Türkiye’s solar energy capacity has continued its rapid expansion, reaching a cumulative total of 22,648 MW by the end of May, according to new figures released by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.
This growth underscores the country’s strong momentum in solar deployment. At the close of 2023, Türkiye’s installed solar capacity was approximately 19.8 GW, meaning over 2.8 GW have been added in just the first five months of this year. Much of this increase has been driven by commercial and industrial installations, as rising regulated retail rates have encouraged more businesses to invest in on-site solar systems. “These dynamics, especially in the commercial and industrial segment, are the primary catalysts for the recent growth,” noted Wood Mackenzie analyst Juan Monge Artacho in comments to pv magazine.
The ministry’s update further highlighted that solar capacity has grown by over 7.6 GW over the past 12 months, jumping from nearly 15 GW in May 2023 to close to 23 GW now.
Türkiye’s total renewable energy capacity stood at 72,492 MW at the end of last month, with solar accounting for more than 31% of this portfolio. Hydropower remains the country’s largest renewable energy source, making up almost half of the total renewable mix.
Collectively, solar, hydro, wind, geothermal, and biomass energy sources comprised 60.8% of Türkiye’s total installed electricity capacity by the end of May.
Commenting on these developments, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar stated that Türkiye is now able to meet the entire annual electricity demand of its households through generation from solar and wind facilities alone. He also noted that achieving the country’s ambitious target of reaching 120 GW of combined solar and wind capacity by 2035 would require investments of roughly $80 billion.
Looking ahead, the minister confirmed that Türkiye plans to hold annual auctions of at least 2 GW for new solar and wind projects. The next solar tender is set for October, followed by a wind tender in November. In the most recent solar auction, 800 MW was awarded across six projects at a final tariff of $0.0325/kWh.
https://renewables.az/en/news/t-rkiye-installed-around-2-8-gw-of-solar-in-first-five-months-of-2025