Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

According to a new report released by the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Tuesday, the world needs to add or replace 4970 million miles (79.98 million km) of transmission lines by 2040 to achieve global climate governance goals while ensuring energy security.

This number is roughly equivalent to the total mileage of the current global grid.

To achieve such large-scale transmission line construction, more than $600 billion a year will need to be invested in the grid by 2030, twice the current level of global transmission line investment, according to the International Energy Agency.

In addition, the operation and regulation of power grids in each country need to be adjusted accordingly.

While the global focus on clean energy technologies such as wind, solar, electric vehicles and heat pumps is impressive, underinvestment in transmission lines will eventually become a growing bottleneck, according to the IEA.

Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, said in a written statement issued with the new report: "We are optimistic that many countries have made unprecedented progress in clean energy, but these developments could be in danger if governments and companies do not work together to ensure that the global grid is ready for the rapidly emerging global new energy economy."

"this report shows the risks and the actions that need to be taken. We must invest in the grid today, or we will face stagnation tomorrow." Birol added.

At present, 1500 gigawatts of renewable clean energy projects around the world are in what the International Energy Agency calls an "advanced development stage", waiting to be connected to the global grid. In some ways, a medium-sized city needs 1 gigawatt of electricity, according to Microsoft co-founder and climate investor Bill Gates in his book Climate economy and Human Future (How to Avoid a Climate Disaster).

The 1500 gigawatts of renewable clean energy projects to be connected to the grid are five times the new global wind and solar capacity in 2022, according to the International Energy Agency.

As all sectors of the global economy shift to electricity, the demand for electricity will continue to grow.

The grid was originally built to deliver electricity from burning fossil fuels to where it is needed. As the world tries to transition to a clean energy economy, the grid will increasingly need to transfer electricity from places where wind and solar sites are built.

The International Energy Agency says further delays in transmission line construction will have serious consequences.

If the grid grows slowly, the so-called "grid delay", nearly 60 billion tons of additional carbon dioxide will be emitted between 2030 and 2050, according to the International Energy Agency. This is equivalent to the total emissions of the global power industry in the past four years.

In this case, by 2050, the global average temperature will be "much higher" than the pre-industrial revolution level of 1.5 degrees Celsius, with a 40% chance of exceeding 2 degrees Celsius.

One of the challenges is that transmission lines take longer to build than other parts of the energy infrastructure.

The International Energy Agency says it usually takes five to 15 years to build new transmission lines, including planning and permission. By contrast, new renewable energy projects take one to five years, and new infrastructure to recharge electric vehicles takes less than two years. Therefore, it is necessary to invest immediately in the improvement and growth of transmission line infrastructure, otherwise it will become an increasingly restrictive factor in global decarbonization plans.

The International Energy Agency says the construction of global transmission lines requires international cooperation. "ensuring that developing countries have access to the resources needed to build and transform power grids is an important task for the international community," Birol said in a written statement. "

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