Turkey is planning to set up one of the largest solar power projects in the world.
According to media reports, Turkish ministry of energy and natural resources is planning to launch a tender to set up 1 GW solar power park. The project will be set up at Konya, in central Anatolia.
The solar park is expected to cover 2,000 hectares of land and will generate 17 TWh electricity every year, enough to power 600,000 homes. The first phase of the project is expected to be commissioned in 2018 following which it shall sell electricity through a 15-year power purchase agreement.
Through this project the government is looking to boost the economy as well. The tender is expected to have clauses for use of locally-produced equipment and employment of Turkish personnel.
At present, the largest solar power project operational in Turkey has 18.5 MW capacity (to be increased to 22.5 MW). The project, developed by Tekno Ray Solar and Enerray, is also located in Anatolia region.
Turkey has set a target to acquire 30% of all its electricity needs from renewable energy sources by 2023. The Turkish government is also looking to promoting other renewable energy technologies, with targets to set up 34 GW worth of hydro power, 5 GW worth of solar power, 1 GW worth of geothermal power, and 1 GW worth of biomass-based power capacity, all by 2023.