Travel and tourism company TUI recently started operating three new solar plants in Turkey, totalling 15 MW, to supply power to eight hotels. More solar plants to power further hotels in the country are planned.
TUI has revealed that three solar parks in Turkey that will power some of its hotels throughout the year were recently connected to the grid.
The three new solar systems have a combined capacity of 15 MW. One, with a capacity of 6.8 MWp, is operated by TUI Hotels and Resorts Türkiye and will supply energy to four hotels. The other two plants were built in cooperation between TUI and Turkish hotel chain Akra. Located in the regions of Elmalı and Alanya in the south of the country, these two plants will serve another four hotels.
TUI said a third solar plant in its joint venture with Akra should be connected in the course of the year, with more solar projects currently being planned. The additional projects include a plant in the southeastern city of Şanlıurfa, which is set to power another two hotels.
The installations are part of TUI Group’s global solar strategy. In 2023, around 20 photovoltaic systems were installed at TUI Hotels & Resorts worldwide.
“This initiative underlines our aim to grow sustainably and profitably and to significantly reduce our emissions,” said Sebastian Ebel, TUI Group CEO. “The solar parks in Türkiye provide our local hotels with a cost-effective and environmentally friendly energy supply.
For TUI, the new PV plants are an important step towards achieving the sustainability goals to which we are clearly committed.”
The company said one-quarter of its hotels throughout the world already use energy from renewable sources to meet part of their needs. Depending on the region, the hotels also use geothermal energy and biomass for a diverse energy mix.
TUI is also deploying green energy at its own travel agencies and office buildings, with all TUI buildings in Germany now supplied with 100% renewable energy.
The result follows the installation of a solar system on the roof of the TUI Campus in Hanover, which has an area of 7000 square meters and supplies up to 1.5 MWp. It began supplying the entire office operations of the TUI Campus with solar energy for the first time earlier this year, alongside energy for 42 electric car charging points.
Turkey’s total installed solar capacity surpassed 12 GW earlier this year. The country has set a goal of increasing the share of renewable energy in production to 65% by 2035, from 56% at present.
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