Impacts of the renewable energy law on the developments of wind energy in Turkey

Wind energy, which is one of the most significant renewable energy sources in the world, may be a promising alternative for Turkey in both short and long term. Although wind energy applications in Turkey began around the beginning of the millennium, significant progress did not occur until after the passage of the 2005 "Renewable Energy Law". That law included a series of policies for the introduction of tariff support for electricity produced by renewable sources. The unit capacity of wind power and wind energy utilization has since grown dramatically. As a result, the Turkish wind power industry has undergone rapid developments, with further acceleration of technology occurring in 2012. In this study, wind energy potential and wind energy projects of Turkey are investigated and presented in detail. Furthermore, current impacts of renewable energy law announced in May 2005 are emphasized. Planned and constructed wind energy projects in Turkey are also presented. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.