15.2.5. Sustainable management of land for agriculture (educational outreach)

In 2025, METU offered free educational outreach on the sustainable management of agricultural land.

Agrivoltaics (TarımGES)

METU-GÜNAM, with Erciyes University and TAT Food, develops agricultural photovoltaic systems that produce energy above crops while reducing water use and protecting crops from heat and frost.

METU-GÜNAM works directly with farmers through agrivoltaic (TarımGES) living labs, where solar panels are installed above crops and crop yield, microclimate and energy output are compared with a same-sized reference field. In Ayaş (Ankara), a farmer, the Ayaş District Directorate of Agriculture and METU-GÜNAM signed a three-party protocol, and the farmer made the field available free of charge for a 123.2 kWp system over 1,875 m² of farmland. Further living labs operate in Kayseri (Erciyes) and Bursa (Mustafakemalpaşa); in 2025 three pilot agrivoltaic installations were running, one of them above fruit trees (METU-GÜNAM, 2025 Activity Report).

https://odtugunam.org/medya/faaliyet-raporlari/ODT%C3%9C-G%C3%9CNAM_2025_Y%C4%B1l%C4%B1_Faaliyet_Raporu.pdf

Public podcast on agrivoltaics (6 March 2025)

In the sixth episode of METU CLIMATE's free 'Sustainable Development Talks' podcast (6 March 2025), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pınar Derin Güre of METU-GÜNAM explained to a general audience the economic opportunities of agrivoltaic systems, which produce solar energy on farmland, and METU's projects in this field.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYZmSiDja44&list=PLK6kHfHfuSzYollGY3DxZBrg8uQz9mn1Y&index=2