Featured in From the ground up – 04-2024

The smarter E special: Broken transmission

There has been a strong European contribution to solar’s record run as the continent has battled high energy prices and fear of scarcity by piling on modules. Easy wins were won before “grid congestion” was even a well-known phrase, leading to a struggle with electricity system operators to allow grid connections. PV projects are now ready to go but getting their power into the grid is another matter.
Electricity grids were not designed with multiple renewable-energy generators in mind so new transmission lines are needed. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons

 Solar’s record run of growth in Europe has reached new heights for three consecutive years, from 2021 to 2023. In 2024, several factors are leading to a demand slowdown across regions struggling with grid upgrades, higher project financing costs, and energy price decreases from competing fossil fuel sources.The ease with which PV systems can be …

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