Loughborough University leading clean energy research programme

Lucy Dixon
04.11.2021

Researchers from the Loughborough University-led Climate Compatible Growth programme will play an integral part in the global Green Grids Initiative, a collation of the willing, which was launched at COP26 by world leaders as part of a new partnership with India’s One Sun One World One Grid.

The Green Grids Initiative will bring together governments, legislators, civil society, business leaders, regulators, transmission system operators and international organisations to accelerate the construction of the new infrastructure needed for a world that is powered by clean energy. Its founder, the Climate Parliament – an international network of legislators working worldwide to help solve the climate crisis and accelerate the transition to renewable energy – forms part of the joint Secretariat with the UK and the International Solar Alliance.Loughborough University-led Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) is part of a partnership of organisations working on the Green Grids Initiative with Climate Parliament. CCG will undertake research and provide global public goods to help countries develop economic strategies, plans and policies that will attract investment into low-carbon growth opportunities across multiple sectors.

Nicholas Dunlop, Secretary General of the Climate Parliament, explains the Green Grids Initiative, said: “There is more than enough clean energy to power the world economy, if we build the right grids. A tiny fraction of the world’s deserts, covered with solar power stations, could produce all the electricity the world uses today. Existing hydro dams, together with batteries, can help to balance fluctuations in wind and sun.

“To ensure a reliable supply of affordable, clean energy, new long-distance grids are needed to connect the most energy-rich locations across borders and time zones. Meanwhile, mini-grids can help communities to harness their local energy resources, bringing electricity to off-grid villages, and ensuring a more resilient supply during the heat waves, storms and floods that are now striking all parts of the planet.”

CCG is one of two flagship projects within Loughborough University’s Centre for Sustainable Transitions: Energy, Environment and Resilience (STEER). STEER, which has been funded by the Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

https://youtu.be/LDT9FLeEU6g