Türkiye among top clean power-growers

Türkiye sustained its strong renewable capacity expansion in 2025, which placed it among the countries with the biggest increases in solar power generation in the world, according to new analysis that also showed clean energy sources surpassed the global power demand.

Türkiye has been heavily investing and incentivizing new renewable installations as the nation that is heavily reliant on energy sources from abroad seeks to curb the external dependence and its big import bill that weighs on its current account.

Globally, clean power generation grew 887 terawatt hours last year, exceeding overall world electricity demand growth of 849 terawatt hours, a report by energy think tank Ember said.

Ember analyzes electricity data from 215 countries, and studied 2025 data for 91 countries, which the firm says represents 93% of global demand.

Overall, the share of renewables – including solar, wind, hydropower and other clean energies – hit more than one-third of the world's electricity mix for the first time in modern history last year, growing 33.8% to 10,730 terawatt hours.

It's promising news for a world embattled by climate change that's driven by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas to meet growing needs from economic growth, rising populations and electrification.

Solar, which grew 30% in 2025, alone met three-quarters of last year's net rise in electricity demand, lifting its share of total electricity output to 8.7%.

Combined, wind and solar generation met 99% of the increase in global electricity demand.

Türkiye stood out as one of the fastest-growing solar markets, ranking seventh globally in terms of annual increase in solar electricity generation.

The country followed China, the United States, India, Brazil, Pakistan and Germany, while Italy ranked eighth. France and Netherlands also placed among the top 10 countries with the largest solar generation increases.

The rapid increase in Türkiye's solar capacity in recent years has significantly raised its share in electricity generation, according to the report.

Before the recent surge, solar accounted for only 4.7% in 2022. Over the past two years, its share of the country's electricity mix has doubled, reaching 10.5% in 2025.

Meanwhile, growth in wind capacity has mainly offset rising electricity demand. While wind's share remained just below 11% between 2022 and 2024, it reached 11.1% in 2025.

Combined wind and solar generation accounted for 22% of Türkiye's electricity output last year, above the global average of 17%.

For the first time, wind and solar surpassed hydropower in 2025, becoming the main drivers of growth among renewable energy sources.

New wind capacity in Türkiye rose to a record 1.9 GW in 2025, surpassing the previous peak of 1.8 GW in 2021.

As a result, in 2025 Türkiye achieved a record 6.5 GW of new wind and solar capacity combined. By the end of 2025, total installed wind and solar capacity reached approximately 40 GW.

Ufuk Alparslan, regional lead for Türkiye and the Caucasus at Ember, said the country is emerging as a model for neighboring regions where renewable penetration remains relatively low.

While the share of wind and solar remains limited in Türkiye's southern and eastern neighbors, the country stands out as a "critical" role model for the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia nations, Alparslan said.