The Energy Transition Accelerated Power Plants, but Forgot the “Electricity Highways”: Without Cables, Towers, and Reinforcements, Entire Projects Are Stalled and Clean Energy Doesn’t Reach Homes Even When There Is Excess Generation

Written by Noel Budeguer

Published on 10/02/2026 at 17:54

Updated on 10/02/2026 at 17:55

Gargalos nas redes elétricas globais travam mais de 2.500 GW de projetos de energia limpa e aumentam o desperdício de geração renovável. Saiba o que diz o novo relatório da IEA.

1 person reacted to this.

Bottlenecks in Global Power Grids Stifle Over 2,500 GW of Clean Energy Projects and Increase Renewable Generation Wastage. Find Out What the New IEA Report Says.

The world is racing to replace fossil fuels with clean sources, such as solar and wind. However, this race has hit a giant invisible obstacle: infrastructure. According to the new report Electricity 2026 from the International Energy Agency (IEA), the current state of global power grids has become the main challenge for the energy transition.

Currently, there are over 2,500 gigawatts (GW) in energy projects waiting for connection around the planet. To put this in perspective, this is enough energy to power entire continents, but it is “stuck in line.” There are solar farms, wind farms, battery parks, and even new data centers ready to operate, but they cannot because there are not enough cables and transmission towers to deliver this electricity to consumers.

Why Are Power Grid Bottlenecks Stalling the Future?

One of the terms that worries experts the most is curtailment — which is nothing more than the forced reduction of power generation. When the day is very sunny or excessively windy, plants produce as much as they can. If the power grids cannot handle that volume or have no place to send the excess, operators are forced to “shut down” renewable plants to avoid overloading the system.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Investment and Technology: The Way Out for Power Grid Bottlenecks

The IEA warns that it is not enough to build more plants; it is necessary to modernize the path that energy takes. It is estimated that annual investments in power grids need to soar from US$ 400 billion to US$ 600 billion by 2030.

But the solution is not just about erecting more poles. The report points out that the use of smart technologies and new types of contracts can help unlock the system:

Advanced Controls: Sensors that allow cables to carry more energy when temperature conditions are favorable.
Flexible Connections: Agreements where companies agree to reduce their generation during peak times in exchange for much faster and cheaper connections.
Batteries: Installing storage systems to hold excess solar and wind energy and use it during times when the grid is less occupied.

Demand Growth Doesn’t Wait

While power grids try to adapt, global electricity consumption continues to rise rapidly. The increase is driven by air conditioning usage (due to extreme heat), the popularity of electric vehicles, and the explosive growth of Artificial Intelligence, which requires data centers operating 24/7.

If there is not an urgent reform of the infrastructure, we risk having a world with cutting-edge technology and clean energy available, but without “electric roads” to transport it. The challenge from 2026 onward will be to ensure that the planet’s wiring keeps pace with our climate and digital ambitions through more modern and resilient power grids.

The Energy Transition Accelerated Power Plants, but Forgot the “Electricity Highways”: Without Cables, Towers, and Reinforcements, Entire Projects Are Stalled and Clean Energy Doesn’t Reach Homes Even When There Is Excess Generation

Bottlenecks in Global Power Grids Stifle Over 2,500 GW of Clean Energy Projects and Increase Renewable Generation Wastage. Find Out What the New IEA Report Says.

Why Are Power Grid Bottlenecks Stalling the Future?

Investment and Technology: The Way Out for Power Grid Bottlenecks

Demand Growth Doesn’t Wait

Gaddafi built the world’s largest artificial river under the Sahara — it’s 4,000 km of giant pipes that pump 40,000-year-old fossil water to entire cities in Libya.

Discovery in Africa scares even scientists: a study published on April 23 reveals that the crust in Turkana has become so thin that it could pave the way for the continent’s division and the emergence of an ocean in the future, in a gigantic geological transformation.

Austria inaugurates Europe’s first high-speed railway outside China — trains travel at 250 km/h through 33 km tunnels in the Alps that took 27 years to drill

An unmanned Russian ship has been drifting in the Mediterranean for 57 days with 60,000 tons of gas — the second towing attempt has just failed.

