Transmission for the energy transition

This policy brief by Ember argues that national regulatory frameworks in Europe must be revised to allow for forward-looking and anticipatory grid planning to avoid slowing the energy transition.

• Grid planning is currently failing to keep pace with clean technology investments and policy changes, leading to long connection queues, increased renewable power curtailment, and rising congestion management costs.
• An analysis of 26 transmission system operators (TSOs) in Europe revealed that 11 grid plans relied on energy scenarios that significantly undershot existing policy targets, risking delays in necessary investments.
• There is a significant disconnect between TSO grid plans and industry market outlooks for solar power. Of 23 assessable grid plans, 19 used significantly lower solar capacities, resulting in a total difference of 205 GW less capacity for 2030 compared to SolarPower Europe outlooks.
• Current regulatory frameworks hinder anticipatory planning because TSOs must follow targets in national legislation, which often lag behind political ambition by approximately four years due to the time required for legislation and plan development.
• Ember recommends that the Commission provide guidance on "anticipatory planning" under the Grids Action Plan and that national regulators expand their oversight from cost assessment to assessing the adequacy of grid plans.

APA

Cremona, E. (2024). Transmission for the energy transition. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/03/Policy-Brief-2-pager.pdf

Chicago

Cremona, Elisabeth. Transmission for the energy transition. Ember, 2024. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/03/Policy-Brief-2-pager.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cremona |first1=Elisabeth |title=Transmission for the energy transition |publisher=Ember |date=10 April 2024 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/03/Policy-Brief-2-pager.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cremona2024transmission, author = {Cremona, Elisabeth}, title = {{Transmission for the energy transition}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2024}, month = apr, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/03/Policy-Brief-2-pager.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }