Foreword
Energy provides an important physical foundation of socioeconomic development. Mankind’s exploitation of energy has evolved over time, from firewood to fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, and then to clean energy resources derived from hydropower, wind power, and solar power. Each evolution has seen tremendous progress in productivity and human civilization. As a motive power for modernization, energy is closely associated with the national economy as well as people’s livelihood and human well-being. Countries all over the world now share a strategic goal to expedite the development of a safe, reliable, economical, efficient, clean, and environment-friendly modern energy supply system by capitalizing on a new round of energy evolution.
Over the past three centuries since the advent of industrialization, the global energy industry has witnessed rapid growth, vigorously bolstering the global economy and social development. At the same time, overdevelopment of conventional fossil energy resulted in a host of problems, such as insufficient resources, environmental pollution, and climate change, which are threatening human existence and sustainable development. Global fossil fuel resources are insufficient and their distribution and consumption imbalanced. As a result, energy development is increasingly controlled by a minority of countries and regions. Some resource-scarce countries are depending more and more on imported energy supply and facing highly pressing energy security concerns. Besides, the use of fossil energy has caused severe pollution and damage to air, water, and soil during the production, transportation, and utilization processes. Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion have become a significant factor contributing to global warming, glacial melting, and rising sea levels. In the foreseeable future, energy demand will continue to grow and the conventional energy development model based on fossil fuels is difficult to sustain amid the expanding global economy and increasing world population.
Seeking a solution to these energy and environmental concerns with the objective of removing the bottleneck in socioeconomic development is now a matter of utmost urgency. In a world abundant with clean energy resources, hydropower, onshore wind energy and solar power amount to 10,000, 1,000,000, and 100,000,000 GW respectively, far more than enough to meet global energy needs. Since the twenty-first century, the development of an energy structure centered on electricity and characterized by clean energy has gathered momentum. Massive development and utilization of clean energy such as wind and solar power has become a common option among the world’s major nations. Supported by the advancement of technology and the application of new materials, the development of wind energy, solar power, marine energy, and other clean energy sources has become more efficient, resulting in stronger technical economies and market competitiveness. These alternative energy sources will probably become the world’s dominant form of energy. Most of the clean energy sources can be used in a highly efficient way only after transformation into electric power, which, as a quality, clean, and efficient form of secondary energy, can meet the great majority of energy demand and may therefore become the most important energy for end-users in the future. From the perspective of global energy development trends and resource endowment, the pursuit of a “two-replacement” strategy that encompasses clean energy and electricity as two energy substitutes, is an important direction of development for global energy sustainability.
Marking a fundamental reform in the conventional models and concepts of energy production and consumption, the “two-replacement” strategy requires us to develop a global energy view to address energy concerns with a global, historical, forward-looking, and systematic approach. We are encouraged to step up the construction of a global energy interconnection for larger-scale development, allocation, and more efficient utilization of clean energy. The ultimate objective is to coordinate energy development in line with progress on the political, economic, social, and environmental fronts, and secure a safe, clean, efficient, and sustainable energy supply. With UHV grids as its backbone, such a global energy interconnection transmits primarily clean energy, connects large clean energy bases with various distributed power generation facilities, and delivers clean energy to different types of end-users. It is a widespread, highly deployable, safe, reliable, green, and low-carbon global energy distribution platform. In energy development, the substitution of clean energy for fossil fuels based on a global energy interconnection is becoming a viable low-carbon and green solution with the focus being shifted from fossil fuels to clean energy. In energy consumption, the substitution of electricity for coal and oil and the growing popularity of electric boilers, electric heaters, electric coolers, electric cookers, and electrified transport should be encouraged to increase the share of electricity in the energy end-use sector and solve the pollution and GHG emission problems caused by fossil fuels.
At the heart of the “two-replacement” strategy is the global energy interconnection, which works as an important platform on which to develop clean energy efficiently and ensure a reliable energy supply to the world. It will bring about comprehensive adjustments to different areas of the energy sector, including development strategy, development roadmap, structural layout, means of production and consumption, and energy technology. From a global energy perspective, the author of the book analyzes the status quo and challenges of global energy development and the inevitability of what he describes as “two replacements”. By building on a projection of future electricity supply and demand, the concept of developing a global energy interconnection using UHV AC/UHV DC grid technology and smart grid technology is put forward and the relevant strategic thinking, overall objective, basic planning, structuring method and development roadmap are dealt with. A brand new solution to promote safe, clean, efficient, and sustainable energy development worldwide is offered.
The book consists of eight chapters:
Chapter 1 analyses the current distribution and development of global energy resources, together with a summary of the major challenges now facing global energy development.
Chapter 2 introduces the development trends of global wind power and solar power generation, and demonstrates the inevitability of the “two-replacement” strategy and its importance to an energy revolution.
Chapter 3 deals with the trends in world energy development and suggests a global view of energy development. It points to the need to explore and address global energy concerns from a global, historical, differentiated, and open perspective.
Chapter 4 analyzes the main factors that influence electricity supply and demand and predicts total global energy demand and the energy structure involved. The chapter also describes the focus and pattern of global energy development in the future and presents an outlook on global power demand and electricity flows.
Chapter 5 explains the correlation between the global energy interconnection and the robust smart grid. In conceptualizing the development of a global energy interconnection and its framework, the chapter studies plans for the intercontinental UHV grid, the intracontinental UHV grid, and the ubiquitous national smart grid. It also explores the establishment of a mechanism for supporting cooperation in global energy interconnection. In addition, a preliminary assessment of the overall benefits of global energy interconnection has been conducted.
Chapter 6 expounds on the significance and the important fields of technological innovation in global energy interconnection. It highlights the newest breakthroughs, direction of development, and prospects of application in such important technological fields as power sources, grids, energy storage, and information communication.
Chapter 7 touches on the foundation of global energy interconnection research and application. The focus is on the progress, locally and internationally, in such fields as UHV grids, smart grids, clean energy and megagrid networking in terms of technical research, standard formulation, planning development, and project construction.
Chapter 8 presents an outlook on the significant impact of the global energy interconnection on the future world, from the four aspects of energy, economy, society, and civilization.
As a major infrastructure system with both short-term and long-term interests, the global energy interconnection plays a global and strategic leading role in the world’s energy sustainability. It is in line with the common interests of all mankind. In a few decades to come, the global energy interconnection will enter a growth period of critical importance and may require proactive involvement of all governments, international organizations, social groups, and energy developers. Efforts should be stepped up in theoretical research, communication of ideas, research and development, and international cooperation with the ultimate aim of developing a global energy interconnection as a bulwark for socioeconomic development.
In this book, the author draws on his years of reflections on China’s and the world’s energy development strategies to elaborate on the concepts of and thinking behind the global energy interconnection, integrating in particular China’s successful application of UHV grid technology and with reference to the research findings of local and foreign academics and organizations. By doing so, the author hopes to contribute to global energy strategy research and policy making.
Author
January 2015