Wind power in Turkey

Wind power generates about 10% of Turkey's electricity, mainly in the west in the Aegean and Marmara regions, and is gradually becoming a larger share of renewable energy in the country.

[22] Mountain ranges in the west run at right angles to the coast, so wind flows easily inland.

[22] A high-voltage direct current link from the windy islands of Bozcaada and Gokceada to Istanbul has been suggested.

[44] In general public opinion supports wind power,[45] although sometimes locals complain of insufficient consultation.

[1] Wind farms are prohibited on globally important bird migration routes (including critical migration bottlenecks such as İstanbul Strait, Çanakkale Strait, Belen in Hatay, Borçka in Artvin), some of which are high wind speed areas.

[53] As the wind farms are relatively new and are assumed to operate for 25 years, their lifecycle environmental impact, such as what percentage of various metals will be recycled, is not yet known exactly.

[55] However, as their electricity is substituting that of coal and gas-fired power stations, it is certain that they are an overall good for the environment by helping to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by Turkey.

[58] According to a May 2022 report from think tank Ember, wind and solar saved 7 billion dollars on gas imports in the preceding 12 months.

[16] In 2017, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources launched a US$1 billion wind power investment project, and issued a request for tender.

The project, titled YEKA, was for wind farms in five different regions in the country with a total power capacity of 1 GW and at least 3 TWh energy generated annually,[60] an extra 1% of electricity in Turkey.

The consortium is carrying out research and development, for ten years, on wind turbine blades, generator design, material technologies and production techniques, software and innovative gearboxes.

[60] In 2019, the second 1 GW tender was won for four equal capacity projects in Balıkesir, Çanakkale, Aydın and Muğla, which are all provinces on the west coast.

[61] The same year the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development invested US$100 million in wind and solar power in Turkey.

[59] Since April 2022 low-cost generators such as wind have had their wholesale prices capped (this does not affect unlicensed and FiT): this can be considered a type of windfall tax.

[16] It has been estimated that there is potential for about 240 million tons of green hydrogen to be produced by electrolysis of water by wind power.