were given from İzmir University of Economics Rector Prof. Dr. Murat AŞKAR, Mayor of Karşıyaka Dr. Cemil TUGAY, and İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Climate Change and Environmental Protection Department Chair Şükran NURLU.

 

Mayor of Karşıyaka Dr. Cemil TUGAY, in his speech, said that urban clean energy applications are opportunities to revitalize the economy at the city-wide and national level, create new jobs and improve the quality of life. He also stated that one of the main goals of Urban Clean Energy Applications is to realize the energy transformation in the cities. At the end of his speech, he thanked all the teams who produced ideas that will contribute to achieving the energy transformation goals of the cities at the Ideathon event organized as part of the Best For Energy Project.

 

Izmir University of Economics Rector Prof. Dr. Murat AŞKAR, in his speech, said that BEST For Energy Project and Creative Economy Research Center presented the BEST For City Ideathon to İzmir before many other cities in the world, with the theme combining clean energy and creative industries. He stated that the most valuable gift of this event was that young people realized the importance of making the best use of the power of cultural economies and creative industries while building the future of clean energy.

 

It is envisaged that the essential socio-ecological transformation for the Green and Blue Growth vision for İzmir determined by the İzmir Development Agency will be possible with applications that integrate clean energy into every aspect of our lives. It is expected that the creative ideas produced at the BEST For City event will enable the first steps for this transformation.