Turkey Expands Solar Power Initiative With New Installations

Following the success of its initial two solar power plants, Turkey’s General Directorate of Highways is now setting up its third solar facility and working on three additional projects. Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, announced plans to expand these solar installations nationwide.

The General Directorate of Highways (KGM) launched its first photovoltaic plant in 2017. Pleased with the savings achieved, Uraloğlu pledged to extend the use of such facilities throughout Turkey. He emphasized that photovoltaics are both environmentally friendly and cost-efficient, helping to reduce energy imports.

The Çeşme solar power plant, which has a peak capacity of 1.05 MW and a 990 kW grid connection, has already made a significant impact. Uraloğlu highlighted that the initial plant, located near Izmir, has contributed TRY 43.4 million (EUR 1.21 million) so far. Notably, around 100 kW of this capacity is installed on canopies above a parking area. According to KGM, the total annual output of the plant is 1.5 GWh.