Solar Irrigation Application in Antalya: Capacity Rules and Support

If you are a farmer in Antalya running a well, pump or drip irrigation system, an agricultural irrigation solar application is one of the most concrete ways to cut your electricity bill. As of October 2026, agricultural irrigation facilities can build an unlicensed solar plant of up to twice their contract power; the application is made on AEDAŞ's (the local electricity distribution company) LUS platform. In this article we explain the application steps, capacity rules and verifiable support channels in plain terms.

Who is an agricultural irrigation solar application suitable for?

The system is suitable for facilities that use electricity for agricultural irrigation, that is, facilities whose subscriber group is agricultural irrigation. This scope includes well pumps, irrigation pond pumps, and drip and sprinkler irrigation stations. For DSİ (State Hydraulic Works) and irrigation unions, the regulation also has special clauses. If you have a system, first confirm from your bill which group your subscription is in.

In Antalya, a significant share of these applications comes from inland areas such as Korkuteli and Elmalı, and also from greenhouses and citrus orchards around Kumluca, Finike and Serik. According to PVGIS data, annual specific production is 1,655 kWh/kWp in Korkuteli and 1,719 kWh/kWp in Elmalı (European Commission JRC, PVGIS 5.3, 14% system losses, optimum tilt, south). In the summer months, when irrigation is at its most intense, production also reaches its highest level of the year: about 168 kWh/kWp in July in Antalya.

The capacity rule: twice the contract power

Under clause 5/1/h of the regulation, municipalities, industrial facilities and agricultural irrigation facilities can install a facility of up to twice their contract power. Other persons are limited to their contract power. The facility can be at the same or a different metering point from the consumption facility. This flexibility is a critical option for farmers who do not have enough space next to the well.

There is also the contract power floor that came with the 2026 amendment. For facilities that received a connection approval letter (çağrı mektubu) after 12.05.2019, the total contract power of the associated consumption facilities cannot be lower than the installed capacity; a separate floor formula applies for agricultural irrigation (Art. 28/5-b, Official Gazette 02.04.2026). If the condition is not met, generation is counted as an unpaid contribution to YEKDEM, meaning no payment is made for it. For this reason, before sizing the system, always check your contract power and how the formula applies to you together with your engineer.

Agricultural irrigation solar application step by step

The application authority is the grid operator, AEDAŞ. AEDAŞ has accepted applications only through the LUS platform since 01.10.2023. The general flow is similar to a rooftop solar plant; for details, take a look at our rooftop solar application guide. The typical sequence for agricultural irrigation is as follows:

1. Subscription and contract power check: The subscriber group, contract power and transformer situation are examined.
2. Land and right-of-use documents: The title deed, lease or right-of-use document and records showing the land's agricultural nature are prepared.
3. LUS application: The online application is made with the connection application form, ID and facility information.
4. Connection approval letter and project approval: After the connection approval letter there are 90 days for project approval; if the period passes, the letter becomes void.
5. Connection agreement and acceptance: After project approval the connection agreement is signed within 15 days; acceptance must be completed within 1 year.
6. System usage agreement: Signed within 3 days after acceptance; the assessment of surplus energy starts from this date.

According to AEDAŞ's 2026 tariff, application fees are 0 TL for 0-50 kW and 3,970.8 TL including VAT for 50-250 kW. The project approval and acceptance fee is 0 TL for 50 kWe and below; between 50-100 kWe, project approval is 2,161 TL and acceptance is 4,113 TL (EPDK Decision 14165-12). These figures are updated annually. There is no official figure for how many weeks the total period takes; for this reason, a commitment to a specific completion date would not be right.

