Keynote Speaker

Birol Kılkış

Professor

OSTIM Technical University, ASHRAE Fellow, EU ETIP Renewable Heating and Cooling Vice Chair.

Presentation Title:

Maximizing the Solar Exergy Utilization in Prosumer Buildings for Effective Decarbonization

Abstract:

The exergy-based carbon footprint of solar PV, Flat-plate, PVT, advanced PVT, and composite solar air heaters is compared. The exergy-based model introduces a new green building metric known as Exergy Star. The model directly relates exergy destruction to the responsibility for carbon dioxide emissions. The prosumer building is a three-story building designed as an alternative to the TOKI buildings built in the Afşin Elbistan earthquake zone. Results show that advanced solar PVT panels sandwiched with thermoelectric, thermal storage, PV, and flat plate collectors layers render the least carbon dioxide emission responsibility. The composite solar air heater is the next best alternative, but requires forced air heating instead of hydronic heating, which adds operational and investment costs

Biography:

Prof. Dr. Birol Kılkış is a leading academic and international authority in sustainable energy systems, building technologies, and thermodynamic optimization. He is currently a full professor at OSTIM Technical University and serves as a Fellow of ASHRAE—one of the most prestigious recognitions in the field of HVAC and building energy systems. Additionally, he acts as the Vice Chair of the European Technology and Innovation Platform on Renewable Heating and Cooling (EU ETIP RHC), contributing to policy-making and strategic research agendas across the EU.

Prof. Kılkış’s interdisciplinary expertise bridges engineering, sustainability, and system-level modeling. He is widely recognized for his work on exergy-based performance metrics, and his introduction of the Exergy Star concept has been adopted as a benchmark in carbon accountability of renewable systems. His contributions span over decades with impactful publications in solar thermal energy, prosumer buildings, smart cities, and energy transition strategies. Prof. Kılkış also actively consults on national energy strategies, urban decarbonization policies, and academic-industrial collaborative R&D.

Mail: [email protected]