Turkey's new regulation structure for grid-connected household solar panels will streamline installations, offer tax exemptions as an incentive, and will allow households to sell back electricity to electricity distribution companies, the head of the Turkish section of Solar Energy Society said on Monday.
When Anadolu Agency's energy desk hosted the head of the Turkish section of Solar Energy Society Kutay Kaleli on Monday, he said that a 10-kilowatt photovolaic roof system in Turkey would cost around $10,000.
The new draft legislation is currently on the Parliament's agenda awaiting approval.
Kaleli explained that the new regulation would ensure less red tape in the installation of solar panels with a maximum capacity of 10 kilowatts.
'The cost of a roof system of 10 kilowatts amounts to around $10 thousand. So in today's currencies, it looks like a figure of between 35 thousand and 40 thousand Turkish liras,' he explained, adding that the cost would vary depending on roof conditions.
He said that when a solar panel of less than 10 kilowatts is integrated into a roof, individuals are subject to tax exemptions.
Therefore, individuals will not be subject to paying either income tax or corporate tax, which ranges from 20 to 35 percent, he explained.
According to Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority's (EMRA) new legislation, electricity distribution companies will administer new customers applications for installation procedures.
When applications are submitted for up to 3 kilowatts of solar capacity, and are found to comply with regulations, these electricity distribution companies are obliged to approve the installations. If the capacity is between 3 KW and 10 KW, the distribution company will reply depending on the availability of the distributing transformer capacity.
As part of the country's policy to diversify towards renewable sources, Turkey's Renewable Energy Resource Zone Project (YEKA) inaugurated Turkey's first integrated solar module, cell and panel production factory at a ground-breaking ceremony in the capital Ankara in December.
He also highlighted that Turkey reached 3,500 megawatts of installed capacity in solar energy, out of which 3,450 of megawatts is unlicensed.
He affirmed that a target of 10,000 megawatts could be easily reached in 2023 with roof and facade applications.
By Firdevs Yuksel & Gulsen Cagatay
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr