One Sun One World One Grid — A Key Initiative to Improve Viability of Solar Power
The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have launched a ‘green grids’ initiative — the One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) on the sidelines of COP26 Summit held in Glasgow . The project is aimed at connecting energy grids across countries to enable a faster transition to the use of renewable energy. The Indian PM further called for ‘One Sun, One World, One Grid’ to improve the viability of solar power and announced that ISRO, India’s space agency, will soon provide the world a calculator that can measure solar energy potential of any region across the globe.
Though the Indian Prime Minister has talked about the idea before, but the One Sun One World One Grid initiative launched in Glasgow now has the backing of more than 80 countries, including Australia, the UK and the US. The alliance is just one example of a growing movement to create regional and, eventually, global “super grids”: long-distance, high-voltage cables linking each country’s growing renewable power output.
One Sun One World One Grid
One Sun One World One Grid idea was first proposed by India at the International Solar Alliance in 2018 to allow countries with surplus renewable energy to send energy to energy-deficient countries.
The Indian PM said, “If the world has to move to a clean and green future, these interconnected transnational grids are going to be critical solutions.”
A transnational grid would enable 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.
OSOWOG is also aimed at addressing the issue of the high cost of energy storage. The high cost of energy storage is a key challenge to boosting the use of renewable energy and 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.
How ‘One Sun One World One Grid’ Initiative Will Help
➪ A large amount of energy is only accessible during the daytime and is weather-dependent. Therefore, the ‘One Sun One World One Grid’ will contribute to the creation of a global grid that allows renewable energy to be sent anywhere, at any point in time.
➪ It will also help in the reduction of storage requirements.
➪ The OSOWOG effort will help to cut carbon emissions and save money on electricity.
➪ It will open up new channels of communication between regions and nations.
Cross-border electricity trade with deregulated power markets has the potential to optimize renewable energy systems and help reduce the cost of electricity. A long-term view and commitment to developing a global grid will attract investment, manage country-specific risks, create jobs and encourage technology development.
