Distribution grid locks up 455 GW of European battery storage projects

From pv magazine España

A study by consultancy AFRY for Beyond Fossil Fuels finds that distribution grid connection queues are blocking approximately 455 GW of battery storage projects and 375 GW of renewable energy capacity across eight European markets, with the held-up clean energy assets valued at around €100 billion.

The analysis covers Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, and Spain, and concludes that distribution network constraints have become a structural barrier to energy transition deployment comparable in scale to transmission grid bottlenecks, but with far less regulatory transparency.

BESS connection queues are most severe in Germany and the United Kingdom, where backlogs each exceed 100 GW, according to AFRY. The consultancy warns that delays in bringing storage assets online raise system costs by limiting the ability to absorb renewable surpluses, reduce curtailment, and provide grid flexibility services.

Across the eight markets studied, distribution operators receive on average more than 11,000 annual connection requests for renewable energy and storage projects above 1 MW, of which around 70% relate to solar PV installations.

In Spain, AFRY said connection delays are affecting projects valued at approximately €7 billion. An increasing number of substations and access points are reaching saturation, creating lengthy waiting lists for new renewable and storage installations. The storage queue in Spain represents approximately 40% of the country’s national storage capacity target, the report found, indicating that battery storage deployment is advancing faster than the grid infrastructure needed to integrate it.

AFRY identifies six main causes behind the growing queues: insufficient distribution network expansion, inadequate forward planning, excessively long administrative and permitting processes, inefficient queue management systems, speculative projects reserving capacity without execution, and supply chain and qualified workforce constraints.

The report also flags a transparency gap. While transmission networks typically publish detailed information on available capacity and pending requests, distribution grid data remains fragmented and inconsistent across countries, complicating investment planning and increasing uncertainty for developers. AFRY called on distribution system operators to significantly improve their governance and administrative processes so that the energy transition can deliver results where it matters most — in communities, businesses, and homes.