Pairing PV with wind and hydroelectric plants could unlock 8 GW of solar capacity in Turkey, bypassing grid constrains, according to think tank Ember.

Çağlar Çeliköz, energy analyst at Ember and author of the 42-page report “Türkiye can bypass grid constraints with hybrid solar power plants”, told pv magazine that changes to regulation could accelerate PV deployment.

“The fact that hybrid power plants do not require a new grid investment provides an opportunity to increase the installed solar power capacity and electricity generation in the fastest way by using existing grid infrastructure,” said Çeliköz.

Turkey’s total installed electricity generation capacity of 119 GW is split between 98 GW of licensed power plants selling to the grid, and 21 GW of capacity from unlicensed plants, which are built for self-consumption but can sell excess generation to the grid within legal limits.

The majority of existing PV capacity in Turkey comprises unlicensed power plants, according to Çeliköz, who said solar accounted for 20.3 GW (96%) of unlicensed power plant capacity as of May 2025. Installed PV capacity among licensed generators was 2.3 GW.

Ember estimates that removing barriers to hybrid solar plants could increase current installed solar capacity in Turkey by at least 35%. The think tank examined hourly production data from existing licensed hydroelectric and wind power plants, simulated solar electricity generation by location and added this to the plants’ production. Modeling assumed any electricity produced exceeding a plant’s connection capacity would be sold for free, with the rest sold at the hourly spot electricity prices of 2024. The analysis covered the hybrid potential of privately owned hydroelectric and wind power plants with a total installed capacity of 29 GW.

Ember found 8 GW of hybrid solar potential from plants that could offer return on investment within 10 years, Çeliköz said. Unlocking that potential will require changes to regulation, according to the Ember analyst.

Lack of available grid capacity is holding back deployment for licensed power plants. Ember found there has been 0 GW of available capacity for connections at transmission level since September 2024. Hybrid plants are treated like new projects by the Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation, which means they are subject to delay despite making use of an existing grid connection. Çeliköz argued changing this “should be a priority.” “Hybrid plants should be evaluated without waiting for TEİAŞ’s capacity announcements,” he said.

Capacity limits placed on hybrid plants should also be amended, Çeliköz told pv magazine. Limits are currently allocated based on the power plant’s primary generation source. “The highest hybrid capacity that a power plant can receive regardless of its installed capacity is limited to 100 MW,” said Çeliköz. “To unlock the full hybrid potential, this capacity limitation should be removed and investors should be allowed to determine the hybrid capacity themselves.”

Rules on where PV can be situated at a hybrid plant have also hindered deployment. Çeliköz said a legal requirement that hybrid plants be built within or adjacent to the primary power generating source was one of the most significant barriers to deployment, particularly for hydropower plants. He recommended Turkey’s Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA) revise the rule to allow hybrid plants to be installed “elsewhere within the same substation.”

“This would enable investors to develop hybrid solar systems on technically and legally appropriate land and connect them to the main plant via dedicated lines,” he said.

Despite roadblocks, the number of hybrid plants has been growing in Turkey, with more anticipated. Ember recorded 25 existing hybrid solar plants in the country, and these added 14% to the output of hydroelectric and wind plants they were connected to in 2024. Installation permits have been granted for 3.5 GW of hybrid solar projects in the past four years, according to Ember, however only 41% (1.4 GW) of this licensed PV power plant capacity has been installed.

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