Turkey set to boost renewables capacity to 63 GW by 2024, rank 5th in Europe

Turkey is expected to become the 5th biggest renewable energy country in Europe by 2024, and the 11th in the world, with a projected 50% increase in installed renewables capacity, driven mainly by new solar power installations.

Turkey is expected to add nearly 21 GW to its overall renewable energy capacity between 2019 and 2024, reaching a total of about 63 GW, local media have reported, citing the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) latest forecast.

The only four European countries that are forecast to have more renewables capacity than Turkey in 2024 are Germany, France, Spain, and Italy, according to the IEA’s Renewables 2019 report.

Turkey’s solar capacity is projected to increase by 198%, or 10 GW, by 2024, out of which 3.7 GW will come from distributed systems, namely rooftops. The country had 5.1 GW of installed solar power at the end of 2018, with only 0.5 GW coming from distributed systems, according to the reports.

The wind power capacity in Turkey will also contribute significantly to the overall growth, with a forecast 5.9 GW increase by 2024, to 12.9 GW.

According to the European Commission’s latest report on Turkey in view of EU enlargement, the country has made good progress in the renewables sector, as well as energy efficiency.

Global renewable energy capacity forecast to rise 50% to 3,700 GW in 2024

Global renewable-based energy capacity is set to rise by 50% between 2019 and 2024, driven by solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in homes, buildings and across industry, according to the IEA’s report. Distributed solar PV systems are due to be the main growth driver.

The increase will amount to 1,200 GW, bringing up the total global renewables capacity to some 3,700 GW in 2024, according to the IEA. At the end of 2018, the world’s total renewable capacity was slightly over 2,500 GW.

China is set to continue to be the world’s leader by renewables capacity, with a projected rise from 730 GW at the end of 2018 to 1,219 GW by 2024. The United States will be the runner up, with 411 GW in 2024, followed by India, with 235 GW, according to the IEA.