Turkmenistan’s new procurement exercise could bring solar capacity to a country that has so far only used 2MW of renewable energy – all hydropower.
According to data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Turkmenistan had no installed solar or wind power by 2021. Its total renewable energy capacity was 2 MW in 2021 – all hydropower.
Turkmenistan could soon begin to tap into its enormous solar potential, with the country receiving more than 3,000 hours of sunshine per year in some areas and an average of 300 sunny days per year. It has an average solar radiation intensity of 600 W per square meter and almost year-round sunshine in the arid desert regions that cover 86% of the country.
In November, Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy developer Masdar and Turkmenistan’s electricity company Turkmenenergo signed a joint development agreement for a 100 MW solar park in the country. But this is not the first large-scale renewable energy project in Turkmenistan. In July, Turkmenenergo signed an agreement with Turkish developer Çalik Enerji Sanaýi we Tijaret A.Ş. build a 10 MW hybrid wind-solar park with 3 MW of solar energy. The plant is located near Altyn Asyr, a recently completed artificial lake.
