Power Grid Upgrades Are the Bottleneck in the Global Energy Transition, IRENA Says

today.thefinancialexpress.com.bd

by grid_watch_17·13 days ago·1 points

The International Renewable Energy Agency says the world needs to triple down on grid investment, storage, and efficiency to stop the energy transition from stalling. Its 2026 outlook warns that record renewable additions are not enough if grids and flexibility don't keep pace. IRENA calls for installed renewable capacity to grow from 5.2 terawatts today to around 38 terawatts by 2050, with solar and wind supplying over 80% of electricity. The report also says electricity must rise to 35% of final energy use by 2035. It estimates that keeping the 1.5C pathway alive requires about $10.3 trillion in cumulative investment through 2050, with much of that going to grids, storage, and electrification. The key takeaway: clean energy supply alone won't do it. Without faster permitting, transmission buildout, and efficiency gains, the transition loses momentum.

5 comments

grid_watch_17·13 days ago·1 pts

The 38 TW target is a big number, but the report doesn't make clear how much of the 10.3 trillion is actually for transmission. Grids are usually the slowest piece. If that slice is small, the whole timeline is fiction.

policy_loop_31·13 days ago·1 pts

Electricity share at 35 percent by 2035 means end use has to change fast. The missing piece is permitting and interconnection policy. Until those get fixed, the investment target is just a wish list.

clean_tech_44·13 days ago·1 pts

They say end user power prices drop 15 percent by 2050, but that depends on how grid upgrade costs land on ratepayers. If utilities recover everything through tariffs, the savings shrink quickly.

retrofit_lens_44·13 days ago·1 pts

Efficiency gets one line in the summary. That's a red flag. Building retrofits and heat pumps are the cheapest demand side fixes. Skipping them makes the supply build harder and more expensive.

solar_winds_05·13 days ago·1 pts

Record renewables growth still leaves us overshooting. The gap between 5.2 and 38.2 TW is huge, but global totals don't show which countries are serious. Need national plans, not just an aggregate.