May brought an unusual balance to Turkey's power mix: Renewable sources generated more than 72% of the country's electricity, while coal shrank to its smallest slice in over two decades.
The numbers point to a notable shift in a country where coal has long played a major role in keeping the lights on.
What's happening?
Turkey's electricity mix looked very different in May than it has for much of the past quarter-century. Renewables supplied 72.3% of generation, the strongest showing in 26 years, while coal slipped to 17% — its lowest share in 22 years.
EPİAŞ data, as reported by Hürriyet Daily News, showed that May set new highs for renewable generation both across the month and within a single hour. The peak came at 1 p.m. on May 24, when renewables provided 84% of the country's power, surpassing the previous record of 83% set in April 2024.
A big part of that performance came from hydropower. With seasonal rainfall running above normal, hydro generation jumped 58% from May of last year. At the same time, wind and solar together supplied roughly 23% of Turkey's electricity, putting those two sources ahead of coal for the second consecutive month.
Between Jan. 1 and May 31, hydropower generated 46.4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. Over that same stretch, wind produced 18 billion kilowatt-hours, and solar added 14.2 billion.
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Why does it matter?
When a larger share of electricity comes from wind, solar, and hydropower instead of coal, it generally means less air pollution from power generation. That can bring real public-health benefits, especially in areas affected by harmful smokestack emissions.
Renewable sources such as wind and solar do not require fuel to generate power, which can help reduce exposure to fuel-price swings over time.
Turkey's latest numbers also show multiple clean sources working together. Hydro got a big boost from rainfall, while wind and solar continued gaining ground. A diverse mix can make an electricity system more resilient as demand changes and extreme weather becomes more disruptive.
What's being done?
That progress was evident across the first five months of the year, when hydro, wind, and solar all reached their best output levels for that period.
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Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Ufuk Alparslan of Ember said, "The May records demonstrated that renewable energy is becoming increasingly influential in Turkey's electricity system."
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