The General Directorate of State Hydrotechnical Works (DSI) has commissioned a 1 MW floating solar power plant in Elazig Province in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey. The facility, the first of its kind in Turkey, will feed irrigation from the Keban Reservoir, on which it operates, writes News.ro with reference to Balkan Green Energy News.

The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Ibrahim Yumakli, said that the Kuzova floating solar station will benefit seven villages. This will contribute to the irrigation of 4,783 hectares of agricultural land, he explained. The installation consists of 1,840 solar panels covering 0.6 hectares on the Keban Reservoir in Elazig Province in Eastern Anatolia.

According to the minister, this is the first floating photovoltaic plant in Turkey. According to him, small solar power plants were installed several times on the country’s reservoirs, but the attempts did not yield results.

The State General Directorate of State Hydrotechnical Works (DSI) has installed a new system that has passed production tests. It cost 2.2 million euros. Annual production is estimated at 1.8 GW*h.

The floating solar power plant is combined with a 2 MW installation on land consisting of 5,028 panels on 1.5 hectares, Yumakli said. It will generate 4.2 GWh per year, he added.

Together, the two installations will provide half of the energy needed for Kuzova’s irrigation systems and reduce farmers’ costs by 40%, the minister emphasized. The capacity will be doubled, Yumakly said.

When irrigated areas are at a higher elevation than the reservoir, as in this case, pumping systems increase costs by 40 percent, he noted. Also, given the impact of climate change, Yumakli said, future irrigation systems in Turkey will be closed and use gravity irrigation whenever possible.

Otherwise, floating solar energy technology can be implemented, he said. In addition, it is 10% more efficient than systems installed on land and reduces the need for space on land, the minister also said, Balkan Green Energy News writes, citing News.ro.

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