The authors analyzed roofs in 70 provinces through satellite imagery and found that up to 772 million square meters (27.6 percent of the surveyed area) are suitable for rooftop PV. Certain southern areas that were damaged in the February 2023 earthquake were excluded from the analysis.

If low-efficiency panels were installed on suitable roofs across Turkey, about 148 TWH of electricity could be generated annually, the report said. However, because this calculation does not include areas devastated by this year's natural disasters, the authors say in the study that "the true technological potential across the country is likely to exceed even 120GW."

The western side of Turkey is more suitable for PV generation than the eastern side due to population, roof tilt, dwelling type and other factors. Rooftops in Istanbul are expected to generate the most PV capacity at 10.4GW, followed by the country's capital Ankara at 10.1GW and the western city of Izmir at 9.3GW.

According to the authors of the report, it takes 27 weeks for homeowners, including 60 percent of tenants in Turkey, to obtain the necessary permits to install rooftop PV systems. Other barriers, such as government energy subsidies, are preventing consumers from installing and using rooftop PV systems.

Turkey's "policies to promote the widespread use of rooftop photovoltaic power plants," especially in homes, could "reduce the country's real electricity costs by reducing dependence on imported fossil fuel resources," the report said.

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), 57 percent of Turkey's total energy supply in 2020 will come from oil and gas, with renewables accounting for 15 percent. IRENA said only 5 percent of the country's renewable energy generation that year came from photovoltaics, noting that the country's installed PV capacity stood at 9.4GW at the end of last year.