Green Grids Initiative
The Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) programme helps to advance global collaboration on research into green grids in support of the Green Grids Initiative (GGI).
Launched by world leaders at COP26 in Glasgow, the Green Grids Initiative and Green Grids Initiative – One Sun One World One Grid partnership forms the biggest ever global political coalition for clean energy. Its aim is to accelerate the construction of the new infrastructure needed for a world powered by clean energy. It has now been endorsed by 90 countries worldwide through the One Sun Declaration.
The declaration highlights three types of infrastructure which, if built quickly, could transform humanity’s prospects for surviving the climate crisis. These are:
Clean energy superhighways – this means not only transmission lines connecting different time zones and the most energy-rich locations, but also massive investment in solar, wind and hydropower in those locations, so that the transmission lines are delivering gigawatts of clean energy to cities, cars and factories. By harnessing renewables on a continental scale, and trading clean energy between countries and regions, we can ensure a reliable supply of affordable clean energy for everyone.
Renewable energy minigrids – community grids powered by local renewable resources can deliver electricity to villages across the developing world that still don’t have as much as a lightbulb. They can also ensure a resilient supply of electricity for communities everywhere when national grids fail in the extreme weather events which are now striking all parts of the planet.
Smart charging infrastructure for electric vehicles – millions of charge points for EVs are not only essential for the rapid electrification of transport, which is in turn essential to stay within a safe global carbon budget. Smart charging infrastructure can enable electric vehicles, which together will contain each country’s largest battery storage resource, to help balance fluctuations in wind and sun.
To progress the aims of the Green Grids Initiative, CCG Partner and founder of the GGI, the Climate Parliament, works with the UK as part of its COP Presidency to convene a wide range of international organizations, government agencies, regulators, grid operators, and universities through regional and thematic working groups.
CCG research, in collaboration with the Climate Parliament, integrates with and supports these working groups with critical analysis and thought leadership.
To read more, see the current concept note here.
Climate Finance For Grid Investments In Emerging And Developing Economies
COP26 Glasgow 2021
In collaboration with the climate finance working group of the GGI, CCG has published a paper on how climate finance can be mobilised to meet the large investments needed in grid infrastructure across emerging and developing economies. The paper proposes two key opportunities to unlock such finance; firstly, by making specific changes to criteria on climate finance attribution that would increase the projects funded by international finance organisations, and secondly, an approach to assessing grid project by climate funds, to enable them to provide important concessional financing to further mobilise the investment needed.