‘Lack of vision’: UK green energy projects in limbo as grid struggles to keep pace

theguardian.com:

“If the government had a consistent well-thought-through vision, this would have been absolutely obvious,” says Harald Överholm.

The chief executive of the Swedish solar firm Alight is one of many frustrated renewable energy developers hoping to build green energy projects to power Britain’s homes and businesses with affordable, clean electricity. The catch? These projects could be forced to wait more than a decade for a chance to connect to the UK’s electricity grid, as Britain suffers the longest backlog in Europe.

Windfarms, solar arrays, and battery projects are stuck in gridlock for up to 15 years as the UK’s electricity grid struggles to keep pace with the appetite for more clean energy – including a car factory being forced to wait until 2037.

The delays threaten to undermine decades of work to attract the investment needed to support the UK’s clean energy ambitions, and risks derailing Britain’s progress towards legally binding climate targets.

So how did a country so eager to boost its renewable energy supply fail to foresee this bottleneck?

Överholm blames the government for failing to anticipate the upgrades Britain’s electricity grid would require to support a deluge of green projects. “It’s sad when national governments lack that vision.”

To date, his company has plans to build a 70MW ground-mounted solar farm, and smaller rooftop solar projects for industrial energy users. There are many opportunities in rooftop solar, he says, but he wouldn’t pursue these further until there is change.

“We’re observing what’s going on. For now, it’s hopeless,” he says.

Överholm has joined a growing chorus of renewable developers calling for urgent reforms to the queueing system for renewable energy projects while work is