This file photo shows an aerial view of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM) complex in the capital Ankara.
The Turkish parliament is moving to cover all of its electricity consumption with renewable energy through a large-scale solar power project in Konya, the country’s agricultural heartland.
The Turkish Grand National Assembly plans to build a 20-megawatt peak-capacity photovoltaic solar power plant on a 300-decare site in Konya. The facility is expected to generate around 36 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to meet the Parliament complex’s current electricity consumption.
A second solar installation is also being built on the complex’s multi-story parking facility. The 472-kilowatt peak-capacity rooftop system is expected to produce approximately 750,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year.
The projects are part of a broader “green transformation” program at the Parliament, which operates on a 450-decare campus in the capital Ankara. The institution has received a Green Certificate for its sustainability efforts.
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş said the institution had saved 2.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, 300,000 cubic meters of natural gas and 20,000 tons of water since June 2023 through conservation measures. He said renewable energy investments were expected to provide an additional economic contribution of 115 million Turkish Liras ($2.3 million) at current values.
The Parliament has also introduced systems to reduce water consumption and reuse resources. Rainwater collected from a large greenhouse and the main building’s roof is filtered and reused for irrigation, while a greywater recycling system supplies water for landscaping and ornamental pools.
Smart irrigation systems equipped with rain sensors have been installed across the complex, at the official residence and at social facilities. The systems automatically stop irrigation when rainfall is detected.
Two composting machines have also been introduced. The machines can turn leftover food into cat and dog food and landscaping waste into fertilizer.
The Parliament plans to complete two additional environmental projects in the coming months.