2 scientists analyzed in a new study whether the construction of a mega dam in the Bering Strait could be the last barrier against climate collapse, to protect one of the world’s most important ocean currents.

An MIT startup is betting on superhot geothermal in Oregon and building the world’s first plant of its kind, targeting rocks above 300°C to generate 50 MW by 2030 and expand the project to 250 MW with few wells.

5 wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing cars that hid absurd mechanics, from a sedan with a Ferrari V8 and a Toyota with a twin-turbo 2JZ to a Saab wagon that gave Porsches a run for their money and the brutal Lotus Carlton disguised as an Omega

End of the 6×1 work schedule could expand women’s access to the labor market, says minister, linking a shorter workweek, two days of rest, and combating the overburdening of women to greater dignity and equal pay in the country.

Women experience a “7×0 schedule” in care work, dedicating almost 10 more hours per week to home and family, and sustaining an invisible routine that extends across holidays, weekends, and mental health.

Smart bin in London tracked pedestrians’ cell phones, used WiFi to measure urban circulation, raised a privacy alert, and showed how a simple bin can become a street spy.

The Energy Transition Accelerated Power Plants, but Forgot the “Electricity Highways”: Without Cables, Towers, and Reinforcements, Entire Projects Are Stalled and Clean Energy Doesn’t Reach Homes Even When There Is Excess Generation

Bottlenecks in Global Power Grids Stifle Over 2,500 GW of Clean Energy Projects and Increase Renewable Generation Wastage. Find Out What the New IEA Report Says.

Why Are Power Grid Bottlenecks Stalling the Future?

Investment and Technology: The Way Out for Power Grid Bottlenecks

Demand Growth Doesn’t Wait

Gaddafi built the world’s largest artificial river under the Sahara — it’s 4,000 km of giant pipes that pump 40,000-year-old fossil water to entire cities in Libya.

Discovery in Africa scares even scientists: a study published on April 23 reveals that the crust in Turkana has become so thin that it could pave the way for the continent’s division and the emergence of an ocean in the future, in a gigantic geological transformation.

Austria inaugurates Europe’s first high-speed railway outside China — trains travel at 250 km/h through 33 km tunnels in the Alps that took 27 years to drill

An unmanned Russian ship has been drifting in the Mediterranean for 57 days with 60,000 tons of gas — the second towing attempt has just failed.

2 scientists analyzed in a new study whether the construction of a mega dam in the Bering Strait could be the last barrier against climate collapse, to protect one of the world’s most important ocean currents.

An MIT startup is betting on superhot geothermal in Oregon and building the world’s first plant of its kind, targeting rocks above 300°C to generate 50 MW by 2030 and expand the project to 250 MW with few wells.

Climate change and pollution elevate heart risks: analysis with over 8 million people links extreme heat to 7.5% more complications and 9.5% more deaths, while pollutants already appear in 13% of cardiovascular deaths.

An online tool recreates the position of your house on Earth over up to 320 million years and shows how tectonic plates, lost continents, and geological collisions changed the planet’s map up to the present day.

China proposes to transform the rarefied atmosphere of Mars into electricity, heat, and fuel with CO₂, nuclear microreactors, and a Sabatier reactor, in a study that could reduce dependence on cargo sent from Earth and pave the way for more autonomous human missions.

The USA approves a 1,200 MW pumped-hydro plant with a 40-year license and prepares a hydro megabattery to store wind and solar energy for up to 12 hours in Washington.

5 wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing cars that hid absurd mechanics, from a sedan with a Ferrari V8 and a Toyota with a twin-turbo 2JZ to a Saab wagon that gave Porsches a run for their money and the brutal Lotus Carlton disguised as an Omega

End of the 6×1 work schedule could expand women’s access to the labor market, says minister, linking a shorter workweek, two days of rest, and combating the overburdening of women to greater dignity and equal pay in the country.

Women experience a “7×0 schedule” in care work, dedicating almost 10 more hours per week to home and family, and sustaining an invisible routine that extends across holidays, weekends, and mental health.

Smart bin in London tracked pedestrians’ cell phones, used WiFi to measure urban circulation, raised a privacy alert, and showed how a simple bin can become a street spy.