A globally connected network of solar and wind energy could provide three times the global energy demand by 2050 at a lower cost than independent national power systems. This is the finding of a study led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaboration with researchers from the United States and Denmark.
The study focused on how areas with high solar and wind capacity (such as deserts) can be linked to regions with high energy demand. It found that building links between existing regional networks into a global system would balance out the cyclical nature of solar and wind energy while making the network more secure.
The paper, recently published in the journal Nature Communications, said such an integrated system could produce 3.1 times the projected electricity demand by 2050, while saving $22.47 trillion compared to setting up comparative regional systems. The estimated up-front cost of such a global system is $116.9 trillion.
The researchers said that while the technology needed to build such a network is rapidly maturing, the main barrier is political: “The globally interconnected power system remains susceptible to disruptions from incompatible regional policies, geopolitical tensions and aggressive market competition.”
New Energy Headlines
- EGYPT: Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone started construction on a $200 million industrial complex that will produce solar energy components. The factory will be located in the Ain Sokhna Industrial Zone and is being developed in collaboration with China’s Sunrev Solar. (SOLARQUARTER)
- MOROCCO: The Sino-Moroccan joint venture COBCO announced the inauguration of a lithium-ion battery materials manufacturing facility in Jorf Lasfar. The project is the first phase of a facility that will also make nickel and cobalt battery components. (MOROCCO WORLD NEWS)
- INDONESIA: The Chinese green energy giant Longi announced it will set up a solar energy module plant in West Java with the Indonesian firm Pertamina New & Renewable Energy. The factory will have an annual capacity of 1.6GW and represents Longi’s first move into Southeast Asia. (ENERGY NEWS)
- INDONESIA: The Chinese EV battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) will join Danantara Indonesia, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, to foster an integrated EV battery manufacturing ecosystem in Halmahera, North Maluku. The groundbreaking ceremony for the new set of facilities will be on 29 June. (TECH IN ASIA)
