According to data published by electricity transmission system operator TEIAS, Turkey’s installed wind energy capacity has reached 10,010 MW as of 8 August.
The country’s total installed capacity reached 98,800 MW, while renewable energy capacity totaled 51,900 MW at the end of July this year. The 10,000 MW threshold of installed wind capacity, although a major milestone in the
country’s green energy push, still falls behind hydropower, which is currently the leader in Turkey’s renewable energy production.
Turkey has seen considerable diversification of its energy mix in the past decade, in particular through the growth of renewable electricity generation. While the share of wind energy in Turkey’s total installed capacity reached 10 %,
wind energy constitutes 19.3 % of total renewable energy installed capacity.
In the first seven months of the year, wind energy was accounted for around 9 % of total electricity generation, and it is estimated that it replaces nearly one billion dollars worth of natural gas imports.
Turkey’s wind capacity and equipment production has grown to the extent that it now ranks as one of the ten biggest markets globally. Growth in this sector has already seen Turkey become the fifth-biggest equipment producer in Europe last year. And this growth has also helped Turkey expand its exports to 45 countries on six continents. Of the
77 wind equipment producers in Turkey, 70 % generate their revenues from equipment exports.
According to WindEurope, Turkey ranked among the top five European countries that invested the most in wind energy with its over 1 billion euros (1.17 billion) of land wind energy investments in 2020.
Turkey ranked fifth in Europe last year in terms of its renewable capacity growth, and it is predicted to add 22.2 GW by 2025 to reach a total of 66.8 GW, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Renewables 2020 report.
The highest wind energy capacity on a provincial basis was the Izmir province with approximately 1,700 MW, followed by Balikesir with 1,300MW, Canakkale with 850 MW, Manisa with 750 MW and Istanbul with 420 MW. With the exception of Istanbul, locations with high wind energy capacity are in the Aegean region.