Support for solar irrigation: verified channels

Many promises of "zero-interest solar loans" circulate in the market. The official framework is more limited. The channels we could verify are these:

Interest-subsidized agricultural loans

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's Communiqué No. 2024/15 covers the period 01.01.2024-31.12.2026. Investment loans based on a test report can be given for renewable energy systems that meet the enterprise's energy needs; irrigation unions' requests for solar equipment and installation are also considered. "Use of renewable/waste energy" also appears as an additional interest discount criterion. Applications are made to Ziraat Bank. We could not reliably read this item's discount rate and upper limit from the official table, so we write no figure. The program ends on 31.12.2026 and no new decision for 2027 has been verified. Phrases such as "0% interest, 5-year term" are the marketing language of installation companies; the official condition is a criterion-based interest discount.

TKDK IPARD III

According to the TKDK (Agriculture and Rural Development Support Institution) ranking criteria document, construction and equipment items for renewable energy generation aimed at self-consumption are taken into account in scoring; the check is made through the connection agreement. Secondary sources say Antalya falls within IPARD III, but we could not verify grant rates by measure or call dates. When a call opens, check the TKDK announcements directly.

Construction and permit matters

Cases in which an agricultural irrigation solar plant is to be built in unplanned areas are common. According to a secondary source, the 2022 amendment to the Unplanned Areas Zoning Regulation exempts from permits systems for agricultural irrigation purposes, with a total panel surface not exceeding 125 m², with a metal structure without a reinforced concrete foundation and with a favorable opinion obtained from the provincial directorate of agriculture and forestry. Because this information comes from a secondary source, the exact text must be confirmed from the Official Gazette; in practice you need to act together with the provincial agriculture directorate and the municipality.

The land's agricultural land class, the well document or DSİ permits, and other records specific to agricultural irrigation should also be reviewed before applying. Because these documents vary by region and land type, getting the current requirements from the relevant body is the most reliable way.

Planning around the pump and irrigation schedule

Before applying, working out the pump's power, operating hours and irrigation calendar is necessary to size the system correctly. Well depth and flow determine pump power; in drip irrigation the load is more continuous, while in flood irrigation it can be shorter and higher. Because the pump load that runs in the daytime already overlaps with solar production, self-consumption stays high even without a separate battery.

For orchards with no grid or a weak grid, a grid-independent solution can be considered; but in that case it is not an unlicensed application, it is your own system, and the design is different. To choose capacity correctly, you need to learn from AEDAŞ both the existing contract power at the connection point and the suitability of the transformer in your area. For an agricultural irrigation solar application, this preparation reduces the risk of rejection or revision.

A look at tariffs and payback

EPDK raised retail sales prices from 4 April 2026; the increase for agricultural activities was 24.8%. Increases of this kind make meeting pump electricity from the sun more meaningful. However, surplus energy is paid only the single-rate active energy unit price of the relevant tariff; this amount is lower than the total unit price on the bill. In other words, the higher the self-consumption ratio, the greater the system's economic value. In orchards where irrigation is done in the daytime, this ratio is naturally high.

When the tariff changes, the calculation changes too; so for an investment decision take the value from that day's EPDK table. For the general framework, see our financing article, and for technical detail our article on solar-powered agricultural irrigation systems. Local information for Korkuteli and Elmalı is collected in a separate article.

The solar irrigation process with Solar Nexo

Solar Nexo offers solar-powered irrigation systems among its services; the references on its website include a 5.5 kW solar-powered agricultural irrigation project. The process starts with a free site survey, followed by project design, installation and commissioning, and maintenance. For the scope of the service, you can take a look at our irrigation systems page and, for a site-specific assessment, leave a survey request.

Conclusion

The agricultural irrigation solar application is a process made on the AEDAŞ LUS platform, allowing capacity of up to twice the contract power, with official support channels that are limited but real. The interest-subsidized loan program ends on 31.12.2026; on IPARD and permit matters, the current text must be confirmed with the institutions. Assessing capacity, the contract power floor and supports together is the key to building the investment soundly.

#Regulations and Applications#Agricultural Irrigation#Solar Application#Support#Antalya Farmer