Page 15 - AsiaElec Week 44 2021
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AsiaElec GRIDS AsiaElec
UK, India launch Green Grids
Initiative at COP26
INDIA THE UK and India have launched the Green ensuring that clean power is the most affordable
Grids Initiative in Glasgow at COP26. The new and reliable option for all countries to meet their
flagship international initiative will improve energy needs efficiently by 2030.”
links between transmission grids in order to He added: “This will help all of us to meet the
accelerate the global transition to a clean pow- goals of the Paris Agreement and keep the target
ered world of renewable energy, they said. of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees
“It’s fantastic that over 80 countries have alive, while also stimulating green investment
backed our newly launched Green Grids Initia- and supporting millions of jobs worldwide.”
tive, whose collaboration will not only see greater In theory, power from large solar and wind
growth, jobs and investment in our global green projects will be able to be transfered internation-
future, but also make sure no one is left without ally by modern transmission grids to so-called
access to energy,” said UK Prime Minister Boris load or demand centres. That means that the
Johnson. intermittency of renewable energy would be
The initiative was announced in the presence alleviated.
of US President Joe Biden and other heads of The sun shines at different times of the day in
government. France, the US, UK and India are different parts of the world, while wind power
on the steering group. is also variable, though increasingly predictable
The news is important because the initiative with modern meteorological modelling. In prac-
will accelerate the development and deployment tice, long-distance transmission even within one
of interconnected electricity grids across conti- large developed economy – such as the US – has
nents, countries and communities, and improve proved to be pricey and hard to plan and permit.
energy access of the poorest through mini-grids “We’re talking about transmission networks
and off-grid solutions, said the UK and Indian that will need to be undersea. They will need
governments. to cross mountain ranges. They’ll need to cross
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi deserts,” Kartikeya Singh, senior associate at
described the initiative as a “transformational Washington-based Center for Strategic and
new programme, with the goal of making uni- International Studies, told Reuters.
versal access to renewable energy a reality, by
Week 44 03•November•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P15
