Wind energy, which had to be consolidated as one of the pillars of European energy independence, has suffered a historic production cut between January and September due to the structural limitations of the electrical networks.
The phenomenon reflects a growing imbalance: installed renewable capacity is advancing at a faster rate than the infrastructure necessary to transport and store the electricity generated.
The situation has caused thousands of megawatts of production to not reach consumers, while operators are financially compensated for disconnecting part of their turbines or solar panels.
Excess energy without sufficient network
Figures published by the LSEG data agency, cited by Bloomberg, reveal that some of the main European economies – including Spain, Germany, France and southern Sweden— have experienced record rates of reduction in wind energy production.
In Spain, the reduction rate rose to 12.2% in the first nine months of the year, compared to 9% in the same period of 2024. In France it went from 3.8% to 5.3%, in Germany from 4.5% to 4.9% and in southern Sweden from 2% to 2.4%.
These figures confirm that excess generation at times of high production cannot be absorbed by existing electrical networks. When the wind blows strongly or the sun shines continuously, transportation and distribution capacity is overwhelmed, forcing operators to disconnect part of their facilities.
In exchange, they receive compensation that is financed through the mechanisms of the electricity market, increasing the total cost of the system.
Scotland, an extreme example of the problem
Outside the scope of the European Union, Scotland has experienced an even more striking scenario. During the first half of the year, the country’s offshore wind turbines had to intentionally reduce their generation 37% of the time. As reported by the Financial Timesthat amount represents about 4 TWh of electricity that was not produced, a figure equivalent to the annual consumption of more than one million homes.
The lack of demand in certain regions and the shortage of interconnections that allow electricity to be transferred to other areas with energy needs are the main causes of this situation.
The Scottish case is, to say the least, paradoxical: while wind energy continues to expand with new installations, the grid cannot manage the additional flow of electricity. Limitations in infrastructure not only affect efficiency, but They also impact the profitability of the sectorsince companies must assume scheduled shutdowns and lower income.
A challenge for European energy policy
The European Commission and Member States recognize that the main bottleneck is in the transport network.
During her speech in September, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, admitted that the continent’s electricity system “is not adapted to Europe’s energy futureNational networks remain fragmented and cross-border interconnectors are insufficient or underused.
According to Brussels estimates, Between 2 trillion euros and 2.3 trillion euros of investment will be needed until 2050 to adapt the electrical network to the needs derived from the growth of renewable energies.
Without this modernization, countries run the risk of wasting part of the electricity generated and slowing down the decarbonization of their energy matrix.
The problem also extends to storage systems. The lack of capacity to accumulate the surplus limits the flexibility of the networks and forces them to resort to temporary solutions, such as payment for disconnection.
European authorities have already begun to study the possibility of introducing additional incentives for the development of large-scale batteries and green hydrogen technologies that allow surpluses to be used.