International Grid Connection Backlog: 3,000 GW Awaiting Connection – Storage and Hybrid Projects Drive 60 Percent Growth
Paris/Münster – Wind and solar farms, battery storage and hybrid power plants with a combined capacity of around 3,000 GW are waiting for a grid connection, according to a new analysis by the International Energy Agency (IEA). That is 60 percent more than a year ago, the new IEA report “Renewables 2026” shows.
Grid Connection Queues: Storage Projects Drive the Increase
Growing demand for grid connections is reflected in the extensive queues in many electricity markets. For its latest analysis, the IEA examined connection data from 20 countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, including Germany, the United States, India and Japan.
The 3,000 GW refers to projects in advanced stages of the grid connection process. The figure represents planned connection capacity, not installations already in operation.
According to the IEA, the 60 percent increase is entirely attributable to battery and hybrid projects, such as those combining solar or wind farms with storage. The capacity of standalone wind and solar farms waiting for a connection has not increased overall.
At the same time, grid connection queues are being cleared in several countries. In India, the United Kingdom and the United States, stricter connection rules and reforms of connection procedures have led to nearly half of early-stage standalone wind and solar projects being removed from the queues. According to the IEA, the aim is to give priority in the allocation of grid connections to projects with better prospects of being realised.
Germany is also seeing high demand for grid connections for battery storage. According to the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur), German transmission and distribution system operators received 18,158 connection requests with a total capacity of 574 GW in 2025. In the same year, grid operators issued connection approvals totalling 54 GW, including for requests submitted in earlier years. However, because project developers sometimes submit several requests for the same storage project, the requested capacity does not allow direct conclusions about the actual expansion of storage that can be expected.
Curtailment of Wind and Solar Power Could Rise Above 800 TWh
Grid bottlenecks not only complicate the connection of new wind and solar farms but can also limit the feed-in of existing plants. According to the IEA, technically induced curtailment of wind and solar power in the key markets analysed nearly doubled in both 2024 and 2025. In 2025, it reached almost 200 TWh. By 2031, this figure could rise to more than 800 TWh. According to the IEA, that would equate to almost eight percent of total wind and solar power generation in the underlying analysis.
The economic consequences extend beyond lost electricity revenues. In “Renewables 2025,” the IEA already noted that rising curtailment risks for wind projects in Brazil and solar projects in Chile contributed to project cancellations and lower expansion forecasts. In addition, low or negative wholesale electricity prices during periods of high renewable generation are weighing on revenues of merchant projects and long-term power supply contracts.
Flexible Grid Connections Could Unlock Additional Capacity
Flexible grid connections and better utilisation of existing power grids could ease a significant share of current connection bottlenecks. According to IEA calculations in the “Electricity 2026” report, this could allow generation, storage and demand projects totalling 1,200 to 1,600 GW that are already waiting worldwide to be connected to the grid.
Of this, 750 to 900 GW would come from connections where feed-in or consumption can be temporarily limited, and a further 450 to 700 GW from grid optimisation and targeted reinforcement.
Storage and hybrid power plants can also facilitate integration by feeding in electricity at a later time and reducing curtailment under suitable conditions. According to IEA model calculations, the levelised cost of electricity of such hybrid projects is below USD 75 per MWh in many regions, depending on location and delivery requirements.
To tap the potential of flexible grid connections and technical grid optimisation, the IEA also considers adjustments to regulatory frameworks necessary. At the same time, expanding grid infrastructure remains essential: according to IEA calculations, annual grid investment would need to rise by around 50 percent by 2030.
Source: IWR Online, 06 Nov 2026
