China, Turkey to build world's largest rooftop solar power plant

Chinese tech giant Huawei and Turkish steel manufacturer Tosyali Holding co-launched a project on Friday to build the world's largest rooftop solar power plant in Turkey's Mediterranean province of Osmaniye.

With a total investment of 71 million U.S. dollars, the two companies will build a "solar photovoltaic system" at Tosyali's plant in Osmaniye, combing Huawei's smart solar inverters with the tech expertise of SolarAPEX, Turkish leading solar power installer.

The project is planned to complete by 2023 with a total installed power of 140 MW, which would help cut carbon emissions from steel production in Turkey by 116,525 metric tonnes per year, Tosyali chair of the board Fuat Tosyali said in a press release.

"As a corporate citizen of Turkey, we do our best for green transformation and contribute to our country's zero-carbon target," Huawei Turkey General Manager Jing Li said.

Noting that this year marks Huawei's 20th anniversary in Turkey, he said the national branch has created a strong corporate structure by supporting the development of information technologies and green energy in Turkey, which in turn enables valuable partnerships with local businesses.

Huawei launched its operations in Turkey in 2002 and established an R&D department in 2009 in Istanbul, the second-largest center outside China.

Fatih Dogan, general manager of SolarAPEX and the executive director of the project, said "at a time when the effects of climate change are felt intensely, Tosyali Holding will produce the greenest steel in the world with this project."