Blockchain use cases for the energy sector: Enerjisa leads Turkey’s first web3 ideathon

Since blockchain technology was first implemented at scale by Bitcoin, there has been many discussions about how it can be used in sectors other than the finance industry. While supply chain, healthcare, energy, and public sectors have all may be affected, there is still little understanding of the implications of this new technology; let alone turning ideas into reality. Enerjisa, the leading energy sector player in Turkey, wanted to shed a light on these discussions and led a web3 ideathon this month to support developers and university blockchain clubs across the country to come up with potential use cases of blockchain in the energy sector.

‍

At Patika.dev, we already have an established partnership with Enerjisa - previously, we worked together to train new data analytics, java and SQL developers, and 70 talents for the energy sector. But this time is different: We came together with Enerjisa, Başlangıç Noktası, Blockchain Turkey and ODTU Blockchain to implement the first web3 ideathon in Turkey focused on blockchain use cases in the energy sector! 

‍

This ideathon was special in several ways: 

1. Most ideathons or hackathons start with inviting people to build ideas and projects in a short amount of time. But, when it comes to blockchain in energy sector, we had to prepare our audience with some pre-training. So, hundreds of people who applied to the program had a chance to learn web3 fundamentals, smart contract development and the business opportunities in the energy industry before the ideathon.
2. Cross-collaboration is needed to understand and address complex issues in the energy sector with novel technology. So, multiple partners took part in the organization - ranging from Başlangıç Noktası, Blockchain Turkey, one of the largest blockchain-focused nonprofits in Turkey with enterprise members, and ODTU Blockchain, one of the most prestigious university clubs. 

Enerjisa is one of the leading energy companies, shaping the adoption of new technologies in Turkey’s energy industry. Web3 is one of these areas and Enerjisa IT & Business Management Department has many initiatives about it. In addition to its own projects, Enerjisa wanted to hear ideas, especially from university students, on how blockchain could be used in the energy sector. These ideas will then be inputs for the official discussions with public institutions since the voice of younger generations is worth listening to!

The ideathon was open to anyone who was interested in the energy sector and wanted to learn more about web3. More than 500 people applied and more than a hundred finished Patika.dev’s 2-week web3 fundamentals training. Out of these, 22 projects were submitted for the ideathon! The projects were mostly related to energy conservation, electric vehicle charging, renewable energy, and energy commerce. 

After the first evaluations, the jury was presented with 10 finalists, which included some really special projects. For example, one group of the finalists was formed by all high school students! The original plan was to award only 3 projects, but at the end 7 projects were awarded - the top 3 places and 4 jury’s special awards! 

The jury consisted of very special people from Turkey’s blockchain and energy sector. Erhan Yıldırım, Erman Taylan, Mehmet Fırat, Dr. Çağla Gül Şenkardeş, İrem Şanal, Av. Dr. Çiğdem Ayözer Öngün, Ezgi Yaltay, Uygun Bodur got together for this ideathon and chose the winners.

‍

‍

Here are the winners and their awards:

1st place: Sauron’un Panelleri 

       Target: It aims to decrease theft and loss with deploying data of renewable sources to the blockchain and distribute energy to the nearest consumer with using the data on the blockchain

       Award: 300 Energy Web Token

2nd place: Tasarruf Zinciri 

       Target: It aims to reward consumers with NFTs when they save energy.

       Award: 200 Energy Web Token

3rd place: En3rgy Blockchain

       Target: It aims to track data of electric vehicles, charge stations’ location and fullness with blockchain technology and reward users with customer loyalty.

       Award: 100 Energy Web Token

Jury’s special awards: Consumpchain II Enerzy II Decentralizing Decarbonization II Tilde 

       Award: 100 Energy Web Token for each

Mehmet Fırat, Enerjisa Head of IT & Digital Business Management said, “At Enerjisa some of our main priorities have always been discovering real world applications of new technologies providing value to the industry, and being the pioneer in digitalization of the sector. From the beginning of ideathon design phase to the end, all partners and participants were so excited to be a part of it. It was such an unforgettable experience for us and we are very happy to see that the young generation is very interested in sustainability, energy conservation, and renewable energy. I now better understand the importance of public and environmental good digitization for them. Thanks to Patika.dev, Başlangıç Noktası, Blackchain Turkey and ODTU Blockchain to be part of this one of a kind experience!” 

While Web3 technology is developing rapidly in the world, we, as Patika.dev and our partners, are so happy to be a part of this experience. In addition to our web3 educational programs, organizing this ideathon has brought many new projects to the sector, which will perhaps turn into products for our daily life one day. 

‍

About Enerjisa

Enerjisa Enerji operates in Turkey’s electricity distribution, retail sales and customer solutions. Reaching a population of 21.9 million with more than 11 thousand employees, the company serves 10.3 million customers within 14 provinces across 3 distribution regions.

‍

About Başlangıç Noktası

Başlangıç Noktası is a young social platform that promises companionship to those who choose to be a part of the solution instead of responding to problems with no solution and who look at the great transformation we are going through with a different lens.

‍

About Blockchain Turkey

Blockchain Turkey Platform (BCTR) was established on the initiative of the Turkish Informatics Foundation (TBV) and is an independent, non-profit organization. The aim of BCTR is to create a healthy blockchain ecosystem in Turkey and, through this system, to secure Turkey’s leadership in its region.

‍

About ODTU Blockchain

ODTU students believe that blockchain technology will shape the future of the world and offer humanity opportunities in various fields. For this reason, they aim for ODTU, which has achieved multiple successes in Turkey and the world, to be a pioneer in blockchain technology worldwide.

‍

About Patika.dev

Launched in March 2022, Patika.dev web3 aims to build one of the most structured onboarding experiences for developers of web3. Working together with leading web3 ecosystems we aim to introduce developers to new technologies and help them launch their projects and careers. More than 10.000 people have onboarded to our web3 programs and more than 400 projects have been submitted so far.

‍