Power supergrid for Asia? A potential supergrid to accelerate the deployment of ...

Power supergrid for Asia? A potential supergrid to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy in Asia could be on the drawing board following an agreement between the DESERTEC Foundation, which has proposed such a grid in Europe and North Africa, and the Japan Renewable Energy Foundation (JREF). A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the two companies which will see them cooperate on promoting an Asian supergrid to accelerate renewable development and provide an alternative to nuclear and fossil-fuelled energy. The two non-profit organisations announced that they will exchange knowledge and coordinate work to develop suitable framework conditions for the deployment of renewables, and to to establish transnational cooperation in Greater East Asia. The initiative envisions the interconnection of the national grids of Japan, Korea, China, Mongolia, and Russia with high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission lines. These transmission lines would enable the delivery of electricity from the region’s most abundant renewable energy sources, such as solar energy from deserts, to its centres of demand, while simultaneously balancing out the peaks and troughs of fluctuating renewable energy sources over a wider area, say the organisations.