New energy projects are facing up to four-year waits just to connect to the grid, a delay that could stall the clean-energy push needed to offset geopolitical supply shocks. The slowdown is driven by a tangled web of approvals that now rivals the time required for construction. The global energy crisis, sparked by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has driven up oil and gas prices, prompting countries to accelerate clean-energy adoption. In this climate, Germany's streamlined approval process helped it nearly double wind and solar installations between 2022 and 2023. A June 2024 Deloitte report warned that the "gears of progress are often jammed by a convoluted web of separate approvals required from local, state, interstate, and federal authorities," and that new energy providers can expect a four-year wait just to connect to the grid. The International Energy Agency (IEA) found that permitting can take as long or longer than construction for large-scale renewable projects. Kyle Clark, president and CEO of BETA Technologies, said that "the level of technology that we have access to is always changing" and that "the next step, ironically, is to continue to expand our regulatory acceptance of new technologies." SolarPower Europe's Jonathan Bonadio added that "Permitting is one of the silver bullets of the energy transition," and the EIA analysis noted that COP 28's goal of tripling renewable capacity by the end of the decade is only feasible if governments cut down on lengthy permitting. If governments streamline permitting, the clean-energy sector could meet mid-century climate targets and reduce dependence on volatile fossil-fuel supplies. A faster regulatory framework would also allow startups to bring disruptive technologies to market more quickly, balancing innovation with safety.