The shares of solar and wind power in Türkiye's electricity generation increased sharply over the past decade, reaching 11.6% and 12.1%, respectively, by this July, the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry said Monday.
Solar power's share of electricity generation rose 28-fold from 0.4% in 2016, while wind power's share increased from 5.7% to 12.1% over the same period, the statement said.
The increase followed a major acceleration in Türkiye's solar and wind investments under the National Energy and Mining Policy introduced in 2016 under then-Energy Minister Berat Albayrak.
The rise in renewable generation was accompanied by a significant expansion in installed capacity.
Türkiye's total electricity generation capacity reached 126,476 megawatts (MW) at the end of July. Solar accounted for 27,507 MW, or 21.7% of total installed capacity, while wind capacity reached 15,358 MW, representing 12.1%.
Combined solar and wind capacity stood at 42,865 MW, accounting for 33.8% of Türkiye's total installed electricity capacity.
Solar power generation also reached a new monthly record in July after setting a previous record in June. Solar-generated electricity totaled 5.37 billion kilowatt-hours in July, the highest monthly level on record.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Türkiye had undergone a major transformation in its energy sector over the past 10 years.
"We increased solar's share in electricity generation 28-fold to 11.6% and raised wind's share to 12.1%," Bayraktar said. "Our combined installed capacity in solar and wind has reached approximately 43,000 megawatts."
The transformation was a concrete step toward Türkiye's goal of full energy independence as well as a cleaner energy future, he said.
Bayraktar added that Türkiye would seek to build on its renewable energy progress through new targets to be presented at the COP31 climate conference in southern Antalya scheduled for November.
"We will continue converting Türkiye's wind and solar resources into energy for our people and building strong infrastructure that makes reliable, clean and affordable energy accessible to everyone," he said.
