Answer
Turkey had 27,914 MW of solar at the end of August 2026, and about 89% was unlicensed, per EPDK, the energy regulator. The 2025 YEKA auctions closed at 3.25 euro cents per kWh. YEKDEM starts solar at TL 1.06 per kWh for 10 years (Decision 7189). An unlicensed plant larger than the site's contractual power earns nothing.
Last updated: November 2026
Most of Turkey’s solar fleet needs no generation licence, so the rules that matter to an installer are the unlicensed ones, not the auctions. Revenue depends on the contractual power in the customer’s connection agreement.
This guide gives the capacity figures. It compares four routes to market: YEKA auctions, licensed plants, unlicensed self-consumption and rooftop. It also covers the YEKDEM price rules and a numbered installer workflow with the authority at each step. Every figure comes from the source named beside it. Where the source is a press report, the text says so.
TL;DR: Solar Energy in Turkey, October 2026
Solar was 27,914 MW at end of August 2026, up 3,347 MW (13.6%) in a year (EPDK). Unlicensed plants were 24,850 MW of that. YEKA GES-2025 awarded capacity at 3.25 euro cents per kWh (press report). YEKDEM solar pays TL 1.06 per kWh to start, indexed monthly (Decision 7189). Contractual power is the capacity set in a customer’s connection agreement. An unlicensed plant earns no payment for its output if its installed capacity is above the contractual power of the consumption facility it serves (Regulation, November 2025 amendment).
Size a Turkish Rooftop to the Contractual Power
The plant limit comes from the customer’s connection agreement. Model consumption against generation in SurgePV before you commit to a size.
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Turkey’s Solar Market at a Glance
The regulator publishes monthly sector reports. The table is from the EPDK August 2026 Electricity Market Sector Report, which compares August 2026 with August 2025.
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Solar installed capacity, end of August 2026 | 27,914.37 MW (21.99% of total capacity) |
| Solar installed capacity, end of August 2025 | 24,567.37 MW (20.31%) |
| Increase in 12 months | 3,347.00 MW (13.6%) |
| Unlicensed solar capacity | 24,850.10 MW (96.73% of all unlicensed capacity) |
| Licensed solar capacity | 3,064.27 MW |
| Unlicensed share of solar capacity | 89.0% |
| Solar generation, January to August 2026 | 28,730,991 MWh (11.66% of total generation, licensed and unlicensed) |
| Licences on record for solar | 134 production licences (5,601.61 MWe) and 350 pre-licences (12,566.28 MWe) |
Check the maths. 27,914.37 minus 24,567.37 is 3,347.00 MW, which is 13.6% of the 2025 figure. 24,850.10 divided by 27,914.37 is 89.0%. Also, 24,850.10 plus 3,064.27 equals 27,914.37.
Most unlicensed solar is self-consumption, meaning the site uses the power itself. It sits at factories, warehouses, farms and other facilities. For design context on the commercial and industrial (C&I) side, see the industrial solar case study in Turkey.
Regime Comparison: YEKA, Licensed, Unlicensed and Rooftop
The unlicensed rules are in the Unlicensed Electricity Generation Regulation (LÜY, Official Gazette 12 May 2019, No. 30772, as amended). Article 5(1) lists the plants that need no licence. Plants outside that list need a licence from EPDK, the regulator.
| Route | Size or limit | Payment for exported power | Approvals | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YEKA auctions | Capacity per competition, 35 to 260 MW in the 2025 round | 3.25 euro cents per kWh in all 2025 winning bids, plus a per-MW contribution payment that bidders competed on | Ministry of Energy competition for area and connection capacity | Enerji Günlüğü, 25 Nov 2025 (press report) |
| Licensed generation | No size limit in the text read | Through YEKDEM registration or the market; YEKDEM price applies to licensed plants that register | EPDK pre-licence and licence; grid connection | EPDK report; YEKDEM Regulation, Art. 4 as amended 29 Dec 2025 |
| Unlicensed, Art. 5(1)(c) | Up to 1 MW, or the cap set by the President under Law 6446 Art. 14 | Monthly offset against consumption; supplier of last resort buys the surplus for 10 years under YEKDEM | Connection application to the network operator | LÜY Art. 5(1)(c), 24, 26 |
| Unlicensed self-consumption, Art. 5(1)(h) | Municipalities, industry and agricultural irrigation: up to 2 times the contractual power of the consumption facility. Other persons: up to the contractual power | Same offset and purchase rules as above | Connection application; priority rules when capacity is scarce | LÜY Art. 5(1)(h), 14, 26 |
| Unlicensed, no export, Art. 5(1)(ç) | No installed-capacity cap (Art. 5(6)) | Any energy exported earns no payment and counts as a free contribution to YEKDEM | Connection application | LÜY Art. 5(6), 24(3) |
Rooftop plants fall in the same unlicensed categories. The regulation text read has no separate residential size cap. So ask the distribution company for the limit that applies to the consumption facility. Unlicensed producers cannot sell under bilateral agreements (private deals) or on the organized wholesale markets (Art. 24(7)). The consolidated LÜY text (March 2025, third-party copy) and the amendment of 25 November 2025 (Official Gazette No. 33088) were both read.
