One Sun, One World, One Grid (OSOWOG) Initiative

About One Sun One World One Grid’ (OSOWOG) Initiative:

• The idea for the OSOWOG initiative was put forth by the Prime Minister of India, at the First Assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in October 2018.
• It is an initiative to introduce a transnational electricity grid that supplies power worldwide. 
• The project is being spearheaded by the governments of India and the UK in partnership with the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the World Bank Group.
• Vision: It aims to connect different regional grids through a common grid that will be used to transfer renewable energy power and, thus, realize the potential of renewable energy sources, especially solar energy.
• The idea is to harness solar and other renewable energy sources from different parts of the world, where the sun is shining at any given moment, and efficiently transmit that power to areas where it is needed.
• SOWOG aims to provide power to about 140 countries through a common grid that will ensure the transfer of clean and efficient solar power.
• The OSOWOG initiative is to be carried out in 3 phases:
  • In the first phase, the Indian grid would be connected to the grids of the Middle East, South Asia, and South-East Asia to develop a common grid. This grid would then be used to share solar energy as needed, in addition to other renewable energy sources. 
  • The second phase would connect the functional first phase to the pool of renewable resources in Africa.
  • The third phase would look at achieving true global interconnection with the aim of 2,600 GW of interconnection by 2050. The goal is to integrate as many countries as possible to create a single power grid of renewable energy. This can then be accessed by all countries.
• It will bring together a global coalition of national governments, international financial and technical organisations, legislators, power system operators, and knowledge leaders to accelerate the construction of the new infrastructure needed for a world powered by clean energy.

Q1: What is the International Solar Alliance (ISA)?

India, alongside France, established the International Solar Alliance (ISA) at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference to promote solar energy deployment, particularly in developing nations. This marked a pioneering effort by India in global leadership for clean energy. Since then, the ISA has grown into an intergovernmental organization with over 110 member countries. 

Source: India in talks with Gulf, Asia nations for cross-border power grid links under OSOWOG