BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 2. Türkiye has successfully doubled its solar energy capacity in just two and a half years, surpassing its 2025 target ahead of schedule, according to the analysis made by Ember, a UK-based energy think tank, Trend reports.
By the end of 2024, the country’s solar capacity grew from 9.7 GW in mid-2022 to 19.6 GW, the research reads. This was primarily driven by self-consumption installations, which accounted for 94% of the growth.
Ember highlighted that the rapid growth of solar and wind energy has significantly reduced Türkiye’s reliance on natural gas imports.
"Over the past two years, solar and wind energy combined have avoided $15 billion in natural gas imports, reinforcing Türkiye's energy independence," the think tank noted. Solar alone generated 52 TWh of electricity during this period, contributing to savings of $5.4 billion in natural gas imports.
Ember also pointed out that Türkiye still holds significant untapped potential in solar energy, with storage-integrated, hybrid, and floating solar projects on the horizon. "With a pipeline of 33 GW in pre-licensed solar and wind projects, far surpassing the 2030 target, Türkiye is well on its way to maintaining its renewable energy growth trajectory".