Combating Climate Change through TarımGES

Agricultural Solar Power Plants for Climate Change Mitigation Solar energy applications integrated with simultaneous use of agricultural land, known as Agricultural Solar Power Plants (TarımGES), are expected to play a significant role in reducing energy dependence and combating climate change. Solar3GW released its "Turkey Solar Energy Sector: TarımGES" report. According to the report examining the reduction of energy dependence and the impact of climate change on agriculture, Turkey, with a total of 234,000 square kilometers of agricultural land, could generate over 11 gigawatts of power using current technology if solar panels were installed on just one-thousandth of these areas. The report notes that the most rational approach to addressing energy dependence and economic crisis is "maximum production with domestic resources," and Turkey should benefit from TarımGES, which enables this. In this context, TarımGES, an integrated system for simultaneous use of agricultural land with solar energy, saw its global installed capacity grow from 5 megawatts in 2012 to over 14 gigawatts in 2022, with Japan, the leader in this field, implementing over 3,000 projects to date. According to research and development work, hot pepper production tripled in fields where solar plants were installed in the selected geography. In cherry tomato production, water consumption decreased by 65 percent and total production doubled. In TarımGES applications, soil moisture was preserved 15 percent higher during irrigations conducted every two days and 5 percent higher during daily irrigations. Offering greater cost advantages compared to small-scale rooftop solar projects, TarımGES applications allow farmers to reduce self-consumption expenses significantly by selling excess electricity generated in their fields. TarımGES systems, which provide solutions suited to energy transformation in local production-consumption, improve grid efficiency by bringing electricity generation closer to consumption areas and reduce operating costs. Additionally, energy needed for agricultural activities such as irrigation pumps, lighting, and heating can be produced locally at the lowest cost. The report notes that regulations need to be adjusted to enable TarımGES development in Turkey, with urgent land acquisition for TarımGES areas and capacity definition among priority issues.

The application provides innovative solutions for managing depleting resources

Solar3GW Board Chairman Yusuf Bahadır Turhan, commenting on the report, stated that solar power plants built on agricultural land enable both electricity and agricultural production in the same area. Turhan emphasized that TarımGES projects represent an innovative solution for managing depleting resources, saying: "Thanks to new solar power plants built on fields, crops will be protected against intensifying climate conditions and high-yield products will be obtained, while high-cost electricity inputs can be optimized. Moreover, excess electricity generation beyond consumption can be sold to the grid, creating a third income source." Noting that TarımGES can address drought experienced globally and in Turkey as well as increasingly limited arable land, Turhan said: "TarımGES, capable of being implemented differently according to countries' economic policies, will be an important tool in combating climate change. What matters is the country's ability to use this tool correctly in line with national needs, with long-term rational planning." Turhan added: "Solar3GW's slogan of installing at least 3 gigawatts of solar capacity annually, with 1,350 megawatts of that portion meant for land installations as TarımGES applications, means we would be installing systems on just one ten-thousandth of our agricultural land each year. This way, while producing clean and affordable electricity, we provide additional protection to relevant agricultural products against increasingly extreme weather conditions and increase agricultural productivity." Source