YEKA Auctions: 2025 Results
The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources runs YEKA (Renewable Energy Resource Areas) competitions. In the YEKA GES-2025 round, the Ministry’s announced winners (reported by Enerji Günlüğü on 25 November 2025) all bid 3.25 euro cents per kWh. The contest ran on a contribution payment per MW:
| Competition | Connection capacity | Winner | Round | Contribution per MW |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kahramanmaraş | 40 MW | Güçlü GES Enerji | 17 | EUR 285,000 |
| Mardin | 40 MW | Aydede Enerji | 15 | EUR 208,000 |
| Demirköprü floating | 35 MW | Demirköprü Yüzer GES joint venture | 15 | EUR 225,000 |
| Erzurum-1 | 100 MW | Stone Enerji | 4 | EUR 100,000 |
| Van | 40 MW | Zincir GES Enerji | 12 | EUR 187,000 |
| Bolu | 50 MW | Ecogreen Elektrik Enerji Üretim | 7 | EUR 44,000 |
| Eskişehir | 260 MW | Efor Holding | 13 | EUR 105,000 |
- Kahramanmaraş (40 MW)EUR 285,000
- Demirköprü floating (35 MW)EUR 225,000
- Mardin (40 MW)EUR 208,000
- Van (40 MW)EUR 187,000
- Eskişehir (260 MW)EUR 105,000
- Erzurum-1 (100 MW)EUR 100,000
- Bolu (50 MW)EUR 44,000
Source: Enerji Günlüğü press report of the Ministry announcement, 25 November 2025, checked October 2026.
Key Takeaway
Every winner bid the same 3.25 euro cents per kWh, so the contribution payment per MW decided the round. It ranged from EUR 44,000 in Bolu to EUR 285,000 in Kahramanmaraş.
The seven rows add up to 565 MW (40 + 40 + 35 + 100 + 40 + 50 + 260). The article lists no results for the other competitions in the round. So the table is not the whole round. This is a press report of the Ministry’s announcement, and the contract terms were not read.
YEKDEM: What the Decree Pays
YEKDEM is the renewable energy support scheme. Presidential Decision 7189 of 30 April 2023 (Official Gazette 1 May 2023, No. 32177) sets prices for YEK-certified plants. They apply to plants commissioned between 1 July 2021 and 31 December 2030. Its Article 2 cancels the earlier Decision 3453. Article 1 of the decision as published ends the window for new plants on 31 December 2030. Check for later amendments before you quote it.
| Plant type (Ek-1) | Price, TL kuruş per kWh | Years | Floor and ceiling (US cents per kWh) | Domestic content price (kuruş) | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar | 106.00 | 10 | 4.95 and 6.05 | 28.80 | 5 |
| Wind or solar with integrated storage | 125.00 | 10 | 5.85 and 7.15 | 38.45 | 10 |
106.00 kuruş is TL 1.06 per kWh. The decision pays the integrated-storage price only for electricity the plant itself makes, stores and then delivers. Electricity drawn from the grid does not get it. The decision updates the prices every month with a formula. The new price is the previous price times (25% × the change in the producer price index, plus 15% × the change in the consumer price index, plus 30% × the change in the USD rate, plus 30% × the change in the EUR rate). The weights add to 100%. The table shows the starting values as published in 2023. So the price paid today is the indexed value. The domestic content price is a bonus for plants that use locally made parts. Ek-1 sets it for each plant type, as shown.
