Renewables help Türkiye save $15 billion in gas imports

Over the past two and a half years, solar and wind energy combined have prevented $15 billion in natural gas imports, reinforcing Türkiye’s energy independence and reducing dependency on fossil fuels, according to a report by London-based energy think tank Ember.

Solar energy alone generated 52 TWh of electricity during this period, which accounted for 6 percent of the country’s total electricity supply, the report said.

This avoided $5.4 billion in natural gas imports over the same period.

In 2024 alone, Türkiye’s total solar generation displaced gas imports worth $1.7 billion, an increase of 22 percent year-on-year due to the huge growth in solar generation and despite an 18 percent drop in average natural gas prices in 2024 compared to 2023, the report added.

Türkiye doubled its solar power capacity to over 19 gigawatts in just two and a half years, beating its 2025 target by August 2024, it also said.

The publication highlighted that solar's remarkable growth has been primarily fueled by unlicensed self-consumption projects, driven by households and businesses.

Planned investments in diverse solar projects, including rooftop, storage-integrated, floating, and hybrid systems, known as solar-as-secondary-source, are expected to maintain this growth, the report noted.

The growth aligns with Türkiye's aim to raise its combined wind and solar energy capacity from 30 gigawatts to 120 gigawatts by 2035.

With 14.6 gigawatts of storage-integrated solar capacity pre-licensed as of 2024, Türkiye has already far surpassed its 2030 National Energy Plan target of just 2 gigawatts, according to the report.

Floating solar installations on water reservoirs, with an estimated potential of 53 gigawatts, are also under consideration to further optimize land and water use, the report noted.

Despite significant progress in solar, wind energy growth has slowed, with only 770 megawatts added last year, bringing total wind capacity to 12.5 gigawatts, falling short of the Strategic Plan target.

The ongoing momentum in solar energy capacity growth is a strong indicator of the transition the country can achieve in its energy grid with the right policies, commented Bahadır Sercan Gümüş, Türkiye energy analyst at Ember.

"By doubling its solar energy capacity in just two and a half years and surpassing its 2025 target ahead of schedule, Türkiye has demonstrated its potential to set more ambitious goals," Gümüş said.

"Raising renewable energy targets and maintaining the momentum offers Türkiye the opportunity to reduce its dependence on energy imports, strengthen energy security and assert its commitment more prominently on the international stage," he added.

Cover photo: By Daily News