Europe is adding clean generation at record pace, but grid capacity is not keeping up. The result: renewable projects that are delayed from connecting or are built yet curtailed.
This is a result of legacy infrastructure and planning models that were designed for a different system. Permitting for new lines can take years. In the meantime, more power is produced in places where the grid cannot absorb or deliver it.
Two things Europe needs
1. Keep building new infrastructure
Europe must continue to expand transmission capacity with new lines and substations to meet growing demand.
2. Get more from the infrastructure we have
This is where Grid Enhancing Technologies help by unlocking capacity on today’s network while new lines progress.
What GETs do in practice
Advanced Power Flow Control (APFC)
Redirects power off congested circuits and onto underused corridors to relieve bottlenecks and accelerate connections.
Dynamic Line Ratings (DLR)
Safely raises limits when conditions allow so more power can flow without compromising safety.
Advanced Conductors
Increases thermal capacity on existing routes to deliver permanent headroom.
Used together, GETs deliver capacity faster and at lower system cost than waiting for new builds alone.
APFC: from bridge to backbone
Before new lines: unlock capacity now
- Accelerate connections: Steer flows away from congested elements so new generation can connect sooner.
- Reduce curtailment and redispatch: Use spare headroom elsewhere on the network rather than paying to turn generation down.
- Targeted, quick deployment: Modular devices installed at substations with minimal disruption.
After new lines: ensure full value
Even with new circuits, physics pushes power along the easiest paths. Parts of the existing network can still overload while capacity remains on the new asset. APFC lets operators shape flows across the wider topology so new capacity can be fully used.
Bottom line: APFC is not a stop-gap. It helps operators continuously optimize legacy and newly built assets through their full lifecycle.
A system approach beats point solutions
No single technology can solve these challenges alone. The real value appears when technologies work together – combining APFC to direct flows with DLR to raise thermal limits when conditions allow, or advanced conductors to raise limits permanently. This coordinated approach integrates more clean energy, lowers system costs, and improves reliability.
See it at Enlit 2025: the CurrENT Grid Enhancing Pavilion
The Pavilion brings together companies across the GETs space with a shared goal: show how these technologies support Europe’s energy and climate goals by enhancing the grid, not just expanding it.
This is a collaborative platform where system operators, regulators, policymakers, and technology providers explore solutions to common challenges. The focus is on how these tools can work across regions, technologies, and market structures to improve outcomes for consumers and the system as a whole.
The Pavilion also reflects a broader need in the sector. It is time to rethink how we plan, operate, and invest in the grid. That means moving beyond static, infrastructure-heavy models and embracing flexible, data-driven, and dynamic solutions. It also means updating regulations to reflect new capabilities so operators can use these tools more widely and with greater confidence.
Contributing Expert
Hedd Roberts has been General Manager – Europe at Smart Wires since early 2022, working with customers across Europe to address their challenges with Smart Wires products and capabilities. Prior to that, he worked for National Grid in the UK in senior roles covering regulation, customer connections, system development, investment management, and the development of access and charging arrangements.
