This university doesn’t pay for electricity — it actually earns money from it

Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University (ALKÜ) fully met its electricity needs for March, April, May, and June through the Solar Power Plant (GES) Project established at its Kestel Campus. ALKÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Kenan Ahmet Türkdoğan stated, “Before the GES Project was implemented, we used to pay approximately 3 million Turkish Lira per month for electricity. Thanks to this project, we have not paid any electricity bills over the last four months, and we earned about 950,000 TL in monthly revenue.”

Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University (ALKÜ) has started to reap the benefits of its sustainability projects and scientific studies, which have set an example nationwide. The ALKÜ GES Project — the first of its kind in Turkey to be implemented under a Public Performance Agreement — began supplying energy on March 7 and provided 100% of the university’s energy needs over the following four months. ALKÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Kenan Ahmet Türkdoğan shared details about the project and its significant contributions to the university.

“WE NO LONGER PAY ELECTRICITY BILLS”

Prof. Dr. Türkdoğan emphasized that the GES Project has made a major contribution to both the country’s and the university’s economy. Proud to set an example for Turkey, he said, “Our ALKÜ GES Project started producing energy as of March. By June, our power plant generated approximately 1 MWh of electricity. We use about 70% of this energy to meet our university’s demand. The remaining 30% is sold back to the grid. This has generated a profit of 950,000 TL, and we expect approximately 450,000 TL from the June sales to be deposited into our account. Previously, our electricity bills were around 3 million TL per month. Now, we don’t pay any bills and instead earn about 300-320 thousand TL per month. Our project, spanning the roofs and parking lots of buildings at the Kestel Campus—an area equivalent to 13 football fields—is fully operational. We plan to expand the GES Project within legal frameworks, and our zero waste projects continue. Through these initiatives, we aim to stand out among universities,” he added.

“WE HAVE BECOME A PIONEER IN GREEN TRANSFORMATION”

ALKÜ has become a regional pioneer in green transformation. The university contributes to the economy of both the country and itself through its Mama and Compost Production Facility, zero waste projects, and the GES Project. Rector Türkdoğan said, “With the economic gains from the project, we aim to invest further in energy efficiency. Our project serves the general public interest, helping reduce energy costs nationwide and increasing energy independence. This strengthens the national economy and supports economic growth, positioning ALKÜ as a leader in this field. We wish our project to benefit the entire country.”

“WE WILL CONTINUE WITH NEW PROJECTS”

Covering all its campuses’ energy needs without paying any electricity bills, ALKÜ has also earned 527,000 TL in less than two months through this project. ALKÜ Energy Management Unit Supervisor, Lecturer Leyla Akbulut, explained that thanks to the GES Project, ALKÜ’s campuses no longer bear the burden of electricity bills. “Our energy investments began in 2022 with energy audits. The university’s annual energy consumption is 2.1 million kWh. We are implementing efficiency-boosting projects to reduce energy loss. The first of these was the GES plant with 1.7 MWh installed capacity, launched under the Public Performance Agreement. Since March, the plant has produced around 1 MWh of energy by June. We used 70% of this energy, and the remaining 30% was sold to the grid. This resulted in zero energy consumption costs for the university, except a small system usage fee of 584 TL. Previously, our bills were about 3 million TL. Additionally, the revenue from energy sales in these four months reached 950,000 TL,” she said.

Lecturer Akbulut also noted plans to increase investments, “Efficiency-boosting projects encourage one another in the public sector. We currently have 32 energy efficiency measures. Our GES Project, the size of 13 football fields, is one of them. We plan to implement the remaining projects soon.”

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