Speaking to reporters at a press conference, the minister said, “Caterpillar has already begun searching for partners and a site” for a solar center. “They’ve begun to meet with companies they think they could have a partnership with. These are promising developments,” Ergün told reporters, adding that Caterpillar’s president, Edward Rapp, visited Turkey last week to meet with Turkish firms about the solar investment.
If Caterpillar does invest in Turkish solar power, it will be one of the first major green-energy sector foreign investments in Turkey, and a sign that the country’s green energy sector is becoming visible to developers abroad. The increasing attractiveness of green energy in Turkey was on display last week when domestic business conglomerate Doğan Holding finalized a 240 million euro deal to buy renewable energy companies Galata Wind Energy Ltd. and Akdeniz Electrics. The group said they were planning major investments to expand the purchased companies’ wind farms and boost an industry which grew eightfold in 2011 alone.
Turkey’s fledgling solar industry was given its own boost last month when the Turkish Electricity Production Company (TEİAŞ) announced plans to fix major loopholes in regulations and to promote the growth of solar energy in Turkey. Green advocates have long argued that Turkey, which currently produces 600 megawatts (MW) of solar energy a year, could use its status as the sunniest country in Europe to greatly boost solar energy output.
Government officials have said that the government aims to increase clean energy’s share in the power supply to 30 percent by 2023 -- the 100th anniversary of the republic. Presently, green energy meets just a sliver of the country’s energy needs, although officials have also cited Turkey’s precarious dependence on foreign petrol and natural gas as a reason that green energy could rapidly expand in Turkey.
Ergün cited that need on Friday as he told reporters that the Caterpillar deal would show that “Turkey has become an attractive place for foreign investment,” and stressed the importance of large foreign backers with know-how and skills to help jumpstart green energy in Turkey. Caterpillar, known widely for its heavy construction equipment, has diversified in recent years to build wind turbines, solar panels and generators which produce energy from landfill gas emissions at some of the US’s largest landfill sites.
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Source : todayszaman.com
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