Australian energy start-up Sun Cable, developer of the Australia-Asia PowerLink, and its research partners have formed the Asia Green Grid Network (AGGN) to drive innovation in support of an interconnected cross-border electricity grid for the purpose of accelerating transmission of renewable electricity across Asia.  

Green grids are carbon-free electricity grids transmitting power generated from renewable resources, such as wind, hydropower or solar energy; and a regional green grid is a solution to power intermittency and affordable renewable power that could work efficiently and equitably for all countries involved.

The AGGN aims to address the fragmentation that exists in the current green grid research landscape regionally and boost collaboration to accelerate technology innovation and policy change within Asia.

Network partners and collaborators include Surbana Jurong, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, the National University of Singapore Faculty of Science, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Institute of Technology, University of New South Wales, University of Adelaide, James Cook University and Charles Darwin University. It will later be expanded to include further research institutions and corporations from other parts of Asia.

The network supports three objectives:

• Education – Delivering seminars about key topics of green grid development, including high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) transmission and policy best practices, promoting capability-building in Singapore
• Collaboration – Bringing together leading research institutions, industry and businesses to share knowledge and innovation ideas to improve green grid connections in areas, including microgrids, grid integration and future storage technologies, long-distance HVDC transmission, among others
• Innovation – Conducting collaborative research and development activities with partners.

The network is organized around three thematic areas of research:

• Generation innovation –  Understanding technology opportunities to scale and improve the cost efficiency of renewable energy generation
• Transmission innovation – Understanding technology opportunities to improve the reliability, efficiency and implementation of HVDC transmission.
• Grid management and storage innovation – Understanding technology opportunities to enhance grid management and storage, including topics, such as microgrids, carbon-free back-up and high-density energy storage systems.

Network members and partners will contribute their expertise virtually through online seminars and forums, engage in research projects and benefit from a network of organizations who share a vision of having an integrated grid in Asia.

By achieving 15% grid interconnection by 2040, an estimated 3,335 terawatt-hours, equivalent to US$493 billion of electricity, will be traded in Asia-Pacific annually, generating 870,000 jobs in the region, according to a recent Sun Cable whitepaper entitled Connecting Asia: One Region, One Grid. Importantly, 3,070 metre tonnes of carbon-dioxide emissions would be abated per annum.

The whitepaper reveals a range of technical opportunities to support a green grid in Asia, including long-duration storage, microgrids and voltage improvements on HVDC transmission. The paper suggests that it is crucial to curate and share policy best practices from around the world that could inform the approach in Asia.

Fraser Thompson, Sun Cable founder and chief strategy officer, says: “Cross-border trade of renewable electricity and grid integration is the cornerstone of a successful clean energy transition in Asia.”