Renewable Energy Going to Waste Due to Grid Bottleneck

Power grid infrastructure worldwide has not kept pace with the significant growth of renewable energy, according to an article from international media outlet Nikkei. The world increased renewable power capacity by an impressive 64 percent last year, reports Nikkei staff writer Misa Hama reports. But many of the projects lack grid access, meaning much of the energy produced  — the equivalent of 480 nuclear reactors worth, to be precise  — is going to waste.

It’s primarily wind and solar power that’s going to waste in the United States, where “the capacity of renewable facilities without grid access reached 1,500 GW on an output basis in 2023, a ninefold increase since 2015, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California,” the article reads. A source interviewed for the piece attributes the sharp increase in part to the Inflation Reduction Act, which promotes renewable energy through tax incentives.

The lack of grid capacity could stall the transition away from fossil fuels and to renewable and clean energy. Fortunately, Hama reports, “Recognizing this risk, some governments are taking steps to address the issue. In early August, the U.S. announced an additional $2.2 billion investment to upgrade its power grids” and other governments worldwide are following suit.