Turkey experienced its hottest day in 55 years in July 2025. These extraordinary temperatures, coupled with increased air conditioning use, pushed the country’s electricity consumption to a record high. Analysis by Ember, an international energy think tank, indicates that this situation marks the beginning of a new era for the energy sector.

Air conditioning use has increased electricity demand

Ember’s report reveals that electricity consumption from cooling in Turkey has increased by 26 percent over the last three years, reaching 10 TWh. This increase in demand is equivalent to the annual charging needs of 4 million electric cars and accounts for 8 percent of total consumption during the summer months.

The average annual increase is 12 percent. In just one month, the electricity used for cooling is equivalent to the three-month electricity consumption of all industrial facilities in Istanbul.

The balance of power in Turkey’s electricity grid is shifting. High average temperatures and widespread air conditioning use are causing peak hourly electricity demand to occur in the summer months, not the winter months. Between 2008 and 2025, the demand gap between winter and summer increased from 0.8 GW to 9.1 GW, representing a nearly 12-fold increase.

This requires energy infrastructure to be planned for peak demand during just a few weeks of the year, increasing production costs. On July 28, hourly electricity consumption hit a record high of 59 GWh, 18 percent of which was due to cooling needs.

Experts predict that cooling demand will continue to rise in the coming years. Every 1-degree temperature increase creates a need for approximately 0.77 GW of additional capacity. Projections indicate that cooling-related electricity demand could double to 20 TWh by 2030 and reach 35 TWh by 2035. Peak hourly electricity demand is expected to reach 85 GWh in 2035.

Solar energy plays a critical role in addressing this growing demand for cooling. Between 2019 and 2024, the ratio of solar energy to total electricity demand during midday hours more than doubled. This demonstrates that solar energy is both clean and an effective solution for meeting growing cooling demand.

To address this demand, experts recommend expanding the use of distributed solar power plants, implementing energy efficiency policies, and implementing flexibility solutions.