For unlicensed generators, the YEKDEM Regulation (Art. 4(1)(b), as amended on 29 December 2025) says the payment is a price set by Presidential Decision. That price does not exceed the Schedule I price in the YEK Law or the market clearing price. The decision price that applies to unlicensed surplus was not read. So confirm it with the supplier of last resort before you model export income. See also the feed-in tariff glossary entry and solar incentives in Turkey.
Unlicensed Solar: Rules That Decide Your Revenue
Monthly offset applies. Each month the network operator measures the energy fed in and the energy drawn. After the offset, the surplus is bought for 10 years from the first day of feed-in (Art. 24(1) and 26(4)). The buyer is the supplier of last resort, the company that buys the surplus. Payment comes through the market operator by the fifth working day of the following month (Art. 25(1)(e)). Read the net metering glossary entry for the general concept.
Compliance Traps in the November 2025 Amendment
1. If the contractual power of the linked consumption facility falls below the plant’s installed capacity, the energy made in that period earns no payment. It counts as a free contribution to YEKDEM (Art. 28(8)).
2. If you change the linked consumption facility, the new facility’s contractual power must be at least the plant’s installed capacity. For plants ranked on consumption under Art. 14(6)(b), the new facility’s annual consumption must also be at least the consumption used in the ranking. If you make a change without the operator’s knowledge, or the change fails these tests, you get no payment (Art. 28(5)).
3. Sometimes the consumption facility buys power under a bilateral agreement and changes supplier. Then the plant owner must tell the network operator and the supplier of last resort by the 15th of the month of the change. If not, there is no monthly offset and no payment for that period (Art. 26(8)).
Pro Tip
Get the customer’s connection agreement before you draw the array. Check the contractual power, then size to it. For a municipality, factory or irrigation site, ask the distribution company if the 2 times limit applies.
What this means for design: size the plant to the contractual power in the customer’s connection agreement. For municipalities, industry and irrigation, you may go up to two times that figure under Art. 5(1)(h). Keep exports small. For no-export plants under Art. 5(1)(ç), any exported energy is unpaid. Use solar design software to model the consumption profile against generation before you commit to a size. The generation and financial tool can model monthly offsets.
Installer Workflow: From Application to Grid Connection
The steps follow the regulation and name the authority involved.
- Eligibility and sizing (installer, with the customer’s distribution company). Get the contractual power and annual consumption from the connection agreement and bills. These set the size limit under Art. 5(1)(h) and the priority rank when capacity is scarce.
- Connection application (network operator). Apply to the distribution company that runs the local grid. For transmission-level connections, apply to TEİAŞ, the transmission grid operator. The January 2026 amendment to the Connection and System Use Regulation sets up an online application system on the distribution company’s website. It covers applications, connection opinions and agreements (Official Gazette 27 January 2026, No. 33150).
- Document review (commission of TEİAŞ, TEDAŞ and the network operator). Applications received in a calendar month are reviewed as one batch. The review happens within the first 20 days of the next month. An application with missing or wrong documents does not go on to technical evaluation (LÜY Art. 12 and 13).
- Technical evaluation (network operator, TEİAŞ and EİGM). The technical evaluation follows within 20 days. For solar applications the operator sends the technical form to EİGM, the Ministry’s General Directorate of Energy Affairs, within 10 working days. EİGM completes its report within 30 days (Art. 14 and 16(1), with the November 2025 amendment). When connection capacity is limited, wind and solar applications are ranked. The four ranking criteria are the same metering point as the consumption facility, last year’s consumption, contractual power, and no earlier positive opinion for the same applicant (Art. 14(6), as amended).
- Call letter and connection agreement (network operator). After a positive report, the call letter is issued on written request within one month of the published list (Art. 16(2)). The holder then has one year to get the plant and connection line project approved by the Ministry or its authorized body. The operator must sign the connection agreement within 30 days of complete documents. If the holder misses the deadline, the right to sign is lost (Art. 17).
- Permits, construction and acceptance (installer, Ministry or authorized body). For plants that use the operator’s distribution transformer, permits and acceptance must be done within one year of the agreement. The permits include environmental, zoning and other permits. Plants under Art. 5(1)(h) get three years (Art. 19(1), with the November 2025 addition). The operator records readiness within 15 days. Acceptance follows the technical regulation (Art. 18). Energy fed in before acceptance earns no payment.
