One Sun, one World, One Grid – hurray!

By Jena Griffiths | November 13, 2021

Possibly one of the most promising commitments to come out of COP26,  the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference, is the idea of an international grid of clean energy. Beautifully explained here by William Ury, author of Getting to Yes and several other books.

This interview with Ury thanks to the pocketproject.org

What happens if we all work together? Ury also explained the concept of radical inclusion and the importance of compassionate listening.

“Listening to understand is the key art to transforming our lives and the lives around us” says William Ury.

See about 31 minutes 30 into the conversation, regarding the concept of radical inclusion
inspired by a poem from a 100 years ago


“They drew a circle and shut me out.
A rebel, a heretic, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win.
We drew a circle and took them in.”

 


For this project to work what is required is radical inclusion, says Ury.
We need to open our arms and reach out to the climate deniers, and families of coal miners or steel workers and draw a wider circle to include them in the solution. This requires deep listening to these people and include them and take care of them such as providing jobs in harvesting solar energy instead of fossil fuels. We can work backwards by imagining a clean energy future 10 years ahead of now. To achieve this, what needs to be in place 9 years from now? 7 years? 5 years? … And lastly, what do we need to do this year to be on track.

 

More about the One Sun One world One grid initiative

Text below re the One World – One Sun – One Grid project

taken verbatim from the UN Climate Change Conference 2021 website:

2 November 2021

Green Grids Initiative – One Sun One World One Grid: One Sun Declaration

“The untapped potential of the sun is well known – all the energy humanity uses in a year is equal to the energy that reaches the earth from the sun in a single hour. The sun never sets – every hour, half the planet is bathed in sunshine. By trading energy from sun, wind and water across borders, we can deliver more than enough clean energy to meet the needs of everyone on earth. This trading is already beginning to happen through discrete bilateral and regional arrangements. But to meet the sheer scale of the challenge, these efforts need to be brought together and supplemented to create a more inter-connected global grid. We call this vision: One Sun One World One Grid.

We need new transmission lines crossing frontiers and connecting different time zones, creating a global ecosystem of interconnected renewables that are shared for mutual benefit and global sustainability. This must be combined with expanded and modernised national and regional grids and complemented with the rapid scale-up of mini-grids and off-grid solar solutions.

To help deliver the vision of One Sun One World One Grid, we have resolved to combine our efforts and create a more inter-connected global grid. Our next step is to develop an action agenda for global cooperation on this agenda. Through working groups of interested governments, regulators, financiers, institutions, companies, legislators and researchers, we will seek to provide a common global framework for efforts on:

  1. Investing in solar, wind, storage and other renewable energy generation in locations endowed with renewable resources for supporting a global grid.
  2. Building long-distance cross-border transmission lines to connect renewable energy generators and demand centres across continents, underpinned by effective and mutually beneficial cross-border power trading arrangements.
  3. Developing and deploying cutting edge techniques and technologies to modernise power systems and support green grids which can integrate billions of rooftop solar panels, wind turbines and storage systems.
  4. Supporting the global transition to zero emission vehicles through incorporating the role of electric vehicles to help improve grid flexibility.
  5. Attracting investment into solar mini-grids and off-grid systems to help vulnerable communities gain access to clean, affordable, and reliable energy without grid-access in their own areas, enhancing socio-economic development and a resilient power supply for all.
  6. Developing innovative financial instruments, market structures, and facilitate financial and technical assistance to attract low-cost capital, including climate finance, for global solar grid infrastructure.

Through these and other efforts, we intend to cooperate internationally to share ideas and learn from each other’s successes and expertise. In this common endeavour, we can ensure that the sun becomes a secure and reliable source of energy for all, especially for the world’s underprivileged citizens.

Realizing 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. These efforts can stimulate green investments and create millions of good jobs. By sharing the sun’s energy, we can help to build a more peaceful and prosperous world.

Members of the Green Grids Initiative – One Sun One World One Grid Steering Committee:

Australia

France

India

United States of America

United Kingdom

Endorsed by:

Albania

Algeria

Argentina Republic

Azerbaijan

Bangladesh

Barbados

Belize

Belgium

Benin

Botswana

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cambodia

Cameroon

Chad

Comoros

Cote d’Ivoire

Cuba

Democratic Republic of Congo

Denmark

Djibouti

Dominica

Egypt

El Salvador Equatorial Guinea

Ethiopia

Fiji

Gabonese Republic

Gambia

Germany

Ghana

Grenada

Guinea

Guyana

Haiti

Italy

Jamaica

Kiribati

Madagascar

Malawi

Maldives

Mali

Marshall Islands

Mauritius

Mozambique

Myanmar

Namibia

Nauru

Nepal

Netherlands Nicaragua

Niger

Nigeria

Oman

Papua New Guinea

Peru

Rwanda

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa

Sao Tome and Principe

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Seychelles

Somalia

South Sudan

Sri Lanka

St. Lucia

Sudan

Suriname

Sweden

Tanzania

Togolese Republic

Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago

Tuvalu

Uganda

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

Vanuatu

Venezuela

Zambia

Zimbabwe

source

I’m rather disappointed to see that, unlike most other African countries, South Africa did not endorse this initiative towards a global grid of clean energy even though they are extremely rich in sunlight.

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