New analysis from thinktank Ember, shows the country has already approved 33GW of battery projects outpacing major EU markets where pipelines sit closer to 12–13GW, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
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The surge was triggered by a rule introduced in 2022, requiring new wind and solar developments to include equivalent storage capacity unleashing 221GW of applications within months.
The result is a system designed for flexibility from the outset. Türkiye’s battery pipeline now equals around 83% of its existing wind and solar capacity creating a foundation to handle intermittency at scale rather than retrofitting it later.
There are signs of progress in generation. Wind and solar reached 22% of electricity supply making Türkiye the only country across the Middle East Caucasus and Central Asia to pass the 20% mark and positioning it as a regional leader.
But the shift is incomplete as coal still dominates at 34% of generation with a heavy reliance on imports and policies risk slowing the transition if domestic coal is prioritised.
The challenge now is execution, Türkiye will need to accelerate wind and solar buildout rapidly to hit its 120GW target by 2035, while scaling storage and upgrading grid infrastructure to match.
Pairing renewables with storage from day one is turning Türkiye into a potential clean energy hub and setting a pace that much of Europe has yet to match.
