Solar power installed capacity tops 10,000 MW

ANKARA

Türkiye’s installed solar power capacity has exceeded 10,000 MW, according to Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez.

“This happened thanks to investments made in solar power in the recent years. The pace of investments suggest that installed capacity will rise further in the upcoming period,” he said, speaking at an event in the province of Eskişehir.

In terms of installed capacity in solar power, Türkiye, which was rather a latecomer, now ranks fifth in Europe and 12th in the world, he said.

Solar, wind, geothermal and biomass now constitute more than 20 percent of the country’s installed energy capacity, Dönmez added.

Renewables constitute more than 50 percent of Türkiye’s total installed capacity, around 40 percent to 45 percent of electricity is generated from renewable energy resources, he said.

“Over the past 10 years, our total installed capacity grew 5.5 percent each year, but the annual increase in renewables increased 9.2 percent. Our renewable energy-based electricity capacity rose more than fourfold.”

Türkiye has developed an innovation-centered advanced energy technologies infrastructure with a high capacity to export those products, according to the minister.

The share of locally developed technologies in solar, wind and geothermal is 75 percent and 65 percent, respectively, said Dönmez, noting that Türkiye ranks third globally in solar panel production after China and Vietnam.

Dönmez recalled that the world’s fifth largest and Europe’s largest solar power plant was inaugurated recently in the Karapınar district of the province of Konya.

All the panels installed in the plant, a total of 3.25 million, were produced, R&D and innovation works for the panels were carried in Türkiye, he said. “This is a significant investment showing where the country is at in terms of solar power.”

Unlicensed solar power production has made huge progress, with unlicensed power investments accounting for 90 percent of all solar energy investments, according to the minister.

“We want people to generate the energy they consume.”

In the 2035 national energy plan, the government set ambitious targets, he also said.

“Under the plan, almost three out of four power plants will use renewable resources. We aim to increase the solar power installed capacity to 52,900 MW, wind power to 29,600 MW, hydropower to 35,000 MW, geothermal and biomass capacity to 5,100 MW by 2035,” Dönmez said.

The national strategy also provides the outlines of Türkiye’s green transformation.

“We will contribute to laying the foundations of a green economy and bring green transformation to the next level.”