The race to get wind projects built in time for the production tax credit (PTC) is putting strain on the entire industry supply chain, from logistics companies to turbine suppliers. But the biggest immediate challenge for developers may simply be getting new projects plugged into the grid.

The cost of connecting new US wind farms has risen fivefold or more in key development regions amid the gold rush for fading federal subsidies, an extraordinary increase that’s forcing developers into less-windy areas where spare transmission capacity is still available.