Renewable energy in Turkey

Solar potential in southern provinces is key to achieving steady renewable electricity growth, says a report by London-based energy think-tank Ember.

As the hydro-rich eastern Türkiye reeled from two droughts in five years, a surge in wind and solar helped cushion the blow, it said.

Non-hydro renewable generation, which includes wind, solar and bioenergy, has doubled in Turkey since 2017, and overtook hydropower for the first time, according to a report released by Britain-based think tank Ember.

With the world moving more and more towards green energy due to the climate crisis, Turkey, which has increased its renewable energy capacity, met 20 percent of its one-day energy generation from wind, breaking a production record. 

Turkey's installed wind energy capacity reached 10,010 megawatts (MW) as of Aug. 8, according to data Turkey's Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEİAŞ) released on Aug. 10. 

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The country's installed electricity capacity reached 98,800 MW, while clean electricity capacity totaled 51,900 MW during the January to July period of this year.

Turkey's renewables expansion, driven by hydro, wind and solar energies, places the province of İzmir as a leader in wind power and Konya as a pioneer in solar energy, data compiled by the state-run Anadolu Agency reveals.

Of the country's total renewables capacity of 50,990 megawatts (MW), hydropower stood at 31,280 MW, wind power reached 9,543 MW and solar totaled 7,070 MW.

LM Wind Power, a subsidiary of GE Renewable Energy, announced the start of production at its wind turbine blade factory in Turkey on July 13. 

The company invested $50 million in Turkey to establish the company, which will employ 450 technical personnel. 

In its first direct equity investment in Turkey's power sector, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has said it is acquiring a 20 percent stake in the renewable energy subsidiary of Akfen Holding, one of the leading infrastructure groups in the country, in a written statement on Dec. 15. 

Greek solar energy company Photovoltaic Energy Systems is preparing to invest in renewable energy in Turkey, a company official said on March 2.

The company will invest in solar projects in a district of the western city of Edirne, which neighbors Greece, said Kalenteridis Evaggelos.