Digital Transformation of Turkey's Power Grid: Virtual Power Plants, Smart Grids and Artificial Intelligence for Renewable Energy Integration

Turkey's ambitious renewable energy targets have accelerated the utilization of solar and wind energy throughout the nation. However, an exponential increase in variable generation has complicated the operation of the national grid. This involves numerous issues such as frequency stability, energy curtailment, and balancing supply and demand in real time. This particular research paper aims to explore the very root that causes these issues and evaluates digital solutions, such as Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), smart grid technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI), to alleviate them. The paper draws on examples from the European Union (EU), Southeast Asia (ASEAN) and the Arab region to illustrate how to render Turkey's case studies effective and develop a plan that is effective for Turkey. It concludes that for the grid to remain stable, for renewable energy not to be wasted and for clean energy to achieve its full potential, many people must utilize digitally enabled energy management tools, which will be facilitated by regulatory and infrastructure changes.