Tayfun Işıkelekoğlu, who is pursuing his master's degree in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Istanbul Technical University, and Batı Eren Ergun, a doctoral student and research assistant in the same department, are working together on a project that will shape the future in the field of sustainable energy technologies. The project, led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Onur Gülbahçe and supported within the scope of TÜBİTAK 3501-Career Development Program, aims to develop a highly efficient, cost-effective and rare earth magnet-free generator architecture for variable speed wind turbines to be used in microgrids.



Tayfun Işıkelekoğlu summarizes his experience in the project with these words: "Thanks to the theoretical background I received at ITU, I was able to better understand the electromagnetic and structural characteristics of the generator. Especially with the contribution of electrical machines and optimization courses, I was actively involved in the design process both analytically and experimentally,".

Batı Eren Ergun adds: "Taking part in the project broadened my perspective on sustainability and domestic production. Working with radial-axial flux topologies and applying multi-objective optimization algorithms allowed me to experience firsthand how theoretical knowledge translates into practice." The radial-axial flux switching generator design developed in the project offers an important alternative in terms of both technical and environmental sustainability. While rare earth elements used in traditional generators create sustainability issues on a global scale due to their high costs and limited supply chains, this project aims to produce solutions that are environmentally friendly and based on domestic production.



Research includes an analytical design process that starts with the establishment of magnetic equivalent circuit models, harmonic suppression applications using the Gray Wolf Optimization Algorithm, and verification stages with finite element analysis (FEA). Thanks to electromagnetic, mechanical and thermal analysis, the performance of the generator is tested holistically. The developed generator architecture will not only contribute to the academic literature, but will also create economic and technological added value by being transformed into prototype production in cooperation with the domestic industry.



This innovative approach will not only contribute to the academic literature but also create economic added value by targeting prototype production in collaboration with the domestic industry. From an environmental point of view, it offers a technology that is more environmentally friendly by reducing the use of rare earth elements.  As ITU, with this project, we are developing an original design with patent potential in the field of electrical machines on the one hand, and on the other hand, we are training our young engineers as well-equipped researchers who produce solutions to the energy problems of the future.