02 June 2026

Grid Expectations: The distribution backlog stalling Europe’s energy transition

A new report by AFRY, and commissioned by Beyond Fossil Fuels, reveals that 375 GW of renewable projects and 455 GW of battery storage projects—worth over €100 billion—are currently stuck in local distribution grid queues across Europe. These delays are slowing the rollout of clean energy and weakening Europe’s clean economic competitiveness in the energy transition. 

Distribution system operators (DSOs) are the primary enablers in delivering affordable renewable energy and flexibility solutions from local electricity networks directly to households, businesses, and municipalities. But DSOs are struggling to connect new renewable and storage projects fast enough to match the speed of the energy transition. Poor governance structures and capacity constraints create bottlenecks that leave projects piled up in the queue.

In the midst of the current energy crisis, shifting away from volatile fossil fuel markets has become increasingly urgent. The report calls on policymakers, regulators, and DSOs to reform governance structures and grid connection processes to remove barriers and enable faster grid access for renewable energy and storage projects.

The €100bn bottleneck: