Conference on Transnational Grid Interconnections for One Sun, One World, One Grid held in New Delhi

Source: The post is based on the article “Conference on Transnational Grid Interconnections for One Sun, One World, One Grid held in New Delhi” published in PIB on 6th September 2023

What is the News?

The conference on “Transnational Grid Interconnections for One Sun, One World, One Grid (OSOWOG)” was held in New Delhi.

The conference was organized by Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID), a ‘Maharatna’ company under the Ministry of Power.

What is One Sun, One World, One Grid (OSOWOG) Initiative?

Origin: The idea for the One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) initiative was put forth by the Prime Minister of India at the First Assembly of the ISA in 2018. 

Launched in: It was jointly launched by the Prime Minister of India and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the ‘Accelerating Innovation and Clean Technology Deployment’ event at the World Leaders Summit held on 2 November 2021 during COP26.

Vision: The vision behind the OSOWOG initiative is the mantra that “the sun never sets”.

Aim: To aid in developing a worldwide grid through which clean energy can be transmitted anywhere, anytime (use power at night in one part of the world from solar energy generated on the other side of the world where it is day time). 

How will the OSOWOG Initiative be implemented?

OSOWOG is divided into three main phases:

In the first phase, the Indian grid would be connected to the grids of Middle East, South Asia and South-East Asia to develop a common grid. This grid would then be used to share solar energy as per need, in addition to other renewable energy sources.

The second phase would connect the functional first phase to the pool of renewable resources in Africa.

The third phase would look at achieving true global interconnection.The idea will be to integrate as many countries as possible to create a single power grid of renewable energy.This can then be accessed by all countries.

How will the OSOWOG Initiative help the world become more sustainable?

All participants in the initiative will focus on attracting effective investments in renewable energy sources by utilizing technology, finance and skill.When all stakeholders coordinate, it is expected to bring down project cost, lead to higher efficiencies and increased asset utilization for all involved.

The initiative may also have a spillover effect as the cost effective source of energy production could be used in other areas such as poverty alleviation, provision of drinking water, sanitation facilities and food security.