By Anadolu Agency
September 22, 2026 7:37 amAbout 2,500 GW of advanced-stage renewable, storage and large-load projects are waiting for grid connections worldwide as power networks struggle to keep pace with record renewable capacity growth, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
Released in cooperation with the COP31 Presidency and the Global Renewables Alliance (GRA), IRENA’s latest report warns that the widening gap between renewable deployment and grid development is creating longer connection queues and delaying new projects.
The report said grids have not expanded and modernized at the same pace as renewable capacity, resulting in longer connection queues and increasing constraints on both new generation and electricity demand.
Global installed renewable power capacity reached 5.15 terawatts (TW) at the end of 2025, with a record 693 GW of new capacity added during the year, representing annual growth of more than 15.5%.
However, the pace of expansion remains below the level needed to meet the global 2030 target, the report said.
Global renewable power capacity needs to reach 11.2 TW by 2030, requiring around 6.02 TW of additional capacity between 2026 and 2030.
This would require average annual additions of about 1.2 TW, around 74% higher than the capacity added in 2025.
If the 2025 growth rate continues, global renewable capacity would reach about 10.6 TW by 2030, leaving a shortfall of around 600 GW compared with the target.
– Grid queues lengthen
The report said grid planning and investment have failed to keep pace with rising renewable capacity and electricity demand in several markets.
Network constraints are affecting both where new generation can connect and where additional electricity demand can be accommodated.
In the US, grid connection requests fell from a peak of 2,290 GW in 2024 to 2,060 GW at the end of 2025.
Only 549 GW had draft or signed connection agreements, while the median time from a connection request to commercial operation had risen to more than five years.
In the European Union, more than 340 GW of projects have connection agreements, while roughly 700 GW remain in connection queues.
Grid constraints are also contributing to higher renewable power curtailment, as projects are sometimes unable to deliver all available electricity to the grid.
Germany, France and the Netherlands curtailed a record 3.9 terawatt-hours (TWh) of renewable generation in 2025, 21% more than in 2024.
In the UK, wind curtailment reached 10 TWh in 2025, up from around 3.8 TWh in 2020.
Grid limitations were a key driver, although broader system constraints and periods of excess renewable generation also contributed, the report said.
IRENA estimates that annual grid investment needs to reach around $902 billion through 2030.
By comparison, annual investment in transmission and distribution grids stood at around $450 billion in 2025.
– Existing grids could unlock more capacity
The report also highlights ways to connect more projects before new transmission lines are completed.
Grid-enhancing technologies and more flexible connection arrangements could unlock enough capacity to connect between 1.2 TW and 1.6 TW of advanced-stage projects worldwide.
The report also points to hybrid use of existing grid connections.
Existing hydropower sites in seven EU countries could accommodate an additional 25 GW of wind and solar capacity through existing connection points.
Energy storage is another key source of flexibility. Around 112 GW, or about 307 gigawatt-hours (GWh), of battery storage capacity was added globally in 2025.
This was 48% more than the 76 GW added in 2024.
Investment in energy storage, including pumped hydro, rose 33% to $103 billion in 2025.
The report said faster grid expansion and modernization, wider use of storage and more flexible connection arrangements will be needed to integrate growing renewable power capacity
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