Sun Cable looks to Asia wide green electricity grid

Sun Cable, the company behind bold plans to export green electricity from Northern Australia to Singapore, is now thinking bigger – of an Asia Green Grid Network to Advance renewable energy connectivity across the region.

Announced at Singapore International Energy Week, the Asia Green Grid Network (AGGN) brings together leading renewable energy experts and nine corporate research partners to support smart energy grid innovation in Asia.

Outlined in a Sun Cable whitepaper – Connecting Asia: One region, one grid – the AGGN network would address the fragmentation that exists in the current green grid research landscape regionally and boost collaboration to accelerate technology innovation and policy change within Asia.

The whitepaper reveals a range of technical opportunities to support a green grid in Asia.

These include long duration storage, microgrids, and voltage improvements on HVDC transmission, with the paper calling for the sharing of policy best practices from around the world that could inform the approach in Asia.

Sun Cable, developer of the Australia-Asia PowerLink (AAPowerLink), said green grids would also support cross-border renewable electricity trade and an integrated grid.

The partners and collaborators of the AGGN include Surbana Jurong; The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR); the National University of Singapore Faculty of Science; Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore); Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT); University of New South Wales; University of Adelaide, James Cook University, and Charles Darwin University (CDU).

The AGGN will later be expanded to include further research institutions and corporations from other parts of Asia.

Sun Cable Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Dr Fraser Thompson said: “Cross-border trade of renewable electricity and grid integration is the cornerstone of a successful clean energy transition in Asia.

“Sun Cable’s research shows the potential by 2040 for grid integration in the Asia Pacific to reduce carbon emissions by the equivalent of eight percent of current global emissions, create 870,000 jobs, and enable US$493 billion of traded electricity annually.

“Our vision for the Asia Green Grid Network is for this network to play a leading role in supporting the innovation to make this happen.”

The AGGN supports three objectives – education, collaboration and innovation.

The Network is organised around three thematic areas of research:

• Understanding technology opportunities to scale and improve the cost efficiency of renewable energy generation
• Understanding technology opportunities to improve the reliability, efficiency and implementation of HVDC transmission
• And understanding technology opportunities to enhance grid management and storage, including topics such as microgrids, carbon free back up and high-density energy storage systems.

Managing Director, Energy and Industrial, Surbana Jurong Tan Wooi Leong said: “The energy transition is rapidly gathering momentum across ASEAN, as we bring affordable, reliable, and sustainable power to communities we serve.

“The Asia Green Grid Network will facilitate the deep technical expertise, research and collaboration that are so critical to help our clients navigate the challenges of global energy transformation.”

CEO, UNSW Energy Institute, The University of New South Wales Renate Egan said:“Access to renewable energy through reliable transmission infrastructure will be key to facilitating the energy transition in Asia.

“The goal of the AGGN is to drive innovation and solutions connecting systems across borders to accelerate Asia’s transition to renewable energy.”

Further reading:
SUN CABLE POWER EXPORT PROJECT DEEMED INVESTMENT READY

Picture: Sun Cable