Global Energy Interconnection: A Global Action

On March 4, Liu Zhenya, member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Chairman and Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the State Grid Corporation of China, participated in the 34th group discussion of the economic sector of the Fourth Session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and accepted an exclusive interview with reporters from China Electric Power News and China Electric Power News Network on the construction of a global energy internet.

"Fossil energy is the best chemical raw material and material. It is a mistake to use it as fuel. We should let it return to its original position as a raw material." Liu Zhenya said in an interview with reporters. So, after the limited fossil energy returns to its raw material properties, what will replace it? "Renewable energy will replace it. This is the global energy Internet."

At present, electricity is the cleanest and most efficient energy. Clean-dominated and electricity-centered are the inevitable trends in energy development. Limited and non-renewable fossil energy will be mainly used for industrial raw materials. Liu Zhenya believes that on the supply side, clean energy will inevitably replace fossil energy, and on the consumption side, electricity can replace various terminal energy sources. The basic platform for the development, conversion, configuration, and use of various energy sources is the power grid. Therefore, the essence of the energy grid is the power grid, and the energy Internet must be an interconnected power grid. The energy grid, transportation grid, and communication network are the three most important basic network facilities in the world.

Grasping the key points and development direction of world energy issues

Liu Zhenya said that President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the UN Development Summit, proposing to explore the construction of a global energy internet and promote the use of clean and green methods to meet global electricity demand. This major initiative has aroused strong repercussions and high attention in the world.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN Assistant Secretary-General and founder of the UN Global Compact, and International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol highly praised President Xi Jinping's initiative. "They believe that this is one of the strongest voices from China."

"I think the global energy internet proposed by President Xi has grasped the key issues of the world and the important direction of development." Liu Zhenya told reporters that the main problem facing the world today is the shortage of energy resources. Countries around the world today mainly use fossil energy, but fossil energy is non-renewable and disposable. Its limited nature determines the shortage of resources and the supply to humans cannot be sustainable. However, according to the current mining intensity, the global coal, oil and natural gas resources can only be exploited for another 110 years, 53 years and 54 years. Therefore, the shortage of resources plagues human survival.

A “highway” for delivering clean energy

What is the essence of the Global Energy Internet? It is "UHV grid + smart grid + clean energy". The UHV grid is the key, the smart grid is the foundation, and clean energy is the basis. Liu Zhenya said: "Without UHV technology, building a global energy internet is just an imagination and a dream, and there is no way to implement it. With UHV technology, plus building strategies and ideas, the Global Energy Internet can be achieved."

The infrastructure that people often talk about generally refers to energy, transportation, and communications. The current communication network is relatively complete in most parts of the world (except for some African countries), and its development is a matter of upgrading and replacement; whether it is roads, railways, highways, high-speed railways, or aviation and shipping, they are relatively intuitive, and the connection and docking of transportation between countries are relatively clear, and people can imagine it without thinking. However, the world's exploration of the energy issue is still insufficient, and its essence should be found.

"Fossil energy resources are limited, and the carbon emissions caused by fossil energy consumption will cause temperature rise and environmental pollution, which is a challenge to human survival." Liu Zhenya said that fossil energy is limited, there are many problems in its use, and it is still being used. In the future, human demand for raw materials will also be a problem. "Therefore, building a global energy internet is to develop clean energy."

"Clean energy is very abundant in the world. As long as 5% of it is developed, it can meet human needs. Solar energy is the largest, followed by wind power, and hydropower." Liu Zhenya believes that if the world develops clean energy at an average annual growth rate of 12.4%, by 2050, the proportion of clean energy in the world's total energy will reach more than 80%, achieving sustainable and clean energy supply and completely getting rid of the fossil energy dilemma. By then, the global annual carbon emissions will return to 10.5 billion tons, which is the level of the early 1990s. Therefore, the problem of controlling the temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius or 1.5 degrees Celsius can be solved, and my country's haze problem can also be solved.

After information interconnection is realized, the world becomes a global village, and telephones and information can cross countries and oceans. In the future, after the construction of the global energy Internet, this effect can also be achieved; just like a highway, you can go up and down. Go up the highway when you go out, and get off the highway when you get home. Clean energy and various energy can go up and down freely. "In the future, China's clean energy may go to the United States and Europe, and Africa's clean energy may also come to China. The information Internet flows with information, and the energy Internet flows with electricity."

Liu Zhenya introduced that the centralized development of clean energy and distributed energy go hand in hand. Distributed energy is like the mobile phone that everyone holds. In the future, every household in a village or a city will generate electricity. What if the self-generated electricity is not used up? Connect it to the big power grid and let it travel abroad. The time difference between the United States and my country is 13 to 14 hours, and the time difference between Europe and my country is 6 to 7 hours. The large time difference and seasonal differences can achieve grid balance. When we don’t need electricity, we transmit electricity to the United States and Europe; when we use electricity at peak times, we transmit their electricity. It is very beneficial for the development of clean energy in my country and other countries. "The Global Energy Internet is not just about centralized clean energy development, it is the best way to accept distributed energy."

"One Pole, One Channel" clean energy development benefits the world

The construction of the Global Energy Internet plays a very important role. "I wrote a book called Global Energy Internet, which has more than 400,000 words. The Chinese version was first published in February 2015. On September 14, 2015, the English version was published by Elsevier, the largest publisher in the West, before the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations." Liu Zhenya introduced that on the morning of the release day, the book was presented to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. At the release ceremony, UN Assistant Secretary-General Paszto spoke on behalf of the United Nations and said that responding to climate change is urgent. The Global Energy Internet is a major initiative from China and a new method and new way to respond to global climate change. It is conducive to breaking down barriers and diaphragms, and bringing the world on the right track to a green and low-carbon future.

Yergin, chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Association, Dunlop, secretary general of the European Climate Parliament, Robert, former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, and Sandro, the first academician of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, all called for global cooperation on climate change. "In short, it has attracted great attention."

"Before the two sessions, I just came back from the United States and attended the Power Day of Cambridge Energy Week. I gave a keynote speech, and people from all walks of life paid close attention to and agreed with it." Why? Liu Zhenya told reporters that for human beings, in addition to air, water and food, the most important thing is energy. Without air, water, food and energy, we cannot survive, so energy is very important.

"Clean energy is very abundant and inexhaustible. It does not involve national security, politics, diplomacy, or military affairs. It is the best gift from nature to mankind. This high-quality resource is very important for promoting world peace and harmony and eliminating poverty." Liu Zhenya said that clean energy mainly consists of solar energy and wind power. With the innovation of technology, it is becoming more and more economical and competitive. Ten years ago, 1 kWh of wind power cost more than ten yuan. According to the International Energy Agency, China's wind power currently costs more than 0.3 yuan per kWh and solar power costs more than 0.6 yuan per kWh. According to investigations by several large scientific research institutions in the United States, solar power generation can reach about 0.3 yuan per kWh by 2025. "In other words, clean energy is inexhaustible. With the innovation of technology, its economic efficiency will become better and better, and its competitiveness will become stronger and stronger. Why should humans use fossil energy? Therefore, all energy can be replaced by clean energy."