Türkiye’s Energy Storage Industries Association (EDEDER) describes 2026 as the year energy storage in the country crossed from the project stage into real investment. The association expects 1 GWh of storage capacity to be in operation by the end of the year, and says new revenue models, larger-scale investment and a maturing market will define the 2027 agenda.

EDEDER Chairman Doğa Can Bayram and Vice Chairman Ramazan Kaya met energy journalists in Istanbul to review the sector’s 2026 performance, share expectations for 2027 and discuss the role of storage ahead of the COP31 climate summit, which Türkiye will host in Antalya in November. According to the association, total storage investment in Türkiye is expected to reach between 5 and 10 GWh.

The executives noted that security of supply has gained even more weight on the global agenda in 2026 following conflicts in the Middle East, and that growth in renewable capacity has made storage and grid investment more urgent for every country, particularly energy importers. In EDEDER’s view, storage is no longer just a complement to renewables but core infrastructure for supply security, grid flexibility and system resilience.

“A threshold year”

Bayram said investments long discussed in terms of regulation, pre-licences and project development are now reaching the field: “We see 2026 as an important threshold year in Türkiye’s transition from storage projects to real investment. By the end of the year, 1 GWh of storage capacity will have been commissioned. Storage can no longer be seen merely as a complement to solar and wind. As the share of renewables in the power system grows, storage is becoming strategic infrastructure in its own right for balancing generation and consumption, grid flexibility, security of supply and efficient system management.”

Citing Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources data, Bayram said approved storage projects now exceed 12,500 MW in total. Grid-scale battery facilities have entered commercial operation and the first standalone storage plants have been commissioned, he added, describing the sector’s goal as making Türkiye “a self-sufficient energy island”.

Turning a 32.3 GWh pipeline into investment

Referring to the Energy Market Regulatory Authority’s (EPDK) July 2026 sector report, Bayram said wind and solar pre-licences in force have reached 620 projects and around 32.3 GWh. He stressed that storage should be assessed not only in MW of installed power but also in MWh and GWh, which show how long systems can deliver energy.

“We have a sizeable project portfolio ahead of us. From here on, the sector’s success will be determined by how much of that portfolio turns into investment,” Bayram said, calling for a market structure that unlocks investment, makes revenue models predictable and ensures the services storage provides to the grid are properly remunerated. Access to finance will also be decisive, he noted, adding that the first operating plants have proven the revenue models, an important signal for bankability.

2027: market maturity on the agenda

Vice Chairman Ramazan Kaya said 530 MW of the 33,500 MW of storage pre-licences has been commissioned so far, and that the 2027 agenda will go beyond new capacity: “The spread of standalone storage, larger-scale wind and solar projects with storage, the development of ancillary services and other revenue mechanisms, and grid investment progressing in step with storage will be the key topics of 2027. Pricing the value storage creates for the system correctly and building a predictable framework for investors will open the way for the sector.”

Kaya said he expects storage projects to make greater use of green finance worldwide. He highlighted two concrete items for 2027: a Storage Resource Area (DEKA) model similar to the YEKA renewable tenders, to be introduced by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, and scaling up the storage target in the 2040 National Energy Plan currently being prepared in line with renewable energy targets.

COP31 to raise the profile of storage

On COP31, Kaya said: “In the next phase of the energy transition, the issue is not only producing more renewable energy, but using the clean energy we produce at the right time, in the right place and with the greatest system benefit. Energy storage is one of the keys to that.” He described the summit as an important opportunity to showcase Türkiye’s storage potential internationally and said EDEDER also expects renewable capacity to grow further on the back of COP31.

“Battery Hub of the Region: Türkiye”

EDEDER also sees storage as an industrial and technology opportunity. The association believes Türkiye can build on existing capabilities across the value chain, from container and system integration to power electronics, BMS and EMS software and engineering services, with work on battery cell manufacturing also relevant in this context.

Pointing to Türkiye’s industrial base, engineering capability and its position between Europe, the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia, Bayram said: “Our aim is not only to install large amounts of storage capacity in Türkiye, but to build a strong storage ecosystem that develops technology, manufactures, provides engineering services and can export to neighbouring countries.”

Sector to meet in Ankara on 8 December

EDEDER will hold the 3rd Future of Energy and Storage Congress in Ankara on 8 December 2026. Speakers from Türkiye and abroad are expected to address the investment agenda for 2027 and the next five to ten years, market mechanisms, regulation, technology, local manufacturing and Türkiye’s ambition to become a regional storage hub.

Sources

• Energy Storage Industries Association (EDEDER), press release, 7 October 2026

Images: EDEDER press material