5/3/2023 | SABAH
Kalyon Karapınar Solar Power Plant, the largest solar power plant in Europe, which was put into service with a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan via live connection, will meet the domestic electricity needs of 2 million people According to Haluk Kalyoncu, the Chairman of Kalyon Enerji, the expansive power plant constructed will play a significant role in offsetting a carbon footprint of 3 million metric tons.
The opening of the Kalyon Karapınar Solar Power Plant, the construction of which started in the Karapınar district of Konya in 2020, was held today with a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan via livestreaming. Haluk Kalyoncu, the Chairman of Kalyon Enerji, noted that the power plant was the largest solar power plant in Europe. Kalyoncu said, "This place sits on a massive land spanning 20 million square meters. Our panels harness energy on both sides. They are purely domestic production. We commissioned the plant with our President. We contributed to the elimination of 3 million metric tons of carbon footprint."
'THESE ARE NOT WHEAT FIELDS, THESE ARE PANELS'
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the grand opening ceremony in Konya's Kılıçaslan Square through livestreaming and drew attention to the importance of the Kalyon Karapınar Solar Power Plant, which he virtually cut the ribbon for. Erdogan said, "Look at what has become of Karapınar. These are not wheat fields. These are all panels. About 12,000 to 13,000 megawatts of energy will be produced here."
EUROPE'S LARGEST POWER PLANT
The installation of Kalyon Karapınar SPP started taking place in January 2020. It was installed within the framework of the Renewable Energy Resource Areas (RERA) project, the decision was made to utilize the land, which had suffered from desertification in the Acıgöl Basin due to unsustainable agricultural practices, climate change, and improper irrigation, as a renewable energy resource area. The 3,256,038 solar panels used in Kalyon Karapınar SPP, one of the largest solar power plants in Europe and among the largest few in the world, were produced in Kalyon PV, the world's first and only fully integrated solar panel factory. The plant utilizes ‘Made in Türkiye' solar panels produced by Kalyon PV with a locality rate of over 80 percent. The power plant, which was built on 20 million square meters of land, equal in size to 2,600 football fields combined, with an investment of US$ 1 billion. With an installed capacity of 1,350 megawatts, the solar power plant produces approximately 3 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, which corresponds to approximately 1 percent of the annual electricity consumed in Türkiye. The power plant, which meets an annual foreign exchange substitution of US$ 450 million, will meet the annual domestic electricity needs of 2 million people. Karapınar SPP will not only prevent annual 2 million metric tons of fossil fuel and carbon emissions, but also increase Türkiye's installed solar energy share alone by 20 percent.
