Dr Catalina Spataru, Lecturer and Course Director at the UCL Energy Institute, has written an article on the potential for a transnational, transcontinental grid to provide cheaper, cleaner energy to communities across the world.
Writing for Renewable Energy World, Dr Spataru suggests that while the required infrastructure is already developed in much of the world, the implementation of a global super grid will require the overcoming of numerous practical, legal, regulatory, political and financial hurdles:
Implementation of a global super grid where renewables are used in high proportion, will require making significant investment in terms of infrastructure and policy requirements. This comes with its own sets of challenges related to regulations, politics and finance. Some of these include maintenance and management of a large energy flow and cooperation at a global level. Increased cross-border cooperation and more active negotiations between differing regions, could help better shape the current geopolitical landscape. Despite the challenges, a ‘Global Super Grid’ concept might ultimately prove to become a practical route to a cleaner future.