Renewables stuck in grid connection queues cost billions of euros
About 1,700 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy projects are waiting for grid connections across 16 European countries, according to a study published today by Beyond Fossil Fuels, E3G, Ember and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
Poland is leapfrogging towards a more accessible market
In the CEE region, the problem is most acute in Poland, where 51 GW of capacity is stuck. But a significant amount of wind and solar capacity is also queuing in Czechia (26-27 GW), and in Romania, as well as in Bulgaria (10-15 GW).
However, in the last year, Poland has seen important market reforms that have increased the accessibility of demand side flexibility DSF in ancillary services markets, which help the TSO to ‘balance’ the energy system. This includes increasing DSF accessibility when procuring balancing reserves which differ in terms of minimum bid sizes, activation, duration and ramp rates. In Eastern Europe, Poland also stands out for offering flexible tariffs with variable and day-ahead wholesale tariffs.
Good examples of storage capacity
Research for Beyond Fossil Fuels also found that Poland is Europe’s leader in providing capacity market contracts to storage energy assets.
The study mentions Hungary’s TSO as a good example, which is already planning for a significant increase in battery storage capacities, beyond the NECP target of 1 GW installed capacity by 2030. This is being advanced with the support of the government and the wider market to complement unprecedented growth in solar.
Huge loss because of wasted power
According to the estimations, 7.2 billion euros in renewable electricity was curtailed across just seven countries in 2024, meaning clean energy was wasted, while power generators were still compensated, with the costs falling on electricity bill payers.
“Europe’s electricity grid is not modernising fast enough, and that must change,” Vilislava Ivanova, research manager at E3G said.
Juliet Phillips, energy campaigner at Beyond Fossil Fuels added: “Governments urgently need to dislodge these fatbergs from the planning system so that grid operators can get renewable projects hooked up. Providing a climate mandate to TSOs and their regulators can ensure they make the long-term investments and decisions needed to future-proof our energy system. It’s the only way to break free from fossil fuel imports, and cut bills and emissions.”
Original source: CEENERGYNEWS
