What is India's ambitious 'OSOWOG' global solar grid proposal?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India has received “encouraging” response to its global grid proposal – an initiative to build a transnational grid “One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) to enhance energy security – from other countries. “We are promoting this mutually beneficial cooperation with our neighbours in this region. And I can tell you, we a seeing encouraging results,” PM Modi said while addressing the G20 group energy ministers’ meeting, according to Reuters. In spite of our various realities, he emphasised that the objectives of the energy transition are still the same. He said, “No talk about the future, sustainability or growth and development can be complete without energy. It impacts development at all levels from individuals to nations.” A global solar grid connecting 140 nations was unveiled on the sidelines of the United Nations climate conference (COP26) in November 2021, marking a huge step towards capturing and promoting solar energy and being India’s most ambitious renewables project to date. “The One Sun One World One Grid and Green Grids initiative is an idea whose time has come. If the world has to move to a clean and green future, these interconnected transnational grids are going to be critical solutions,” he had said during his speech in Glasgow, reported The Times of India. But what exactly is it? Let’s take a closer look. Also read: What is G21? Why has PM Modi been pushing for it? India’s ambitious global grid project “One Sun One World One Grid” is the first international network of globally interconnected solar power grids that will integrate large-scale solar power plants, wind farms, and grids with rooftop solar and community grids to guarantee a consistent, dependable, and reasonably priced source of clean energy for everyone. The motto “the sun never sets” serves as the inspiration for the OSOWOG initiative. The project, which is being led by the governments of India and the UK in collaboration with the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the World Bank Group, will bring together a global coalition of national governments, international financial and technical organisations, legislators, power system operators, and knowledge leaders to speed up the construction of the new infrastructure required for a world powered by clean energy. The duty of developing the global grid’s road map has been assigned to a partnership headed by the state-owned power utility company of France, EDF, which is made up of the French company AETS and the Indian organisation The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). A $1 trillion path for solar investment is provided by the global grid plan for 2030. [caption id=“attachment_12901532” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The motto “the sun never sets” serves as the inspiration for the OSOWOG initiative. AP[/caption] Aim of the project PM Modi presented the idea of a united global solar grid for the first time at the ISA’s First Assembly in late 2018. In order to share solar energy globally, OSOWOG plans to create and scale inter-regional energy systems that take use of the various time zones, seasons, resources, and costs that exist between various nations and regions. Additionally, it will assist in decarbonizing the world’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions today—energy production. The Green Grids Initiative (GGI) and OSOWOG have partnered to create a single GGI-OSOWOG initiative with the goal of coordinating their efforts and activities with other comparable organisations around the world. According to the ISA website, it also aims to provide momentum, and a pool of investment towards low-carbon, innovative solar projects, and bring together skilled workers for a solar-powered economic recovery. It can also propel investment and create millions of new green jobs. Also read: India making great efforts in green growth and energy transition: PM Modi How will it work There are three phases to the overall grid system. The Middle East-South Asia-South East Asia (MESASEA) interconnection is the focus of the first phase, which aims to share renewable energy sources like solar to meet electricity needs, particularly peak demand. The third and final phase is about worldwide interconnection, whereas the second phase deals with the MESASEA grid becoming connected with the African power pools. A sea link connection to Oman in the west was also part of the original plans. The neighbourhood-first approach of PM Modi, which is centred on South Asia, includes encouraging cross-border energy commerce, according to Livemint. In order to meet the region’s electricity needs, India has been supplying power to Bangladesh and Nepal and advocating for a South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) electricity system that excludes Pakistan. Also read: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nine years: Going green ‘2600GW of interconnection capacity by 2050’ The Times of India quoted Ajay Mathur, director general of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), as saying after the announcement that the network has the potential to be a cutting-edge engineering marvel, a catalyst for considerably increasing the production of renewable electricity, and a means of effectively reducing climate change in the coming ten years. According to him, up to 2050, about 2600 GW of interconnection capacity might be deployed globally, resulting in an estimated 226 billion euros in annual electricity savings. The One Sun Declaration is a prime example of multilateralism in action, with world leaders joining forces to promote lasting change for a greener world and economy. We believe we can create and assist a shift away from fossil fuels to a financially viable solar future and offer up affordable, renewable electricity supplies to markets that have historically been underserved through the power of solar and other renewables and our combined efforts, according to Mathur. Developments in the project In 2019, after PM Modi proposed OSOWOG in 2018, a steering committee chaired by the Indian MNRE was established, which kicked off a technical study. In 2020, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the MNRE (Government of India), the ISA, and the World Bank at the First World Solar Technology Summit in September. In May 2021, onboarding of a consortium of consultants including EDF, AETS, and TERI was carried out to conduct the technical study in three phases to formulate vision and roadmap. Currently, the technical study, undertaken by the EDF-led consortium, is currently under progress. India’s climate pledges India has also stated that it will achieve net-zero emissions by 2070, when the amount of carbon emissions produced will be equal to the amount of carbon emissions that are absorbed. “OSOWOG is important to India’s net-zero pledges,” said Gagan Sidhu of CEEW, a think organisation with offices in Delhi that has been monitoring India’s energy transformation paths for years, told Eco-business.com. Due to the erratic nature of solar and wind energy, battery storage or an additional energy source (often massive hydropower or fossil fuels) is employed to supplement renewable energy and stabilise the system. A new CEEW research estimates that India will require 5,600 GW of solar capacity—more than 11 times the amount PM Modi has promised to accomplish by 2030—to achieve net zero energy consumption by 2070. This would necessitate a significant investment in pricey battery storage. According to Sidhu, “In this context, OSOWOG is seen as one of the potential storage alternatives and lowering costs of renewable energy integration.” Sidhu stated that GGI-OSOWOG might aid in enhancing international cooperation on climate change measures. “A grid that connects different time zones represents an ambitious alternative to expensive storage on both ends. Not only would it help meet climate commitments, it would also enhance energy security and meet development priorities,” he said. With inputs from agencies