Europe has invested heavily in renewable generation. It has barely begun to upgrade the infrastructure needed to deliver it.
Germany curtailed enough wind power in 2025 to supply 2.8 million homes — not because the turbines were not spinning, but because the grid could not absorb the electricity. Spain experienced negative wholesale prices on 47 days, forcing solar producers to pay to offload power. Across Europe, the story is the same: generation is outpacing the infrastructure needed to move electrons from where they are produced to where they are consumed.
The European Commission estimates that 584 billion euros in grid investment is needed by 2030 to meet renewable targets. Current spending runs at roughly 60% of that pace. The gap is widening because permitting for new transmission lines takes 7-10 years in most EU countries — longer than building the renewable capacity the lines are meant to carry.