They turned idle land into a source of income: It earns the municipality 50 million lira a year

Bayburt Municipality has converted 70 decares of agriculturally unsuitable land into a solar power plant with 7 MW of installed capacity, generating roughly 50 million Turkish lira (about $1.1 million) in annual revenue. The income is being directed toward servicing municipal debt and funding infrastructure and employment investments. The project illustrates how local governments can monetize idle public land while securing a steady revenue stream. Watch for whether other municipalities replicate the model and how the lira-denominated returns hold up against currency volatility.