One Sun, One World, One Grid (OSOWOG)

In News

• Recently, an initiative was announced by India and the United Kingdom to tap solar energy and have it travel seamlessly across borders.
  • They call for ‘One Sun, One World, One Grid’ to improve the viability of solar power.

About

• It was announced on the second day of the COP26. The focus is to improve the viability of solar power.
• This brings together the International Solar Alliance and the UK’s green grid initiative and complements India’s focus on harnessing the sun’s energy.
• The grid will be set up over the next few years by the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

India’s Input

• Fossil fuel:
  • The industrial revolution was powered by fossil fuels. Several countries prospered by the use of fossil fuels but it also left our Earth and environment poorer. 
  • The race for fossil fuels also created geopolitical tensions. 
• ISRO: 
  • India’s space agency ISRO will soon provide the world with a calculator that can measure the solar energy potential of any region across the globe.
• Suryopanishad: 
  • In India, it has been mentioned in the ancient text, in the Suryopanishad, that everything is created from the Sun, the source of all energy is the Sun and it is the energy from the Sun that nurtures all. 
• Connection:
  • Till the time this connection with nature was maintained, the planet stayed protected and healthy.

One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) Initiative

• Origin: 
  • The concept of a single global grid for solar was first outlined at the First Assembly of the ISA in late 2018. 
• Aim: 
  • It envisions building and scaling inter-regional energy grids to share solar energy across the globe, leveraging the differences of time zones, seasons, resources, and prices between countries and regions. 
• Cooperative efforts: 
  • It includes a group of governments called the Green Grids Initiative — One Sun One World One Grid group — and was announced at COP26 by summit host United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 
  • The announcement was accompanied by the “One Sun Declaration”, which stated that, “realising the vision of ‘One Sun One World One Grid’ through interconnected green grids can be transformational, enabling all of us to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement to prevent dangerous climate change, to accelerate the clean energy transition, and to achieve the sustainable development goals.
• Green Grids Initiative Working Groups: 
  • It has been made up of national and international agencies that have already been established for Africa and for the Asia-Pacific region. 
  • Their membership includes most major multilateral development banks, such as the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.
• Three Phases of the Plan:
  • First Phase: It will entail interconnectivity within the Asian continent.
  • Second Phase: It will add Africa.
  • Third Phase: It is about global interconnection.

Significance

• Using unlimited energy potential: In one hour, the earth’s atmosphere receives enough sunlight to power the electricity needed by every human being on earth for a year. This unlimited energy is completely clean and sustainable. 
• Single biggest challenge handled: The only challenge is that solar energy is only available during the day and is dependent on weather conditions. One Sun, One World, One Grid is a solution for this very challenge.
• Storage: It will reduce the need for storage and increase the viability of solar projects. 
• New avenues: It will not only reduce carbon footprint and cost of energy but open up new avenues for cooperation between different regions and different countries.
• Decarbonise: It will also help decarbonise energy production, which is today the largest source of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Way Ahead

• Harmonisation between ‘One Sun, One World, One Grid’ and the Green Grid Initiative (GGI) will help in developing a joint and robust global grid.

Source: TH