By Chiara Aruffo, PhD, Director of Research, Dii Desert Energy
As we prepare for the upcoming 16th Dii Desert Energy Leadership Summit in Istanbul from 29 September to 1 October 2026, we are currently working on a comprehensive study that maps out a strategic roadmap for Türkiye to meet its 2035 renewable targets. Under this year’s theme, “Clean Energy: Bridging Continents, Connecting Markets,” we will officially launch the report during the Summit.
The geostrategic importance has even been upgraded with the recent conflicts in the Middle East and Türkiye has an outstanding track record on RE – with over 32 GW installed capacity of hydropower, no. 4 globally in geothermal, and 40 GW combined solar and wind. Today, the market is still fragmented with few international players.
Türkiye has set an official target to scale toward 120 GW wind and solar by 2035. Starting from a baseline of approximately 40 GW of renewable capacity installed, to bridge the remaining 80 GW implementation gap, the country must maintain an intense speed of deployment of around 8 GW per year. To sustain this rate, the country is shifting away from early unrestricted market models toward a structured capacity allocation framework built on centralized auctions, bilateral government-to-government partnerships, a massive 32.9 GW storage-integrated pipeline, and a booming decentralized self-consumption sector.
The upcoming report provides international financial sponsors and developers with a practical guide on how to navigate local administrative frictions, find opportunities in the secondary pre-license markets, and co-locate with high-volume and digital off-takers like data centers. Furthermore, it explores Türkiye’s dual-track approach to electrons and molecules, highlighting the national trajectory to scale installed electrolyzer capacity to 5 GW by 2035 and 70 GW by 2053. This hydrogen expansion serves as an indispensable grid-balancing asset while driving deep industrial de-fossilization to protect exports from EU CBAM penalties.
Join the discussion live in in the Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus Istanbul, which will include an exclusive dinner reception at the historic Feriye Palace and a site visit to YEO Technology’s advanced REAP Battery facility.
Stay tuned for the report and see you in Istanbul!