Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 10 hrs ago
Outdated power grids threaten renewable energy expansion
Outdated power grids are slowing the shift to renewable energy because many cannot carry all the electricity produced by wind and solar farms.
The problem affects countries around the world, including China and India, where limited grid capacity has led to renewable electricity being curtailed.
Turkey and Australia want stronger climate goals at UN talks opening this week in Antalya, Turkey, including plans to cut fossil fuel use, expand renewables and upgrade grids.
The International Energy Agency says annual grid investment needs to rise about 50% from its current level of $400 billion to meet electricity demand through 2030.
Delays could prolong reliance on fossil fuels and increase global emissions, while also limiting how much clean power can be used.
In September, the UN launched the Global Grids Accelerator to help fund electricity infrastructure in Africa and Southeast Asia.
The talks are taking place this week, but the sources do not specify what decisions will follow.
Outdated power grids are limiting how much electricity countries can use from renewable sources such as wind and solar.
The International Energy Agency says annual grid investment needs to rise by about 50% from its current level of $400 billion to meet electricity demand through 2030.
At U.N. climate talks in Antalya, Turkey and Australia are seeking more ambitious goals on cutting fossil fuels, installing renewables and upgrading grids.
The U.N. launched the Global Grids Accelerator to speed up funding for electricity infrastructure in Africa and Southeast Asia.
Experts warn that grid delays could prolong reliance on fossil fuels and increase global emissions.
- Who
- Countries, grid operators and renewable energy developers are affected. Turkey and Australia are co-hosting the U.N. climate talks.
- What
- Aging power grids are struggling to accommodate electricity from expanding renewable energy sources.
- When
- The U.N. climate talks are kicking off this week, according to articles published Nov. 9, 2026.
- Where
- The talks are in Antalya, Turkey. The U.N. initiative targets grid funding in Africa and Southeast Asia.
- Why
- Many grids were designed for centralized power plants and cannot readily handle surging demand and growing renewable generation.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The U.N. launched the Global Grids Accelerator to speed up international funding for electricity infrastructure in Africa and Southeast Asia.
U.N. climate talks are kicking off in Antalya, where organizers are addressing grid upgrades.
- Annual grid investment today
- $400 billion
- Grid investment increase needed
- About 50% by 2030
- Annual electricity generation investment
- $1 trillion
- Global Grids Accelerator focus
- Africa and Southeast Asia
2 sources
What people are saying
There needs to be a massive, massive, massive scaling up of investments into grids if we are going to get close to meeting our climate, energy and development goals.
We’re very confident that the long-term trend is an acceleration of the pace of the energy transition, but we need the infrastructure, grids and storage, to really keep pace.
We have been complacent in the past and now the grid has become a real bottleneck.