Electricity grids: Key policy actions

This policy brief by Ember provides recommendations for the European Commission's Grids Action Plan, arguing that power grids must become the backbone of the energy system to achieve a carbon-neutral economy by 2050. The document identifies critical gaps in investment, data transparency, and planning frameworks, proposing a shift toward anticipatory grid investments and integrated system-level planning to ensure grid constraints do not hinder renewable energy deployment.

• The power grid is projected to be the central component of the energy system by 2050, transporting 50% or more of Europe's energy to enable a carbon-neutral economy.
• There is a significant investment gap in distribution grids; while REPowerEU estimates grid investments at €583.8 billion by 2030 (with €400 billion for distribution), current annual spending by DSOs in EU27+UK countries is €25 billion, falling short of the €34-39 billion needed by 2030.
• In Poland, incomplete market unbundling has led to Distribution System Operators remaining integrated with fossil fuel producers, creating conflicts of interest that may have contributed to 51 GW of grid connection declines in 2022, a 253 percent increase over 2021.
• Significant renewable energy capacities are stalled in connection queues across Europe, with Spain and Italy having nearly 200 GW of wind and solar waiting, and France having nearly 50 GW.
• Ember recommends reforming grid connection queues by moving from a "first come, first served" model to a "first ready, first served" cluster approach, citing the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) as a successful example.
• Current power system planning is fragmented across separate processes for generation, transmission, flexibility, and electrolysers, which Ember argues prevents the identification of the most efficient system-level solutions and risks derailing national climate ambitions.
• To improve coordination, Ember suggests establishing an independent central coordinator for power system planning, potentially utilizing national regulators and ACER to avoid creating a new institution.

APA

Czyzak, D. P., & Cremona, E. (2022). Electricity grids: Key policy actions. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2023/10/Electricity-grids-Key-policy-actions.pdf

Chicago

Czyzak, Dr. Pawel, and Elisabeth Cremona. Electricity grids: Key policy actions. Ember, 2022. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2023/10/Electricity-grids-Key-policy-actions.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Czyzak |first1=Dr. Pawel |last2=Cremona |first2=Elisabeth |title=Electricity grids: Key policy actions |publisher=Ember |date=26 October 2022 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2023/10/Electricity-grids-Key-policy-actions.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{czyzak2022electricity, author = {Czyzak, Dr. Pawel and Cremona, Elisabeth}, title = {{Electricity grids: Key policy actions}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2022}, month = oct, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2023/10/Electricity-grids-Key-policy-actions.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }