Turkey's commercial electricity tariff has increased from ₺0.84/kWh in 2020 to over ₺3.80/kWh in 2025 — a 352% rise in five years. For industrial and commercial energy consumers, this transformation has made solar not just attractive but arguably obligatory for any business that cares about cost competitiveness. In this article, we share anonymised financial data from 20 commercial solar projects we completed in Antalya between 2021 and 2025.
Across 20 completed projects ranging from 150 kWp to 5 MWp, our portfolio shows the following aggregate results:
Understanding what separates a 14-month payback from a 48-month payback is critical for any CFO evaluating a solar investment. The key variables are:
The single most important ROI driver is what percentage of your solar generation you consume on-site. Grid-exported electricity earns the retail tariff (currently ~₺3.5/kWh under net metering) which is valuable — but self-consumed electricity replaces purchased power at the same ₺3.8/kWh+ industrial tariff with 100% certainty. A factory running 08:00–17:00 on weekdays can achieve 88–95% self-consumption. A hotel with its peak load at night might only achieve 55–65% without battery storage.
Higher tariffs = faster payback. An industrial facility paying ₺4.2/kWh (including all distribution charges) will achieve payback 20% faster than one paying ₺3.5/kWh. Always use your all-in tariff (fatura toplamı / tüketilen kWh) — not just the energy component — in your calculations.
Antalya has one of Turkey's highest solar irradiance levels. Our projects in the city centre achieve 1,480–1,560 kWh/kWp/yr for rooftop systems and up to 1,650 kWh/kWp/yr for ground-mounted south-facing systems at optimal tilt. By comparison, the Istanbul average is 1,200–1,350 kWh/kWp/yr. This alone makes Antalya projects 10–20% more productive per invested unit.
Our all-inclusive EPC cost in 2025 averages ₺12,000/kWp for systems above 500 kWp. This includes panels, inverters, racking, cabling, protection equipment, civil works, permits, TEDAŞ connection, and commissioning. Smaller systems (under 200 kWp) typically cost ₺14,000–16,000/kWp due to fixed overheads. Choosing a sub-scale system to reduce upfront cost often increases payback period — it's worth sizing correctly from the start.
A 100% equity-financed project at ₺12M and 2.2-year payback generates all cash flow from year 3 onward. The same project financed with a 5-year green loan at 18% annual interest might show negative monthly cash flow in years 1–2 but still achieves positive NPV by year 4 and full payback by year 5. For businesses with constrained capital, bank financing is still highly value-accretive — especially given Turkey's corporate tax deductibility of interest.
Monthly electricity bill: ₺285,000. Annual consumption: ~977,000 kWh. Peak production hours: 07:00–19:00 (6 days/week).
Turkey's EPDK has indicated continuation of the net metering scheme through at least 2030. The government's 2035 renewable energy targets require 25 GW of additional solar capacity, strongly supporting ongoing policy incentives. For investors considering long-term PPA structures or YEKDEM contracts, the regulatory risk is moderate-low in the 10-year horizon.
Commercial solar in Antalya in 2025 offers some of the best risk-adjusted returns available in Turkey's capital markets. With paybacks averaging 2.4 years and 25-year IRRs above 35%, it is difficult to identify many alternative capex investments that compete on these metrics. The combination of high irradiance, rising tariffs, mature EPC supply chain, and supportive net metering regulation makes this an ideal moment to invest.
Send us 12 months of electricity bills and we'll build a site-specific financial model within 48 hours — at no charge.