Antalya Aims to Become Turkey’s Leading ‘Climate Friendly City’

The sunny holiday destination of Antalya, Turkey attracts millions of visitors a year for its beautiful beaches, scenic coastal retreats, and pleasant sunny climate. City officials in Antalya want to utilize this abundant sunshine to generate power and create eco-tourism sites that will attract more tourists to the already popular city.

The first step in promoting Antalya as a ‘Solar City’ was the unveiling of the Antalya Solar House, which opened in April of this year. This ecological research centre and educational facility is a zero-emission structure, which was built using ecological materials, and uses solar panels and a windmill to create clean energy. The centre aims to raise awareness about renewable energy and promote ecotourism in Turkey. The city expects that about 1000 people a month will visit the centre.

Other ways that the city plans to become Turkey’s next big eco-tourism spot is to use gray-water recycling, or reusing waste water and purifying it so it can be safely utilized again, passive solar heating features to trap and store heat from the sun and use it in winter months when the sun’s rays are not as strong, and a waste management system that will take the city’s sewage and convert it into gas that can be used as fuel.

Although the city still has a long way to go in achieving its earth friendly status, visitors can rest assured that visits to the Antalya Solar House and eco-friendly resorts in the area will support the cause and encourage further research and implementation of climate friendly practices.