Türkiye's installed solar energy capacity, which was 40.2 megawatts (MW) in 2014, increased 641-fold to reach 25,827 MW as of the end of January 2026, the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources announced on Saturday.
Türkiye has continued its renewable energy investments without slowing down in order to strengthen energy supply security, increasing its solar installed capacity-zero in 2013-exponentially every year, according to the statement.
This capacity has also significantly increased the share of solar energy in Türkiye's total installed power.
While solar accounted for just 0.1% of total installed capacity in 2014, this figure reached 20.9% at the beginning of 2026. In other words, one-fifth of the total installed capacity now comes from solar energy.
"Solar energy has also taken on an important role in electricity generation over time. Electricity generation from solar, which was 17 gigawatt-hours in 2014, rose to 38,069 gigawatt-hours by the end of 2025," the statement read.
Thus, Türkiye's installed solar power capacity, which was 40.2 MW in 2014, increased 641 times to 25,827 MW by the end of January 2026.
- Target of $80 billion in new investments by 2035
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar said that Türkiye is working with all the strength to reach the country's target of 120,000 MW of installed capacity in solar and wind by 2035.
"Our sun will continue to shine," he said and added that Türkiye has significant solar energy potential:
"Through YEKA tenders and capacity allocations for self-consumption, we have utilized this potential in the best possible way and brought it to an important level," Bayraktar said.
" We closed 2025 with a record in renewable energy. The year 2026 will also be a new record year for renewables. We are working with all our strength to reach our target of 120,000 MW of installed capacity in solar and wind by 2035."
Pointing out that investments in renewable energy are steadily increasing, Minister Bayraktar stated that approximately $80 billion in new investments are planned to be realized by 2035 in line with the 120,000 MW target.
By Gulsen Cagatay
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr