1 million m2 collectors produced in Konya, Turkey
 1 million m2 collectors produced in Konya, Turkey

1 million m2 collectors produced in Konya, Turkey

The Turkish solar thermal manufacturer Solimpeks announced to have produced 1 million m2 of collector area in its 17 years of company history. In a press release from the beginning of June it says that Solimpeks exports to 70 countries across the globe. The company reached place seven in the ranking of the largest flat plate collector manufacturers globally. The photo shows the largest installation that the company ever installed: The 4,575 m2 collector field provides hot water to a prison in Ankara since earlier this year.
Photo: Solimpeks

“As a company we have been working for the sustainable future of our country and the world for the past 17 years; we are meeting the solar energy needs of hundreds of thousands of homes in more than 70 countries”, is the Solimpeks General Manager Mehmet Emin Keçeciler quoted in the press release. The factory is based in Konya, south of Ankara in central Turkey, with a total of 110 employees including an engineering department for large-scale solar thermal systems.
Since it foundation in 2001 Solimpeks has only produced flat plate collectors, vacuum tube collectors are not part of the portfolio. In 2012 the company has started manufacturing glazed PVT collectors.
Export in 70 countries across the globe
80 % of the annual collector production volume is exported. 20 % is sold domestically via around 90 dealers all across Turkey. “We export as well OEM collectors and complete thermosiphon systems roughly half and half,” confirms Feyza Güsün, Solimpeks Solar Corporate Communication Specialist.
The key export markets in 2017 were Italy, Spain, UAE, and the French overseas departments. Solimpeks operates sales offices in Kenya, Hungary, Spain, Germany, Australia, and Mauritania. “To be closer to the Sub-Sahara Markets, we started assembling collectors in Nairobi in 2011”, says Güsün. “We ship pre-fabricated absorbers from Turkey to the east African country to be assembled there.” In September 2017 the Solimpeks export team took part for the first time at a Chinese fair. „We see a great future in the Chinese market, but have very little experiences yet,“ says Güsün.
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Baerbel Epp

Bärbel Epp is Founder and Director of the German communication and market research agency solrico and editor-in-chief of solarthermalworld.org