CONNECTED ENERGY Supergrid projects
CONNECTED ENERGY Supergrid projects
Desertec First proposed by a German-led consortium in 2009 , the Desertec project aims to harvest solar power in the Mediterranean and other deserts of the world and use HVDC to transmit the electricity to population centres . Medgrid Similar to Desertec , the Medgrid plan calls for developing 20 gigawatts of solar power generation in North Africa , of which 5 GW would be exported to Europe . The Medgrid electricity network would become the backbone of the European supergrid . China ’ s supergrid To deliver solar and wind resources from the north and hydropower from the south to cities in the southeast , China has installed the most extensive .
factors ,” said Jessica Lewis , senior research analyst with Navigant Research . “ These include limited political will , lack of harmonized standards , complex authorization and permitting procedures for cross-border transmission projects , and a conventional view of energy security as a national imperative , with individual countries reluctant to leave their supply security in the hands of others .”
Though complications exist , the idea that coordinated supergrids would allow high-volume electricity trade across long distances and facilitate the development of renewables where the resource potential is strongest , rather than where it is most convenient , is driving interest .
The utility sector does not operate with the same timescale as most other industries . Short to medium term can be 10-20 years , based on a history of providing stability above everything else . That stability is under threat today . We now realise the direct connection between the electricity sector and the resolution of some of our most critical planetary challenges , such as climate change and urbanisation .
“ For supergrids to see the day , we will need to be making grid-related decisions
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