Turkey’s total installed solar capacity surpassed 21,620 megawatts (MW) by the end of March 2025, according to the latest data from the Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEİAŞ), marking a watershed moment for the nation’s renewable energy transition.
The sector’s meteoric rise, detailed in energy think tank Ember’s Turkey Electricity Review, reflects an unprecedented solar boom. Between 2023 and 2024, Turkey added 8.9 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity—an 82% surge from its 2022 base—as the country accelerates toward its 2035 target of 52.9 GW of renewables.
At the 17th SolarEx Istanbul exhibition, Ufuk Alparslan, Ember’s Turkey, Ukraine, and Western Balkans lead, attributed the market’s expansion to a regulatory revolution in unlicensed solar installations. Under current rules, projects generating electricity primarily for self-consumption are exempt from licensing requirements, provided they meet technical criteria.
“Flexibility in policy has been the game-changer,” Alparslan told PV Magazine. Historically, unlicensed installations required co-location with consumption sites. Regulations later expanded eligibility to the same distribution zone, while the latest reforms lifted geographical limits entirely. “You could now install panels in sun-drenched Antalya while consuming power in Istanbul,” he explained. This shift triggered a 90% share of unlicensed systems in new solar additions over the past two years, with installations ranging from 50 MW to 200 MW in scale.
Industrial and commercial sectors have reaped the benefits. Muhammed Albayrak, a representative from Turkey’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, confirmed at SolarEx that the government expects this trend to persist, driven by cost savings and energy security. Yet, Alparslan cautioned that grid congestion looms as a bottleneck. “Over 70% of new project proposals face rejection due to capacity constraints,” he warned, urging transmission network expansion and hybrid power plant models—where solar arrays are integrated into existing thermal or hydro facilities—to bypass grid limitations.
Analysts project the unlicensed solar segment to reach 40 GW by 2030, provided grid infrastructure keeps pace. Turkey’s solar irradiance averages 1,500–1,700 kWh/m² annually, positioning it among Europe’s sunniest markets. “This is not just a climate play—it’s an economic imperative,” Alparslan stated, highlighting how solar adoption could reduce Turkey’s $60 billion annual fossil fuel import bill.
