The struggle against climate change, environmental sustainability, and international agreements to which Turkey is a party have directed the nation's economy towards a "Green Transformation" process. At the heart of this transformation lie clean and sustainable renewable energy sources that will reduce dependency on fossil fuels. This fundamental shift in the energy sector is increasing the demand for a qualified technical workforce with competencies in the installation, operation, and maintenance of fields such as solar, wind, geothermal, and bioenergy. The Renewable Energy Technicianship program has been designed to meet this demand. The primary goal of our program is to educate our students as competent technicians equipped with theoretical and practical knowledge in the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of renewable energy systems (Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Biomass). Furthermore, providing fundamental competencies in developing areas such as energy storage technologies and smart grids is among our objectives. Aydın province, where our university is located, offers a unique regional advantage for education in this field. There are currently 9 active Solar Power Plants (SPP), 15 Wind Power Plants (WPP), 35 Geothermal Power Plants (GPP), and 8 Bioenergy Plant operating in our province. This situation provides our students with extensive opportunities for internships, technical visits, and on-site applications during their education, signifying a substantial career opportunity that facilitates their integration into the regional and national workforce upon graduation.

Buharkent Vocational School was established in 2015 and admitted its first students in 2016. As one of the first programs of the school to admit students, the program began instruction in the 2016–2017 academic year under the name Alternative Energy Resources Technology. In 2025, by decision of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), it was converted into the Renewable Energy Technician Program.

The mission of the program is to train the technicians needed by the energy sector, in line with Türkiye's green transition goals, through applied education carried out in cooperation with energy facilities in Aydın province. The program prepares its students for the profession as Renewable Energy Technicians who are environmentally conscious, committed to ethical principles, and capable of solving problems.

The vision of the program is to be a nationally recognized reference in renewable energy technician education, whose graduates are preferred by the sector.

The aim of this associate degree program is to train technicians with the technical knowledge and skills to carry out the installation, operation and maintenance of power plants that generate electricity from renewable energy sources (solar, wind, geothermal and biomass). The program also aims to give students basic competencies in emerging fields such as energy storage technologies, smart grids and energy efficiency applications. In addition to technical knowledge, it attaches importance to developing the problem-solving, analytical thinking, project management and teamwork skills required by green jobs. To achieve these aims, the renewable energy infrastructure of Aydın province (solar, wind and geothermal power plants) is used as a learning environment; the on-site practice, Workplace-Based Vocational Training and technical visits offered to students facilitate graduates' entry into the regional workforce. The program further aims to train technicians who are aware of environmental sustainability and their professional ethical responsibilities, and who are knowledgeable about key environmental policies and legislation such as the European Green Deal.

The physical infrastructure of the program consists of the laboratories at the vocational school and the energy facilities in Aydın province that are used for applied training. Buharkent Vocational School has three laboratories allocated to the program, with a total area of 140 m²: the Alternative Energy Resources Laboratory, the Electrical Laboratory and the Electronics Laboratory. Students develop their professional skills at energy facilities in Aydın province through on-site practice, Workplace-Based Vocational Training and technical visits. According to the license records of the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK), the province has 35 geothermal, 15 wind, 9 solar and 8 biomass licensed power generation facilities.

The technical infrastructure of the program consists of the Electrical Laboratory, the Electronics Laboratory and the Alternative Energy Resources Laboratory, all used for applied training. The Electrical and Electronics laboratories are equipped with 20 basic electrical-electronics training sets, 20 sensor applications training sets and 20 automatic control training sets, as well as one wind turbine, one solar panel, one control system for renewable energy systems and one projector. The Alternative Energy Resources Laboratory has one fume hood, one drying oven, one balance and two evaporators.