India And UK To Launch Solar Grid Project ‘Green Grids Initiative’ At COP26: Report

Green Grids Initiative project aims to create a global grid that will transfer Sun's power from one place to another, and is based on the idea that the Sun is always visible in some part of the world

New Delhi: India and the UK are set to launch a project that aims to generate a solar grid that will connect countries in different parts of the world. The project, Green Grids Initiative, will be launched on Tuesday at the ongoing COP26, the 26th United Nations Climate Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, Associated Press reported.

What Is The Green Grids Initiative?

The Green Grids Initiative is a project that aims to create a global grid that will transfer the Sun's power from one place to another, the AP report said, quoting Ajay Mathur, the director-general of the International Solar Alliance.

The project is based on the idea that the Sun is always visible in some part of the world.

The Green Grids Initiative is being initiated by the International Solar Alliance, which was launched by India and France at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference. 

India and the UK are a part of this initiative. 

The new Green Grids Initiative, to be launched at COP26 on Tuesday, will mark a merging of interconnection initiatives from India and the UK as part of their bilateral cooperation.
The power demand in India is increasing at a fast pace. Such countries are highly dependent on fossil fuels, which, on being burnt, generate greenhouse gases that lead to global warming. 

The reason why some countries do not completely switch to greener alternatives like solar energy is that this renewable source of energy cannot be harnessed at night.
Quoting Mathur, the AP report said when it is dark in East Asia, it is daytime in India, and a cable between India and East Asia will provide solar electricity to the latter region. 
The project is unique because it is the first attempt to create a global network. 

Solar power will become as cheap as power generation from fossil fuels in the next three years, estimates Mathur. As a result, it new solar power plants and storage facilities can be easily built. 

However, in order for the project to be successful, countries with different priorities will have to reach complex agreements.

Mathur said he wants the project to start with a "coalition of the willing". This means that two countries should be mutually benefitted from solar electricity transfer.  

The framework of rules and the way the interconnection will work will be based on the countries' decision.

Mathur said the number of willing countries will keep increasing over time with decreasing costs and increasing certainties.

Also, investors need to be convinced about the safety of the project, and it is necessary to ensure that electricity is generated at affordable prices, he added. 

Potential Challenges Of The Project

If the path between two countries is impassable, it will be difficult to create a connection. In such cases, long cables passing beneath the ocean will be needed and would result in increased costs.

Mathur said the timeline is "fairly aggressive", yet, it would take a year for the first projects connecting different regional grids to be completed.