Energy is the material basis for economic and social development. The long time excessive exploitation and use of fossil fuel have resulted in severe problems such as resource shortage, environmental pollution and climate change. At the same time, around 1.06 billion people in the world still do not have access to electricity. Energy demand for economic and social development in the future maintains increasing. Sustainable energy development faces many challenges. A fundamental solution is to promote energy transition toward cleanness, electrification and networking, to facilitate the “Two Replacements, One Increase and One Restore”, to build Global Energy Interconnection (GEI) which is clean energy-dominated, electricity-centered, interconnected and shared, and thus to guarantee clean, reliable and affordable modern energy supply for all as well as the implementation of all Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement.

The GEI backbone grid, composed of strategic channels for grid interconnection of different continents and countries, provides the infrastructure foundation for large-scale exploitation, global allocation, complementary and efficient utilization of various clean energy resources worldwide. It is the core of GEI and its development. Based on global energy status, this report firstly analyzes energy challenges and future path of global energy transition. It then dissects global economy, society, trends of energy & power development, endowment of energy resources, methods of exploitation and power flow pattern. Finally, it proposes the GEI backbone grid planning with key intercontinental, inter-regional and cross-border interconnection projects, and systematically analyzes the comprehensive values and benefits of GEI.

1. The main ideas are to: accelerate the transition from fossil fuel based, high-carbon, highly polluting and inefficient development modes to low-carbon, highlyefficient and zero emission ones, implement“ Two Replacements, One Increase, One Restore” to ultimately satisfy constraints on energy and environment, effectively cope with climate change, and meet global energy and electricity demand with clean and green alternatives.

2. Global exploitation, allocation and utilization of clean energy is the key to energy transition.

3. Global energy development must end the dependence on fossil energy and take a sustainable road which is clean energy-dominated and electricity-centered.

4. In the long term, global electricity demand will keep increasing and power development in different continents will show differentiation. Electricity demand in developing countries and regions will increase comparatively fast.

5. In global energy allocation, electricity trade will gradually become the main form of global energy trade, and a global power flow pattern for wide area optimal allocation, complementation among multiple energy resources and time zones will take shape.

6. Supported by EHV/UHV transmission, flexible DC transmission, submarine cable, and other advanced technologies, the backbone grid of GEI is a cluster of strategic channels that connect major large-scale clean energy bases and load centers and an important platform that covers the whole world, realizing long distance transmission, seasonal & time zone complementation and global allocation of multiple energy sources.

7. GEI is a bond and bridge to realize world peace, prosperity, openness, innovation, civil development, and to create the Community of Shared Future for Mankind.

Asia-Europe North Horizontal Channel interconnects China, Kazakhstan, Germany, France, etc., and delivers clean energy from Central Asia to Europe and China respectively. Together with the UHV main grid of China, clean energy is further delivered to Northeast Asia for inter-continental complementation. The channel length is 10,000 km. Asia-Europe South Horizontal Channel interconnects Southeast Asia, West Asia, South Asia and South Europe, and delivers solar power from West and Central Asia to load centers in  Southeast Europe and South Asia through UHV DC. The channel also delivers hydropower from Southeast Asia and China to South Asia. The channel length is 9,000 km.

The Asia-Europe interconnection can realize efficient delivery of electricity from large clean energy bases and complementation of various energy resources in North Europe, Central Asia and West Asia, and meet electricity demand.

Cross-time zone Complementarity and the benefits of joint regulation are significant.

Considering regional differences of energy interconnection construction and cost level of power generation and power grid, the investment scale of each continent is illustrated in Figure below. The total estimated investment of GEI will be about 38 trillion USD during 2018~2050, of which power generation investment will be about 27 trillion USD, and power grid investment will be about 11 trillion USD.

▲GEI Investment during 2018~2050