As innovation in the global energy sector increasingly focuses on strengthening energy security and competitiveness, experts say Türkiye's plan to raise its combined solar and wind capacity to 120 gigawatts by 2035 is in line with this global shift.
According to the International Energy Agency's (IEA) "State of Energy Innovation 2026" report, energy security was the most influential factor shaping energy innovation last year.
The report found that nearly 80 percent of surveyed experts identified energy security as one of three main drivers of innovation last year, ahead of affordability and emissions reduction.
For Türkiye, which imports a large share of its oil and natural gas needs, increasing domestic renewable energy production and strengthening the resilience of the electricity grid remain key pillars of its energy security strategy.
Alkım Bağ, director of the SHURA Energy Transition Center, said Türkiye’s 2035 renewable targets present an important opportunity both for energy security and the energy transition.
Bağ said reaching the goal would require bringing an average of about 8 gigawatts of new renewable capacity online each year over the next decade, noting that achieving this scale depends not only on investor interest but also on permitting processes, grid connections, financing structures and market design.
She said stability provided by the Renewable Energy Resource Area (YEKA) mechanism and the commissioning of previously awarded capacities has strengthened investor confidence but emphasized that the key challenge is accelerating project implementation.
Bağ also noted that one of the main barriers to renewable expansion is the electricity system's ability to transmit and balance growing renewable generation.
Large-scale investments in transmission infrastructure and access to international financing are therefore critical, she said, noting that Türkiye has begun defining technical and financial targets for a "green grid" in line with its 120-gigawatt renewable goal and has already signed a financing agreement with the World Bank.
She added that grid transformation must also include investments in battery storage, demand-side participation and market mechanisms that reward flexibility.
Bağ said Türkiye's renewable expansion could also strengthen integration with the European electricity system.
"In this context, the capacity of interconnection lines is being increased, investments in synchronization are being completed and common operational standards are being developed," she added.
Bağ noted that decarbonizing the electricity system also offers commercial advantages by helping reduce the carbon footprint of products exported to Europe.
"However, the top priority throughout this process remains ensuring Türkiye's energy supply security in a sustainable and uninterrupted manner," she said.
David Reiner, professor in technology policy at the University of Cambridge, said Türkiye's goal of tripling its solar and wind capacity in less than a decade is ambitious.
Reiner noted that falling costs of solar, wind and battery technologies over the past decade have made renewable expansion more feasible.
"Nevertheless, for this ambition to translate into reality requires an unprecedented level of effort in terms of improving the investment environment, regulatory regime and permitting/planning process," Reiner said.
"Although already challenging in itself, it is not enough to just build wind and solar farms; this expansion in renewables will require a commensurate expansion in energy storage systems, a greatly improved electricity grid and rules and regulations that simplify planning and permitting and make it attractive to invest in Türkiye," Reiner said.
