The number of "solar farms" supported by the state is increasing in southeastern Anatolia, which is known as "the energy valley of Turkey" due to sunshine duration exceeding 3,000 hours a year. Data indicates that the state contributes to the southeast, where the solar energy potential has reached its peak, through various incentive and support programs so that investors can better use the opportunity.
Entrepreneurs place more emphasis on their investments in the renewable energy field in many provinces, especially Şanlıurfa, Gaziantep and Diyarbakır.
Industrialists have built numerous solar power plants, large and small, to turn the region's energy potential into profit in many places.
Power plants, which are gradually seen at the start of each area and which people call a "solar farm," are preparing for the future as a new alternative for farmers who are experiencing problems due to electricity energy problems.
Widespread use of renewable energy sources to reduce Turkey's dependency on foreign energy resources is also promising for the national economy.
A 250 kilowatt solar energy plant installed in an area of 3,000 decares in the Southeastern Anatolia Project's (GAP) International Agricultural Research and Training Center in Diyarbakır and a power plant consisting of 40,000 solar panels in Şanliurfa with an annual energy production capacity of 24 million kilowatts-hour (kWh), the largest investment of the sector in the region, are the most outstanding facilities in this area in Turkey.
Associate Professor Azmi Aktacir from Harran University (HRÜ) Vocational School of Technical Sciences emphasized that solar energy investments in Turkey have been continuously increasing in recent years. Indicating that they have been doing research for years with the cooperation of international organizations regarding the potential of solar energy in the region, Aktacir said the southeastern Anatolia region offers attractive opportunities to entrepreneurs with its high potential.
