26/01/2023 – The city has a climate that is good for agriculture: one fifth of Turkey’s fruit and vegetable exports and more than 30% of its greenhouse areas come from just this one region.
As part of the EU project MAtchUP, a 5-megawatt solar power plant was constructed on a 100,000m2 site near Dağbeli, which is only a short drive from the city, to help meet the energy need.
Embodying Antalya’s environmental approach, for the first time the city’s municipality has installed other solutions in a public building, such as smart air-conditioning, a LED lighting system and a large solar park on its roof. The goal is to meet some of the building’s electricity demand and to charge the city’s fleets of e-cars and e-scooters.
Additionally, Antalya has begun electrifying its public transportation system. In the coming years, the city wants to rapidly increase the number of its electric buses from two to twenty. A large, bike- and pedestrian-friendly corridor that will soon cross the Kepez Santral district, will help reduce pollution too. New, energy-efficient buildings for 80,000 people are being built to replace an outdated neighbourhood that was prone to earthquakes.
As greener energy is one of the main goals of Antalya and the MAtchUP project, many of these solutions will be soon replicated. For instance, the construction of a similar solar power plant, aimed at supporting local agriculture and residents, will begin next year in the east of the city.
VNR recorded by journalist Diego Giuliani
