The total installed capacity of solar energy in Türkiye exceeded 12,000 megawatts (MW) for the first time as of the end of February and reached 12,425 megawatts, according to the statement issued by the country's Energy and Natural Resources Ministry on Thursday.
The statement from the ministry featured a graphic of the total solar capacity and showed that it increased from 11,316 MW in December to 11,838 MW in January and eventually 12,425 MW in February.
The share of renewable energy in electricity production surpassed 51% in the first two months of the year. This rate was recorded as 51.63% in January and 51.03% in February, according to the ministry.
The importance of solar and wind energy is increasing as renewable energy contributes to reducing dependency on imports and achieving climate change goals.
As of the end of February, renewable energy sources constituted 56.21% of Türkiye's installed electricity capacity.
According to ministry data, there was a total increase of 2,000 megawatts in solar energy installed capacity last year and an increase of 1,109 megawatts in the first two months of this year. Thus, more than half of the increase achieved in 2023 was reached in the first two months of this year.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, whose evaluations were included in the statement, stated that more than 51% of total electricity production was provided from renewable energy sources in January and February, and they aimed to reach this rate on an annual basis.
Over the last two decades, the drive to curb vast energy imports has seen Türkiye boost significantly the level of renewables in its energy mix.
"In this context, our target for 2035 is to increase the share of renewable energy in production to 55%. The current picture at this stage shows that we are progressing steadily toward our 2035 target," noted Bayraktar.
He pointed out that renewable energy would be the key to Türkiye's full independence in energy and said: "Our goal is to achieve an increase of 5,000 megawatts in installed capacity each year until 2035, including 3,500 megawatts in solar and 1,500 megawatts in wind energy. We aim to reach a total of 60,000 megawatts of new installed capacity over the next 12 years, including 2024."