4th of the Battery Technologies & Energy Systems Workshop organized by Aspilsan Enerji A.Ş. in cooperation with Erciyes University  (ERU) Engineering Faculty’s Energy Transition Research and Implementation Center was held on December 19-20, 2019 in Kayseri with the participation of the representatives of the sector in our country, scientists and the significant stakeholders in the eco-system. Held annually by Aspilsan Enerji, first of these traditional workshops was held on December 23, 2016, the second took place on December 21-22, 2017 and the third was held on December 21, 2018.

Enhancing its product range with its recent accomplishments, in addition to its achievements in civilian and military aviation, Aspilsan Enerji has become an enterprise that contributes greatly to Defence Industry with nearly 150 products composed of electronic and optronic systems, battery cells of hand-held/man-pack radios and combat equipment, accumulators, batteries, battery blocks, chargers, and string manipulation designs of the printed circuit board components. As a critical actor in the energy storage industry, Aspilsan Enerji is the only company in our country and one of the few companies in the world that are capable of producing all types of mobile system batteries and energy storage systems as well as helicopter and aircraft accumulators. Categorized as one of the ten research universities of our country by the Council of Higher Education, Erciyes University has been revealing remarkable researches on energy issues. 

A total of six different panels in two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, were held during the event where the recent developments on battery technologies in Turkey and the world were examined, and the latest status of the ongoing activities in various energy storage systems, fuel cells, thermopiles and lithium batteries were discussed. Throughout the Workshop that gathered prominent representatives of major companies in various sectors such as defence, aerospace, rail systems, automotive and telecommunication as well as academicians from leading universities, the following panels were held with the speeches of experts: Technological Developments in Cell Batteries and Storage Batteries, Utilization Areas of Battery Technologies in Defence Platforms, Battery Technologies in Telecommunication, Electronic/Software Systems in Energy Storage, Battery Technologies in Alternative Transport Sector and Battery Technologies in Transport Sector. A report on “Energy Storage: Battery Market and Access to the Market” will be prepared after the evaluation of discussions and recommendations made during the panels. Initially, the academicians who participated in the event will share their studies on “The Developments in Battery Technologies,” and then “The Technology Road Map” will be prepared with the participants. 

Osman COŞKUN - Board Member of the Presidential Science, Technology and Innovation Policies Council (BTYK), Sadık PİYADE – Acting General Manager of the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation (TAFF), Erhan SİPAHİOĞLU – Head of TAFFs Financial Operations and Investments Group, Bedri DURSUN – Aspilsan Enerji’s Vice Chairman of Board, Ferhat ÖZSOY – General Manager of Aspilsan Enerji, Prof. Dr. Recai KILIÇ – Erciyes University Vice-Rector and Chairman of Erciyes Technopark’s Executive Board and many academicians, sector representatives and students attended the workshop held at the Sabancı Cultural Center at Erciyes University. The opening remarks of the Workshop were delivered by Bedri DURSUN – Aspilsan Enerji’s Vice Chairman of Board, Prof. Dr. Recai KILIÇ – Erciyes University Vice-Rector and Sadık PİYADE – Acting General Manager of TAFF. 

Delivering the initial speech of the Workshop, Bedri DURSUN - Aspilsan Enerji’s Vice Chairman of Board pointed to the increasing number of participation in the event and underlined the necessity of the production of advanced technology products in our country for creating high added value in the economy in our times where technology is transparent and accessible for anyone. Mentioning the positive developments towards the production of technological products in Turkey, DURSUN said, “Hopefully, we will be filling the gaps in the sector in a short time, and we will keep up with the times.” Reminding the audience of the increasing requirement for different mobile energy supplies in addition to battery cells and battery technologies in the Defence Industry, DURSUN continued, “For instance super-capacitors, Li-ion capacitors, thermopiles and so forth. Therefore, as the sector, we need to continue and increase our efforts to minimize the foreign dependency by closely following the novelties in the global production technologies regarding battery cells and battery production and their types in various platforms, through the launch of local production and their acquisition to our country’s industry.” Telling that they made their mark on critical and notable projects at the Kayseri R&D Center launched in January 2017, DURSUN added that they have been manufacturing indigenous batteries for Defence Industry and that within this scope, they are carrying out their activities intensively with highly competent engineers presently. In his speech, DURSUN stressed that they launched an activity for the establishment of a new battery factory in Kayseri in 2019 and added, “We will have accomplished the production of the first indigenous and national li-ion battery on account of this factory which we will start to be built in 2020.” Stating that they will be proceeding towards their goals as one of the three enterprises in Turkey having the European Aviation Safety Agency’s Certificate, DURSUN concluded, “In parallel with this development, we will shortly be manufacturing the 100% indigenous aircraft/helicopter accumulator, including the electrode, and availing it to the civil aviation sector as well.” 

