The Couture wind farm in Poitou-Charentes, south-west France, is in limbo. Despite having planning permission, construction of the 33.3 megawatt wind farm, which could power 30,000 houses, is on hold. The problem: gridlock on the grid.
The project’s developer BayWa RE says the wind farm is facing an eight-year wait before it can obtain a connection to the grid — the network of cables, substations and transformers that takes electricity around regions, countries and across borders to power our homes, offices and factories.