AHMET LOKURLU "We use too much energy per capita. And the energy efficiencies are terrible. We need intelligent solutions and the best solution is the use of renewable energies."

COMMENTARY As the world searches for a clean and inexhaustible solution to its energy needs, a Turkish engineer now based in Germany, has pioneered one unusual answer: air-conditioning from the sun.

Ahmet Lokurlu's system is emission-free and uses heat absorption to provide chilled water from sun-heated steam.

Euronews met Dr. Lokurlu in Gebze, Turkey where his Solitem system is in operation

AHMET LOKURLU "In this case you can concentrate the solar radiation through the parabolic geometry of the system. You can produce hot water or steam."

INTERVIEWER "How do you convert the steam into coolness?"

AHMET LOKURLU "You have to use the steam in a double effect absorption chiller which is able to convert the energy into chilled water - at a temperature of 6 to 8 degrees Celsius."

"In the beginning as a young scientist I was fascinated by the idea of using solar energy to produce cooling. I began to develop a system which combined solar with conventional technologies -absorption chilling.Of course, it's a quite different technology. Investment costs are not as high as photo-voltaic and efficiencies are much higher than photo-voltaic. This technology is already competitive in some places, such as Mediterranean countries."

INTERVIEWER "Air conditioning takes up quite a bit of power."

AHMET LOKURLU "For example, in the United Arab Emirates, they use more than 80% of energy for airconditioning and cooling processes. And the rest for desalination - fresh water production from sea water."

"In Mediterranean countries for example, in the summer they use more than 50% to 60% of electricity for airconditioning."

"We are at the beginning of the development of these technologies and the efficiency is not so high. The future option should be, yes, renewable, but at the moment we have to use a mixture of conventional combined with renewable."

AHMET LOKURLU "You could cool with this collector field more than 2,000 square metres of surface area. That means almost 20 rooms. Let's say 5 or 6 houses for example."

"It's really a cool idea."

INTERVIEWER "Governments are going to be facing some unpalatable choices. What can we do to encourage them?"

AHMET LOKURLU "At the beginning of the development of a new idea you need support, you need money, you need to develop the systems. And in this phase, especially for start-up companies, for research facilities and so on it's very, very important to be supported."

INTERVIEWER "China is building a number of fossil fuel power plants, what would you say to them?"

AHMET LOKURLU "It's impossible to have so much energy devoted just to China. Today our oil consumption is 84 billion barrels a day. China is going to use so much energy in the next 10 years - it's impossible, we don't have enough resources. We have very, very limited energy resources - gas and oil will last 40 to 60 years, coal will last perhaps for 150 to 200 years. That's all! Energy consumption is increasing. Solar energy is not a luxury, it's essential to develop these systems. I am very optimistic that in 10 or 15 years time we will have gone a long way - not just in Germany, not just in Europe, but world-wide."

INTERVIEWER "What's your vision for the future?"

AHMET LOKURLU "My vision for the future is that we must change our behaviour regarding energy consumption. We consume a lot of energy and with terribly efficiencies. We have to improve the efficiency on one hand, on the other hand we have to save energy and we have to increase renewable energies."

"In solar rich countries you can use more solar energy, in other countries wind energy, in others biomass and so on.

"We have no unique solution for every country, we have a mixture. But the future must be renewable."