ERU Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Recai KILIÇ gave information about their university in his speech. Vice President KILIÇ said, “With its 19 Faculties, 1 Institute, 1 Academy, 2 Vocational Academies and 39 Research and Implementation Centers, our university achieved a potential by being categorized among the medium and large-scale universities. We left 40 years behind and we are about to complete our 41st year. Our total number of students in the levels of Associate’s Degree, Undergraduate Degrees and Ph.D. is 52.000. There are 2.241 academicians in our university and 43 of them are from foreign countries. The number of our existing registered international students is over 2.000. So far, the number of our graduates is 157.000.” 

Acting General Manager of TAFF Sadık PİYADE underlined in his speech that their Foundation, with its 57 companies including the affiliates, was owned by the nation and said, “We are a 32-year old enterprise with a unique mission in Defence Industry. We are collaborating with 18 R&D companies in 14 Technocities. We are working with nearly 6.000 sub-contractors and proud to be a big family with almost 100.000 donators and approximately 20.000 employees. We aim to increase the war power of the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF). This year, the amount we allocate to the TAF Projects reached TL 550 Million. We achieved this hand in hand with our nation. Our donators are our greatest source of income and they are followed by the profit shares we receive from our companies. We transfer these amounts to a pool and then allocate 80% of the amount accumulated at the pool to the projects.”

Stressing the accomplishments of Aspilsan in his speech, PİYADE expressed that the foundation of an ultramodern company that will manufacture lithium batteries will be laid in March 2020 in Kayseri. Telling that Aspilsan will be continuing its production at the new factory to be built in Mimarsinan Organized Industrial Zone, PİYADE continued, “A very favorable location within Mimarsinan Organized Industrial Zone has been allocated to Aspilsan with the support of our Chamber of Industry, Chamber of Commerce and our University. This factory will be built over an indoor area of approximately 25.000 square meters, and we will produce Lithium and battery cells for civil aviation and rail systems. Hopefully, we will hold a groundbreaking ceremony with the participation of our Board of Trustees in March, and we will start production in the spring of 2021. Currently, our Chairman is in Japan and continues his efforts to start this business as soon as possible. On account of this factory, we will be increasing the employment and manufacturing products that will stand out in the energy sector.” Acting General Manager of TAFF TSKGV PİYADE mentioned in one of his previous speeches during his visit to Aspilsan Enerji in November 2019 that production activities were going to be launched at the new factory within two years and added, “Our costs may reach TL 100 Million and even further. We will be employing nearly 100 employees. This figure will reach 250-300 with our staff employed here.” With this factory which will be Turkey’s first Li-Ion Cylindrical Battery Production Plant, Aspilsan Enerji will be fulfilling the battery demands in critical areas while contributing to the indigenization campaign. With this investment, another product in which Turkey has foreign dependency will be manufactured locally. According to open sources, an import bill amounting to US$ 65 Million was issued for batteries merely in 2016.  This facility is aimed to conduct technology-intensive production will have a production capacity of nearly 2 million batteries per year in the beginning. Previously, the launch of the construction of the factory was planned to take place until mid-2019, and according to that schedule, the plant would be installed as of November 2020 and mass production would be launched in March 2021. 

Following the opening remarks, the Workshop continued with the 1st Panel titled “Technological Developments in Cell Batteries and Storage Batteries” that was moderated by Ahmet ALTINAY - Aspilsan Enerji Ankara R&D Manager. Faculty Member of Yalova University’s Department of Polymer Engineering Ozan TOPRAKÇI, Faculty Member at the Department of Chemistry at Akdeniz University Edip BAYRAM, Faculty Member at Medipol University Billur Deniz KARAHAN, Energy Analyst at Shura Energy Transition Center Hasan AKSOY and AVL Turkey’s Battery Systems Team Leader Burak ALİEFENDİOĞLU attended the panel as speakers. 

The second Panel titled “Utilization Areas of Battery Technologies in Defence Platforms” was held at the afternoon session of the first day of the Workshop. Moderated by Murat ALTUĞ - the R&D Program Manager of Aspilsan Enerji, the Vice General Director of Advanced Technologies and Systems Kemal Atılgan TOKER, Aselsan HBT Electronic Design Manager Yalçın AYDIN, FNSS Electric – Electronic Design and Integration Manager Mustafa KANTAR, THY Technic R&D Manager Sedat KARAKAŞ and TUSAŞ UAV Avionics Manager Lütfü AKÇİL attended the panel as speakers. 

You can find our exclusive article about the topics and information shared by the panelists in these two panels in our next issue!