Photo: GE Renewable Energy
After GE Renewable Energy commissioned the first phase of the Karapınar solar power plant, which has a direct current capacity of 267 MW, Kalyon decided to order its equipment for the remaining 1.08 GW of the project.
Turkish company Kalyon started producing electricity at the first phase of its Karapınar solar power plant in June. At 267 MW of direct current capacity, it is already the biggest facility of its kind in the country, but the entire complex will have 1.35 GW when it is finished, which would currently place it in the top ten on a global scale.
GE Renewable Energy, which delivered its FlexInverter technology for the first part, announced it was also hired for the remaining 1.08 GW. The containerized turnkey system comprises an inverter, a medium voltage transformer, optional medium voltage ring main unit or RMU and auxiliary transformer.
Karapınar solar power plant has three parts
Kalyon is producing its own solar panels at a factory in Ankara. The company built it with state support, while the Karapınar project was won in 2017 under Turkey’s Renewable Energy Resources Area (YEKA) scheme. The combined investment is worth USD 1.4 billion. The factory reached an annual capacity of 1.2 GW.
Kalyon’s solar panel factory in Ankara reached an annual capacity of 1.2 GW
Of note, 1.35 GW in direct current (DC) capacity translates to 1 GW in alternating current (AC), which is the maximum that the solar power plant in Konya province south of the capital will be able to deliver to the transmission network.
The deal for GE Renewable Energy, General Electric’s division based in Paris, is split into two phases: the 270 MW Karapınar II-A and the 810 MW Karapınar II-B. All three sites are in the same area.
Localizing production for project
It is the first time that FlexInverter technology was implemented outside of the United States. GE Renewable Energy is responsible for the design, engineering, project management, site management and commissioning.
Turkey is strict in demanding a high share of domestically-made equipment in renewable energy projects. GE Renewable Energy said it would produce some of the elements in the country.
The entire project is scheduled to be completed by December of next year.
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