India and the UK are set to enhance their International Solar Alliance (ISA) partnership with the launch of a new Green Grids Initiative connecting different parts of the world at the United Nations (UN) COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. The new Global Green Grids Initiative One Sun One World One Grid (GGI-OSOWOG) is an evolution of ISA’s OSOWOG multilateral drive to foster interconnected solar energy infrastructure at a global scale.

Features

The proposal is aimed at addressing the issue of reliability of supply from solar power plants, which do not generate electricity after the sun has set. A transnational grid would allow countries to source solar power from regions where it is daytime to meet their green energy needs even when their own installed solar capacity is not generating energy.

Positives

• OSOWOG is also aimed at addressing the issue of high cost of energy storage.
• The high cost of energy storage is a key challenge to boosting the use of renewable energy and that the OSOWOG initiative is a possible solution for driving down the need for storage, which in effect will reduce the costs of the energy transition.
• This initiative will bring together an international coalition of national governments, financial organisations, and power system operators to accelerate the construction of new infrastructure needed to deliver a massive scale-up of secure, reliable and affordable power, such as modern, flexible grids, charging points, and electricity interconnectors
• Apart from bringing down prices for solar water pumps, it is enabling technological transfer, storage solutions, financial assistance, along with skilling and enabling countries to adopt solar.

Challenges

• The transmission of power across vast distances would require large capital investment to set up long transmission lines.
• Transmission across great distances can potentially be very expensive. They have, however, noted that the first step of OSWOG would be solar power transfer between neighbouring countries.

Way forward

• India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal already share transmission capacity for energy transfer across borders which can be expanded further and utilised for the transfer of solar power between these countries.
• Because regional and international interconnected green grids can enable renewable energy sharing and balancing across international borders, this move is critical for future renewable-based energy systems globally.
• It allows for quick learning from global developments and sharing renewable energy resources in order to reduce global carbon emissions and protect societies from pandemics.
• Building institutions is critical to achieving the goals of a multi-country grid project. In this setting, the International Solar Alliance (ISA) can serve as an independent international institution, making decisions about how the grid should be run and resolving problems.

The International Solar Alliance has commissioned a study the feasibility of the OSOWOG project. The study will make an assessment on a country-by-country basis, examining projected power demand and supply as well as the renewable energy resource potential.

How to structure:

1. Give an intro about the latest India – UK green grid initiative
2. Explain the features of it.
3. Analyse the significance of the initiative- its positives and the impact
4. Suggest way forward conclude

Reference:

1. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/cop26-india-uk-green-grids-project-clean-energy-7605849