This was said by panelists at Solar Media’s Solar Investment Finance Conference in London The National Energy System Operator’s gated grid connection process accelerates near-term deployment in Britain while providing a potential blueprint for network access reform in European markets facing similar connectivity gaps.
Britain entered 2025 with the largest grid connection queue in Europe by capacity, prompting a major overhaul that saw projects split into ports
John Cooper, senior manager of developments at Decerna Limited, said the reforms have forced developers to rethink how they progress projects in the short term. “What we see is a big focus on optimization,” he says. “Developers are reusing existing network connections and squeezing more capacity from assets that already have land, agreements and connections.”
Cooper added that projects of less than 5 MW at the distribution level are emerging as a viable route to market. Smaller solar and battery systems can be delivered in about twelve months, providing a way to continue construction while connections at the transmission level remain uncertain.
Ricardo Folgado, UK managing partner at TagEnergy, described the results of the grid connection reform as a “mixed bag”. While some projects have secured short-term connections, others are facing delays that are likely to feed into CAPEX planning and procurement. “There will be a rush to build,” he said. “Panels, batteries, transformers and circuit breakers are all critical items, and we are likely to see pressure on supply chains as projects try to downsize at the same time.”
Folgado warned that uncertainty over the supply of connections could also undermine the achievement of net zero targets. He noted that some Gate 2 Phase 1 bids were awarded to projects without planning permission, casting doubt on whether they would be built on time.
Anastasios Christakis, chief operating officer at Queequeg Renewables, says developers are becoming more cautious with their spending, especially when projects have secured Contracts for Difference or capacity market contracts but do not have confirmed grid dates. “You can’t spend money blindly,” he said. “Once you receive a connection date, you need to reassess the economics and ensure the project still works.”
The reforms are already creating depletion, especially within Gate 2, Phase 1. Christakis said projects without the balance sheet strength to build on are starting to fall away, prompting Neso to more closely examine financial capacity when reallocating capacity.
Geography is also becoming increasingly decisive. Cooper said Neso’s capacity allocation based on Clean Power 2030 targets will lead to clustering in certain regions, especially at the transmission level. “If your land is in an area that is not favored, viability becomes much more difficult,” he said.
Panelists agreed that standalone solar energy is becoming increasingly challenging. Folgado said returns are shrinking as cannibalization and negative prices increase. “Solar energy combined with batteries makes sense,” he said. “Stand-alone solar is much more difficult.”
This shift reflects trends elsewhere in Europe. While Britain is one of the first to overhaul its network queue on a massive scale, other markets are watching closely. Folgado cautioned that while the framework is sound in theory, implementation is difficult. “Rearranging a queue of this size is a huge job,” he said. “Other countries should not underestimate the complexity.”
Christakis added that Greece has already tried similar reforms, while Italy is preparing to follow. “The British process is structured and relatively transparent,” he said. “That is not easy in such an active market.”
As Europe pushes to add hundreds of GW of renewables this decade, the British experience is shaping a wider debate. Grid access, financial credibility and hybrid project design are becoming decisive factors, not just in Britain, but across the European solar and storage market.
