Wind and solar energy firmly surpassed domestic coal in Türkiye's electricity generation in 2024, according to a report by London-based energy think tank Ember on Thursday.
The fourth Türkiye Electricity Review 2025 report reveals that wind and solar power generated 62 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2024, significantly outpacing domestic coal, which produced 47 TWh.
This is the second year renewables outpaced domestic coal.
Wind and solar power beat domestic coal's 2019 record of 53 terawatt-hours, indicating that domestic coal has been permanently dethroned, according to the report.
Renewables now consistently lead power generation in Türkiye.
- Record growth in solar power production
Türkiye's solar power sector experienced unprecedented growth in 2024, expanding by 39% year-on-year.
The additional 7.3 TWh in 2024 alone almost matched Türkiye's total level of solar power in 2018 (7.8 TWh), Ember said.
According to Ember, this surge was driven by a sharp rise in solar installations, marking 2024 as another milestone year for Türkiye's renewable energy sector.
By the end of the year, solar capacity had reached 19.8 gigawatts (GW), nearly doubling from 10.9 GW in 2022.
Despite Türkiye's record surge in solar power generation, increasing electricity demand has limited solar energy's share in overall electricity production. Solar's share of electricity generation rose from 5.7% in 2023 to 7.5% in 2024.
Wind and solar now provide 18% of Türkiye's electricity.
In contrast, southern European countries with similar solar potential—such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece—generate between 14% and 22% of their electricity from solar power.
Additionally, Poland, which surpassed Türkiye last year in solar power's share of electricity generation, saw its solar contribution rise to 9%, further widening the gap between the two countries.
- Share of hydropower grew by 17%
Hydropower accounted for 22% of Türkiye's total electricity generation last year.
In 2024, hydropower plants produced 17% more electricity compared to 2023.
This increase came despite the worst drought conditions during the spring months when hydropower production typically peaks.
However, this trend varied across different types of hydropower plants.
While river-type hydropower production decreased under drought conditions, reservoir-based hydropower production increased due to its ability to store water.
- Fossil fuel share in power generation drops to 31-year low
The share of fossil fuels in Türkiye's electricity generation fell to its lowest level in 31 years, despite a rise in coal power production, the report revealed.
Coal's share in the electricity mix slightly decreased from 36.9% to 35.6% in 2024, even with a 4 TWh increase in coal-generated electricity.
In contrast, natural gas generation fell by 3 TWh, or 4%, contributing to a reduction in the overall fossil fuel share of power generation to 55%.
This marks the lowest level since 1993. Türkiye relies on imports for 61% of coal power and 96% of gas.
- New targets could push wind and solar's share up to 49%
The latest targets set a goal to increase wind and solar energy capacity from 32 GW in 2024 to 120 GW by 2035, with an interim target of 51 GW by 2030.
Türkiye's 2035 capacity targets announced at COP29 aim to quadruple the country's current wind and solar capacity.
If achieved, the targets could reduce fossil fuel power to below 20% by 2035, while wind and solar could rise to 49%.
However, wind and solar need to outpace demand to meet those goals. Demand increased by 42 TWh in the last five years, compared to 31 TWh of additional wind and solar. The remaining rise in demand was met by imported coal and gas.
- 'Wind and solar could supply 50% of power demand by 2035'
Ufuk Alparslan, regional lead for Türkiye and Caucasus at Ember, said that wind and solar permanently overtaking electricity from domestic coal marks a huge moment for Türkiye, highlighting that these sources are now a key part of the country's energy security.
'Under ambitious targets in place for 2035, wind and solar could grow to provide half of Türkiye's power,' Alparslan said.
'However, wind and solar still need to grow faster to both meet rising electricity demand and displace fossil fuel imports,' he added.
Alparslan emphasized that the focus should now be on removing barriers to growth in order to quickly scale up domestic renewable sources.
Reporting by Nuran Erkul Kaya in London
Writing by Humeyra Ayaz
Anadolu Agency
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