Türkiye has doubled its solar energy capacity over the past two-and-a-half years to surpass its 2025 target ahead of schedule, signaling the nation’s potential for more ambitious future goals.
By the end of 2024, Türkiye’s solar energy capacity exceeded 19 gigawatts (GW), doubling from 9.7 GW in July 2022, London-based energy think tank Ember said.
By August last year, the country had already surpassed the 18 GW target set for 2025 in the National Energy Plan (NEP) by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.
“Achieving this target one and a half years ahead of schedule underscores Türkiye’s strong commitment to solar energy and signals the need for more ambitious future targets,” Ember said.
The previous doubling of solar energy capacity required more than four years between 2018 and 2022, it noted.
The rapid expansion was driven primarily by self-consumption solar installations, which accounted for 94% of new projects since July 2022.
To advance the momentum, Ember said Türkiye could utilize rooftop, hybrid, floating and storage-integrated solar potential, which it says collectively represent a vast untapped potential.
Ember says Türkiye has a pipeline of 33 GW in pre-licensed storage-integrated solar and wind projects, far exceeding the official 2030 target of 2.1 GW. “With these capacities, the country is well-positioned to sustain its renewable energy growth trajectory,” the think tank says.
