Green Grids Initiative

The Green Grids Initiative aims to interconnect solar energy infrastructure. That is, under the initiative trans national electricity grids will be developed to deliver solar power. The grid built under the initiative is called One Sun One World Grid or Green Grids Initiative One Sun One World Grid. It was launched at the COP26 summit in Glasgow in November 2021. The initiative was launched jointly by India and UK.

About Green Grids Initiative

The main purpose of the initiative is to enhance the International Solar Alliance (ISA) partnership. The initiative aims to bring together the financial organizations, international coalition of national governments, power system operators. The initiative will accelerate construction of new infrastructure that are required to deliver affordable, reliable and secure power. It will also accelerate the construction of electricity interconnectors, charging points and flexible grids. The Green Grids Initiative was launched based on the concept of One Sun One World Grid. The vision of the grid is “The Sun Never Sets”. The sun is constantly at the same point at a given point of time in certain geographical locations. The green grid will run through such points on the earth and connect their solar power potential. The Green Grids Initiative is a part of International Solar Alliance.

Zones in the grid

The grid places India in the middle. Placing India in the middle, the initiative divides the solar spectrum into two broad zones. They are Far East and Far West. The Far East grid passes through countries such as Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. The Far West grid passes through the African regions and the middle east countries.

Phases in the Greed Grid Initiative

The initiative is to be implemented in three phases. They are as follows:

• Under the first phase, the interconnectivity within Asian continent is to be established
• Under the second phase, the interconnectivity in the African continent is to be established
• Under the third phase, the grids are to be interconnected globally

Financial assistance

The Green Grids Initiative is to take financial help from the World Bank.

Issues in Green Grid Initiative

• The initiative is seen as a contradiction to Atma Nirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) vision of the Prime Minster Modi.
• In India, renewable energy developers including the solar energy developers deal with different state governments and therefore different laws and regulations. While, implementing the initiative within a country faces such diverse laws and regulations, implementing it internationally is certainly a challenge. Thus, the initiative might turn out to be a slow progress project.