- Operation and settlement (network operator, supplier of last resort, market operator). The operator reports monthly figures. The supplier of last resort calculates the payment. The market operator pays by the fifth working day of the next month (Art. 25 and 26).
For wider rules on grid export limits, see the zero-export device guide. For European permit comparisons, see solar permit requirements in Europe.
Test an Export-Light Design on Real Data
SurgePV supports roof modeling, array layout, shading analysis, energy-yield modeling, financial modeling and proposals. Bring a customer’s contractual power and consumption data to a guided demo. See how they fit into a design.
Book a Free DemoWant prices first? Read the SurgePV pricing page
Solar Resource
Irradiance (the sunlight that reaches the ground) varies a lot across Turkey. Take the figure for a site from a long-term dataset. The Global Solar Atlas gives screening values for any location. A site-specific energy model gives the final number. For the actual roof, use shading analysis. See solar shadow analysis software.
Related Guides
For a comparison with a small EU market, see solar incentives in Estonia. For the wider European picture, see European solar incentives and solar subsidies in Europe. For storage design, read adding battery storage services. For larger plants, see utility-scale solar, the power purchase agreement glossary entry and solar-plus-storage.
Conclusion
Three actions follow from the sources:
- Start with the contractual power. It sets the size limit under Art. 5(1)(h) and decides whether output is paid at all under the November 2025 amendment.
- Model exports as small. Surplus is bought at a price set by decree. That price does not exceed the market clearing price. No-export plants earn nothing on exports.
- Check the current YEKDEM price. Decision 7189 gives a starting price of TL 1.06 per kWh for solar. The indexed price today differs. Confirm the unlicensed surplus price with the supplier of last resort.
To model a Turkish rooftop against its contractual power, book a SurgePV demo.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much solar capacity does Turkey have in 2026?
27,914.37 MW at the end of August 2026, which is 21.99% of installed capacity, according to the EPDK August 2026 Electricity Market Sector Report. That is 3,347 MW more than a year earlier. Unlicensed plants account for 24,850.10 MW of it, about 89%.
What is YEKA and how do Turkey’s solar auctions work?
YEKA stands for Renewable Energy Resource Areas. The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources runs competitions for solar areas and connection capacity. In the YEKA GES-2025 round, the winning bids reported for seven competitions (565 MW in total) were all at 3.25 euro cents per kWh. The contest was decided on a contribution payment per MW, from EUR 44,000 to EUR 285,000 (press report, 25 November 2025).
What does YEKDEM pay for solar in Turkey?
Presidential Decision 7189 sets a starting price for solar of 106.00 kuruş (TL 1.06) per kWh for 10 years. It also sets a USD floor of 4.95 and ceiling of 6.05 cents per kWh, and a domestic content price of 28.80 kuruş for 5 years. It applies to plants commissioned from 1 July 2021 to 31 December 2030. The price is indexed monthly, which means a formula updates it each month. Unlicensed generators are paid at a price set by Presidential Decision that does not exceed the Schedule I price or the market clearing price.
What are the rules for unlicensed solar in Turkey?
Article 5(1) of the Unlicensed Electricity Generation Regulation lists the plants that need no licence. Plants under 5(1)(h) are limited to the contractual power of the consumption facility. For municipalities, industry and agricultural irrigation, the limit is twice that. The supplier of last resort buys surplus after monthly offset for 10 years. No-export plants under 5(1)(ç) earn nothing on exported energy.
What happens if the plant is bigger than the contractual power?
Under the November 2025 amendment (Art. 28(8)), if the contractual power of the linked consumption facility falls below the plant’s installed capacity, the energy made in that period earns no payment. It counts as a free contribution to YEKDEM.
How do I connect an unlicensed solar plant?
Apply to the network operator. It batches applications monthly for document review, then technical evaluation (with EİGM for solar). A positive result gives a call letter. Then you have one year to get the project approved and sign the connection agreement. After that come construction and acceptance. See the workflow in this guide for each authority and deadline.
Is there a size limit for residential rooftop solar in Turkey?
The regulation text read for this update has no residential-specific cap. Plants for other persons are limited to the contractual power in the consumption facility’s connection agreement (Art. 5(1)(h)). So ask the distribution company for the limit that applies.
Where this fits
This article is part of SurgePV's Solar Incentives & Policy hub, which works through the topic from first principles to the decisions a project team actually has to make.
