In the EU, six times more renewable energy capacity is waiting for grid connection than was installed last year.
EnvironmentEuropean Union
- Omissions
- The exact figure of 'six times' does not appear in any source found; the sources describe the phenomenon (a very large grid-connection queue) but with a different comparator ('more than three times the capacity required to hit 2030 climate and energy targets') and a broader geographic scope (16 European countries, not strictly the EU-27).
- The most concrete figure found (around 1,700 GW waiting in grid queues across 16 European countries) is far larger than six times the ~80 GW the EU added in 2025, which would imply a much higher multiple; however, this source covers a wider geography and a different comparator, so the discrepancy cannot be resolved.
- Sources found are secondary (a platform reporting on a study, a news aggregator, a consultancy-driven news article) or, for the IEA, a global (not EU-specific) figure; no EU primary/official source quantifying the queue-to-2025-installations ratio was located.
- One source (Euronews, June 2026) and the Solar Data Atlas snapshot (June 2026) were published after earlier reporting but describe the same 2024-2026 period, so timing is not the limiting factor — the missing element is an official EU figure matching the claim's specific ratio.
- Sources
- PrimaryIEA — Electricity 2026, Grids analysisOver 2 500 GW of renewable, large-load and storage projects are currently stalled in grid queues worldwide.
- SecondaryGlobal Society (reporting on grid-queuing study)Across 16 countries, around 1,700 gigawatts (GW) of renewable projects are waiting in the queue for connection, more than three times the capacity required to hit 2030 climate and energy targets.
- SecondaryEuropean Timeswith 1,700 GW of renewable energy blocked in connection queues, i.e. waiting to be integrated into the system. This figure is more than three times more than is needed to meet the European Union's 2030 climate and energy targets.
- SecondaryEuronewsMore than €100 billion of renewables are stuck in Europe's outdated energy grid, as communities across the continent wait years for solar panels and heat pumps.