World’s Largest Rooftop Solar Power Plant Launched in Turkey

Huawei and Tosyali Holding have launched the world’s largest rooftop solar power project in the Osmaniye Province of Turkey, an official statement said. Huawei is a Chinese technology giant and Tosyali is a steel manufacturer based in Turkey.

The total investment made by the companies will come up to $71 million, said the statement. The project involves the building of a solar photovoltaic system at an existing plant of Tosyali in the Mediterranean province.

The companies state that the rooftop solar PV system will have smart solar inverters supplied by Huawei and combed onto the system by SolarAPEX – one of the leading solar power installers in Turkey.

Fuat Tosyali, chairperson of Tosyali, said that the rooftop project is planned to be completed by 2023, with a total installed power of 140 MW, and the project will help cut carbon emissions from steel production in Turkey by 116,525 metric tonnes every year.

SolarAPEX General Manager Fatih Dogan, who also happens to be the Executive Director of the project, said, “At a time when the effects of climate change are felt intensely, Tosyali Holding will produce the greenest steel in the world with this project.”

“As a corporate citizen of Turkey, we do our best for green transformation and contribute to our country’s zero-carbon target,” said Jing Li, General Manager, Huawei Turkey. This year marks Huawei’s 20th anniversary in Turkey. Li opined on the occasion that the national branch has created a strong corporate structure by supporting the development of information technologies and green energy in Turkey.

RE Trajectory of Turkey

Turkey imports almost all of its oil and other energy resources that have burdened the economy for long. Hence, it wants to speedily increase renewables’ share in the fulfilment of its energy needs. Energy and Natural Resources Ministry data reveals that at present, Turkey has more than 7,800 MW energy coming from solar power sources.

In 2021 alone, 1,149 MW of solar power was added to the national energy basket. The International Energy Agency believes that Turkey will witness its RE capacity expand by more than 50% by 2026. IEA says that solar will account for about 80% of the total RE growth.