Farmer Fined Heavily for Installing Solar Panels

September 20, 2026 · Tarım Pusulası

A farmer in Ereğli, Konya, who installed solar panels to reduce electricity costs was fined 176,900 TL on grounds of illegal electricity usage.

Ayhan Gönülal, a farmer operating in Hortu Neighborhood of Ereğli district in Konya, had solar panels installed on his land to alleviate irrigation costs. However, following inspections, the producer was hit with an administrative fine of 176,900 TL for alleged illegal electricity usage, notified via a message on his phone around 6 PM. Gönülal, making a statement in the field on September 17, 2026, accompanied by Fırat Karadağ, Ereğli District Chairman of the New Party, and Nejat Türktaş, Provincial Chairman, stated that this heavy financial penalty, encountered while trying to reduce high energy bills, has put producers in a difficult situation.

Emphasizing that production inputs are becoming increasingly burdensome, Ayhan Gönülal drew attention to market crop prices and cost pressures. Gönülal explained that he sells wheat at 14,750 TL per ton, while sunflower oilseed is traded at 36 TL per kilogram, adding that trading of confectionery sunflower seeds has halted due to a lack of buyers. Reacting to fuel price hikes in his statement, New Party Ereğli Council Member and Farmer Ayhan Gönülal said:

Gönülal expressed that they are being crushed by rising expenses, and as of September 17, 2026, the price of diesel per liter had reached 101.50 TL in Ankara.

Fırat Karadağ, Ereğli District Chairman of the New Party, reminded that the farmer made a clean energy investment to reduce main expenditure items and argued that these fines harm agricultural sustainability. Karadağ called for the removal of the additional financial burden on producers and the immediate reversal of the practice. Nejat Türktaş, New Party Konya Provincial Chairman, speaking at the meeting, claimed that the fine in question is not an isolated incident. Türktaş noted that 32 farmers using solar energy for irrigation in the region have been identified and similarly fined, and that inspections continue for other producers.

Provincial Chairman Nejat Türktaş stated that they learned the application is based on a legislative amendment implemented by the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) in February. Officials, arguing that the technical and administrative limits imposed on the use of solar energy in agricultural production are causing hardship for producers, demanded transparent information on the details of the issue from the relevant institutions. The legal regulation number for the 176,900 TL fine imposed in the Hortu Neighborhood incident, the exact calculation criteria, and the reasoned decision of the official institutions regarding the conducted inspections have not yet been clarified to the public.

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