• Turkey’s aggregate installed solar power capacity till the end of 2019 was over 5.99 GW
  • It came from unlicensed (more than 5.8 GW) and licensed (169.7 MW ) projects adding up to a total of 6,901 projects
  • Government statistics show 923.3 MW was installed during the year 2019

Turkish solar market grew stronger than expected last year with the country’s cumulative installed PV capacity till the end of December 2019 reaching close to 6 GW, to be precise 5,995.2 MW in the form of 6,901 solar power plants, according to the latest data compiled by state transmission operator TEIAS. Aggregate installed power generation capacity of Turkey till 2019 was 91.267 GW.

Till the end of 2018, installed solar power capacity of Turkey was reported to be 5,062.8 MW which means in all of 2019, the country added 923.3 MW of new capacity. This is at the high end of what Turkish Solar Association Günder had anticipated in their forecast in SolarPower Europe’s Global Market Outlook, where they estimated a range between 0.5 GW (low scenario) and 1 GW of new installations in Turkey in 2019; down from 1.6 GW in 2018.

Out of Turkey’s total of 5,995 MW, over 5.8 GW came from unlicensed projects while 169.7 MW of licensed systems were added .

Officially, Turkey is aiming for 16 GW of solar power capacity by the end of 2027 but a May 2018 report by Turkish think tank Shura Energy Transition Center pegged the potential at more than 20 GW by 2026, accounting for 21% of total power mix in the country (see 20 GW PV In Turkey By 2026).