Uak, a city of 500,000 residents in western Trkiye, is famous for its brightly coloured wool rugs, known as kilims. Once made largely by hand, today the tapestries are created by a battery of machines.
While it is faster than hand-weaving, the equipment has a downside. It is driven by power-hungry electric motors, many of which are decades old and inefficient.
Not only are older electric motors energy inefficient, they are more expensive to run, noisier and more expensive to maintain."
But Berni Yarns Factory, which produces yarn for kilims, is bucking that trend. The company recently replaced 12 of its ageing electric motors, representing 10 per cent of its machines, with energy-efficient models.
Because the plant will be using less power, which is predominantly generated from fossil fuels in Trkiye, the change will help prevent the release of 18 tonnes of planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions a year, said plant manager Mnevver enol. As well, the factory is operating more smoothly, with fewer disruptions from ageing motors breaking down.
This was not just about an economic return for us, says enol. It bought quality, sustainability and continuity.
Energy efficiency efforts like that are expected to be a topic of conversation when leaders gather in Barbados for the 2025 SEforALL Global Forum, co-hosted by the Sustainable Energy for All initiative and the Government of Barbados, led by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley.
The forum comes as climate change impacts accelerate around the world. Government policies now in place could see the world warm by 2.6-3.1C over the course of this century as countries potentially set off a cascade of extreme weather, including droughts, heatwaves and floods. Yet new climate plans due this year offer an opportunity to get on track and create millions of new jobs as the clean energy economy expands.
According to the International Energy Agency, energy efficiency could provide around 40 per cent of the greenhouse gas reductions needed to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
The Berni Yarns Factory project is part of a wider US$33 million initiative, led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Industry and Technology in Trkiye, to promote the uptake of energy-efficient electric motors in Turkish small and medium enterprises. The project, known as TEVMOT, is funded by the Global Environment Facility and implemented with technical assistance from the United Nations Environment Programmes (UNEPs) United for Efficiency (U4E) programme. It has helped replace 363 motors at 48 small businesses across Trkiye. The switch will save about 1.5 gigawatt hours of electricity a year, preventing the release of 685 tonnes of greenhouse gases.
The project has also allocated US$1.2 million to upgrade the motor testing facility of the Trkiye Standards Institute while helping to show smaller businesses how switching to energy-efficient motors can pay for itself.
Not only are older electric motors energy inefficient, they are more expensive to run, noisier and more expensive to maintain, says Patrick Blake, a U4E programme officer. Switching to modern energy-efficient motors offers real savings and cuts down on Trkiyes use of fossil fuels.
Reducing emissions
Trkiye is dependent on imported energy and almost 60 per centof its electricity comes from fossil fuels.
According to the Turkish government, the industrial sector accounts for around 46 per cent of net electricity consumption in Trkiye. Around 70 per cent of this comes from electric motor-driven systems.
U4E data shows that if Trkiye was to replace all its low-efficiency motors with high-efficiency models, it would save between 0.9 and 1.9 terawatt hours of electricity. That would forestall the release of between 500,000 and 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year by 2040, and lower consumer electric bills between US$84 million to US$166 million annually.
The potential savings energy-efficient motors can make is huge, said Blake, Motors have a key part to play by driving down emissions through efficiency.
The switch to energy-efficient motors would help Trkiye to meet its commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2053. Blake said that in the next 20 years the number of motors in the country will double, resulting in the need for new power plants if energy efficient motors are not used.
The message of efficiency and sustainability was echoed by Ltfi Tura Uysun, Energy Manager of the Organized Industrial Zone Directorate of Uak.
By using new-generation, energy-efficient motors, a company saves on electricity costs, he said. It also has an impact on the environment. As electricity costs decrease, there is a decrease in the carbon footprint of the company.
The Sectoral Solution to the climate crisis
UNEP is at the forefront of supporting the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global temperature rise well below 2C, and aiming for 1.5C, compared to pre-industrial levels. To do this, UNEP has developed theSectoral Solution, a roadmap to reducing emissions across sectors in line with the Paris Agreement commitments and in pursuit of climate stability. The six sectors identified are: energy; industry; agriculture and food; forests and land use; transport; and buildings and cities.
The TEVMOT project is implemented by Trkiyes Directorate General of Strategic Research and Productivity under the Ministry of Industry and Technology and UNDP in collaboration with UNEP. Funding is from the Global Environment Facility in parallel with the Ministry of Industry and Technology.
