Kalyon Solar has launched its new G12R TOPCONPlus solar cell production line in Türkiye
This expands its annual solar cell production capacity from 1 GW to 2.1 GW
The investment aims to support local solar manufacturing and the energy transition in Turkey, according to the company
Turkish solar manufacturer Kalyon Solar Technologies Production Inc. (Kalyon PV) has officially inaugurated its new G12R TOPCONPlus solar cell production line. The new line has an annual installed capacity of 1.1 GW.
Its commissioning marks the completion of an investment process first announced in 2025, stated the company. With the addition of the new facility, Kalyon PV’s annual solar cell production capacity has expanded from 1 GW to 2.1 GW.
The company said the production line was commissioned as planned, and commercial production has now started. The official opening ceremony for the new production line took place on May 7, 2026.
An ingot-to-module solar PV manufacturer, Kalyon PV operates 1.1 GW of solar ingot, 1.1 GW of wafer, and 2.0 GW of module production capacity in Ankara, all under the same roof. It started with G1PERC cell and module manufacturing in 2020, transitioning to M10 TOPCon module production in 2023, and eventually reaching G12R TOPCONPlus cell and module production.
It targets to venture into back contact and perovskite tandem solar cells between 2025 and 2035, according to Özlem Coşkun, R&D Executive – PV Technologies and Applications at Kalyon PV, who shared this information during a presentation at the recently concluded TaiyangNews High in Efficiency, Low In Solar: Back Contact Technology conference (see BC: The Next Industrial Step Beyond TOPCon).
In 2022, Kalyon PV signed an MoU with Fraunhofer ISE to conduct joint research in solar PV, including agrivoltaics and other integrated PV and solar storage technologies (see Kalyon & Fraunhofer ISE To Research On Integrated PV).
The company said that this expanded solar cell manufacturing capacity is expected to contribute to local production growth and support the country’s ongoing energy transition efforts. It made the announcement through a regulatory disclosure.
While Kalyon PV is the frontrunner, solar PV manufacturing is accelerating in Türkiye thanks to the government’s $30 billion worth High-Tech Investment Program (HIT-30). In 2025, China’s Astronergy announced plans to build the country’s 1st wholly foreign-owned solar cell factory. The company already operates a module factory in the country (see Astronergy Announces TOPCon Solar Cell Factory In Turkey).
Astronergy’s compatriot Hainan Drinda New Energy Technology followed with plans to establish a 5 GW solar cell production facility in Turkey in collaboration with Schmid Pekintas Energy, the local solar module producer (see Drinda Announces 5 GW Solar Cell Factory In Turkey).