Turkey started construction of its first solar module plant
Turkey has marked the end of this year by laying the groundwork for the Renewable Energy Resource Zone (YEKA), the country’s first photovoltaic cell and solar module plant. It should decrease country’s dependency on external energy resources. Commercial operations are expected in the first half of 2019. The Renewable Energy Resource Zone (YEKA) will have the capacity […]
Turkish Zorlu Energy, US First Solar looking to build solar panel plant in Turkey
Turkish power company Zorlu Energy Group is negotiating with the US company First Solar on the construction of a solar panel factory in Turkey. Zorlu Energy Group President Sinan Ak told Turkish media that First Solar wants his company to take over solar panel distribution in 26 countries before committing to the construction of the […]
Kalyon-Hanwha consortium set to build first solar panel factory in Turkey
A consortium composed of Turkish Kalyon and South Korean Hanwha is set to build the first solar panel factory in Turkey. The factory will be built in an industrial zone in Ankara. In March, Kalyon-Hanhwa consortium won a tender for construction of 1 GW solar power plant under the Renewable Energy Resource Area (YEKA) scheme […]
Upsolar to supply Turkish Hilvan solar plant with PV modules
International company Upsolar won a contract to supply Hilvan solar plant in Turkey with PV panels. The plant will have 23.6 MW installed power and will annually make enough energy to meet the needs of 17,500 households in the region, said Upsolar in a press release. Construction on the Hilvan Enerji plant will begin within […]
Small is not (always) beautiful: small hydro development in the Western Balkans
By Igor Vejnović, Hydropower Policy Officer, CEE Bankwatch Network It has long been recognized that the human and environmental costs of large dams are extremely high — just recently the failure of the overflow channels at the Oroville dam, California, almost triggered a tragedy. Across the Balkans, however, instead of coming up with genuinely new ideas, […]
First ELEN charger for electric vehicles installed in Rijeka
Croatian national energy company Hrvatska elektroprivreda (HEP) installed the first ELEN charger for electric vehicles in the city of Rijeka. It allows simultaneous charging of two cars, and the charging time is between one and four hours. Using the ELEN charger in Rijeka is free of charge, but requires RFID identification card, which owners of […]
GS-Solar plans to build a panel factory in Bulgaria
Chinese solar panel manufacturer GS-Solar plans to invest in a new manufacturing plant in Bulgaria, the government in Sofia announced. GS-Solar CEO Chao Hui Lin met with prime minister Boyko Borissov and his deputy Tomislav Donchev in Sofia to discuss investment opportunities, the Bulgarian media reported. GS-Solar produces thin film solar modules based on amorphous […]
Turkey to reach 1% solar power share by year’s end
Turkey aims to reach 2,000 megawatts (MW) in installed solar capacities during 2017, according to the head of the country’s renewable energy authority. Turkey has only recently entered the solar power market “game”, said Özgür Can, the general manager of the General Directorate of Renewable Energy (YEGM). “However it is an important and attractive market, […]