Electric energy sustainability in the Eastern Balkans

Abstract

After years of military conflict and economic turmoil, the countries of South East Europe now face major challenges in achieving the market reforms necessary to rebuild their economies. A major driver of economy is the energy sector, although high-energy intensities are a burden for the companies and households. An efficient energy sector not only is vital for an economic recovery but also plays an important role to energy transit. The main goal of this work is a comprehensive assessment of electrical sustainability in some countries of South East Europe (Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece) mainly by means of exergy analysis as well as descriptive statistics. Exergy analysis can be used as an energy sustainability indicator and help decision-makers. The concept of exergy, applied to electricity generation efficiency could be a useful tool in the field of energy efficiency. Further implementation of thorough exergy analysis to the countries of Eastern Balkans, would be helpful in improving their electricity generation efficiency.