Türkiye has strengthened its position as a major player in wind energy, ranking sixth in Europe in installed power capacity, according to the "2022 European Wind Statistics and 2023-2027 Outlook" report by the European Wind Energy Association WindEurope.
The report reveals that Türkiye added 867 megawatts of wind energy capacity in 2022, bringing its total installed power to 11,969 megawatts, up from the previous year's ranking.
The average capacity of the wind turbines added to the system last year was 4.1 megawatts for onshore wind farms and 8 megawatts for offshore wind farms.
The report also shows that five countries – Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, France and Sweden – accounted for one-third of the total installed power of 254,788 megawatts in Europe.
Germany had the highest wind energy capacity with 66,322 megawatts, followed by Spain with 29,798 megawatts, the U.K. with 28,499 megawatts, France with 21,135 megawatts and Sweden with 14,585 megawatts.
With an installed capacity of approximately 12,000 megawatts, Türkiye has become one of the six countries in Europe that make up one-third of wind energy in terms of installed power.
Electricity generation
Meanwhile, electricity generation from renewable sources is on the rise in Europe, according to the report.
Denmark leads the pack with the highest share of wind energy in all electricity production at 55%, followed by Ireland at 34% and Britain at 28%.
Germany and Portugal accounted for 26%, while Spain and Sweden registered 25% of wind energy in their electricity capacity.
In Türkiye, wind energy makes up 11% of the country's total electricity installed power.
The report highlights the European Union's target of increasing the share of renewable energy in total electricity generation to 45% by 2030.
The EU aims to add an average of 31,000 megawatts of capacity to its electricity system every year between 2023 and 2030 to achieve its target of increasing the share of renewable energy in total electricity generation to 45%.
Meanwhile, despite the damage to its energy infrastructure during the Russia-Ukraine War, Ukraine has continued to invest in wind energy installations.
The country added 83 megawatts of installed wind capacity to its system last year, but 75% of the 1,300 megawatts of wind-installed power is currently inactive because of the war.