Solar comprises 60 pct of Turkey's renewables employment


Turkey's solar energy industry has around 50,000 employees corresponding to 60 percent of employment in the entire renewable energy sector, a road map of the International Solar Energy Society's Turkey Section (GÜNDER) showed Tuesday.

GÜNDER, together with sector partners, prepared the Solar Energy Road Map to assess current solar energy installed capacity and analyze solar energy targets.

According to the study, of which the results were shared in a meeting, Turkey's current installed capacity in solar energy is 4,792 megawatts (MW).

The road map forecast that the capacity would reach 14,000 MW by 2023 and 38,000 MW by 2030.

However, the study found that the biggest problem in the solar energy sector is with financing projects and consequently, recommendations were made from the study suggesting the government create new financial instruments to support solar energy investments.

Last year out of the countries worldwide with the most installed solar capacity, Turkey ranked fifth with an installed capacity of 2,700 megawatts and ninth in the creation of employment, the road map showed.

Turkey's solar industry created 50,000 jobs out of the 84,000 employed in the energy sector, the study showed.

The study concluded that with this solar potential, further growth in the solar energy sector will be supported through local production, which will serve as a key accelerator.