Türkiye is on Tuesday formally opening what is claimed to be Europe’s greatest solar energy plant constructed on a single website and one of many 5 largest on the earth.
Developed by Kalyon Vitality, an affiliate of certainly one of Türkiye’s high conglomerates, Kalyon Holding, the plant within the central province of Konya boasts an put in capability of 1,350 megawatts (MW).
Set to be launched with a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Kalyon Karapınar Photo voltaic Energy Plant guarantees to assist Türkiye curb its huge vitality imports and again its drive to spice up renewable vitality manufacturing that has already been propelled by large-scale photo voltaic and wind energy tenders.
Greater than 3.2 million photo voltaic panels on the facility are to generate 3 million kilowatt-hours of electrical energy yearly, sufficient to supply energy to 2 million folks and forestall using $450 million of fossil gas equal assets.
The $1 billion plant already produces electrical energy and can forestall 1.5 million tons of carbon emissions yearly and improve the share of photo voltaic vitality in Türkiye’s whole vitality manufacturing by 20%.
Kalyon Holding, in August final yr, agreed to promote a 50% stake in Kalyon Vitality to the Abu Dhabi conglomerate Worldwide Holding Co (IHC) for about $490 million. The transaction included the solar energy challenge in Karapınar, along with one other one in Gaziantep area and a wind energy challenge in Ankara.
Kalyon Vitality developed the plant as a part of the nation’s Renewable Vitality Useful resource Zone (YEKA), a authorities initiative to determine renewable amenities in areas with a excessive focus of at the least one renewable vitality supply, akin to wind or solar energy.
YEKA initiatives use investments from native traders and/or consortiums to fabricate tools and assemble large-scale electrical energy technology amenities.
A view of the Kalyon Karapınar Photo voltaic Energy Plan within the central Anatolian province of Konya, Türkiye, March 9, 2023. (AA Picture)
The ability differs from others listed as massive photo voltaic parks in that it’s funded by a gaggle of traders or consortiums somewhat than a single investor.
The plant, whose set up was launched in early 2020, covers an space of 20 million sq. meters and is located in an space with the very best photo voltaic publicity.
The photo voltaic panels within the facility come from Türkiye’s first built-in photo voltaic ingot-wafer-module-cell manufacturing manufacturing unit in Ankara, which was established by Kalyon Photo voltaic Vitality Applied sciences Manufacturing Firm and began manufacturing in August 2020.
Inaugurated in August 2020 by Erdoğan, the Kalyon Photo voltaic Applied sciences Manufacturing unit marks the primary totally built-in photo voltaic panel manufacturing middle to assemble all levels of photo voltaic panel manufacturing, together with analysis and improvement (R&D), beneath a single roof.
Kalyon PV’s yearly 1,000 MW manufacturing capability was elevated from the preliminary 500 MW and is deliberate to be lifted to greater than 2,000 MW by way of a $150 million to $200 million funding.
In recent times, YEKA initiatives have been the primary drivers of development in renewable vitality, each by way of know-how improvement, tools manufacture and electrical energy technology.
Türkiye’s present renewable capability accounts for over half of the nation’s whole put in energy capability, which stood at 104,488 MW by April 7.
After a hydropower capability of round 31,600 MW, wind is the second-biggest renewable supply of electrical energy at 11,490 MW. Solar energy installations reached 9,820 MW in the identical interval.
At the very least 1,000 MW of wind and photo voltaic vitality capability every is predicted to be added to the nation’s renewable portfolio in 2023.
In accordance with the Worldwide Vitality Company (IEA), Türkiye is forecast to see round 64% development in its renewable vitality capability to 90 gigawatts (GW) within the subsequent 5 years, with virtually 75% of this addition being photo voltaic and wind.
The expansion will assist it rank fourth in Europe and among the many 10 greatest renewable markets on the earth.
