In 1997, we published an article for the World Business
Council for Sustainable Development “Sustain” newsletter entitled “The Missing
Link.” We made the case that developing the abundant, remote renewable energy
resources of our planet would require long-distance, high-voltage transmission
to deliver clean power to our cities and industry. In many cases, this
transmission would cross international borders, benefiting both nations in the
trade of electricity. Today, many voices are driving this agenda.
In fact, the past several weeks have seen a sea change in
commitments by policy-makers and business leaders to address the related
challenges between energy, economy and our environment. At the recent National
Clean Energy Forum, Energy Secretary Steven Chu led the conversation to build a
unified, national electricity grid. At another conference hosted by the
Federal Electric Reliability Commission, the NERC (North American Electric
Reliability Corporation) chairman Rick Sergel emphasized the urgency required, “We
absolutely need transmission – we estimate tens of thousands of miles of new
transmission is needed to unlock location-constrained, remote energy resources
and maintain reliability.”
Of course, the benefits of HVDC (high-voltage direct
current) and HVAC (high-voltage alternating current) are not limited to North America. High-voltage transmission will enable China to tap abundant solar and wind
resources in their western regions and deliver that electricity to the densely
populated eastern states. China’s coal-fired energy development has been
choking its citizens and adding CO2 to the atmosphere faster than
any nation. HVDC and HVAC connecting remote renewables can be the links in
combating climate change globally.
Many world leaders have embraced the GENI
Initiative. Now, it’s essential for national investment and infrastructure
development to follow. This development is urgently needed within every
nation – and between all neighboring nations. We’ll continuing pushing for
this and encourage you to do the same.
In partnership for the planet,
