The SuperGrid, a massive power grid project that stretches across the Continent and radiates across its periphery, uses the latest ultra-high voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission technology combined with a smart grid to provide cheap and clean electricity to major cities. The project aims to provide clean energy power to Europe and the surrounding region at a low cost and to contribute significantly to the goal of full carbon neutrality by 2050. The SuperGrid project currently consists of three parts: clean energy production in North Africa, UHVDC undersea transmission lines between North Africa and Europe, and UHVDC/AC trunk grid within Europe, and the intelligent transformation of the existing HV grid.
The original idea for the SuperGrid came from German physicist Gerhard Knies. He believes that North Africa has unrivaled potential for clean energy development and that it would take only a small area to power all of Europe. He is also a proponent of clean energy and electricity denuclearization in Europe. But having north Africa’s clean energy production is not enough. Electricity has a fatal flaw compared to other energy sources. Electricity is stored and transported with losses. Electricity is constantly being lost from the moment it is produced. The high cost of long-distance transportation makes it economically impossible for north Africa’s clean energy to compete with Europe’s traditional energy sources. To solve this problem, the SuperGrid operation was created.
At the heart of SuperGrid is the idea of sending clean energy produced in North Africa to Europe via ultra-high voltage direct current transmission lines. The UHVDC transmission line is a type of DC transmission line operating above 1000kV. Each UHVDC transmission line can transmit more power while losing less power during operation. UHVDC transmission lines are also a better choice for submarine cables. It is more friendly to submarine cables because there is no electromagnetic spillover at higher voltages. Traditional high-voltage networks have an effective transport range of less than 800km, beyond which it is less economical to build power stations directly near the area of use. The effective carrying distance of the UHVDC power grid can reach 4000km, and the transmission capacity of a group of UHVDC transmission lines is more than 6 times that of the traditional high voltage power grid. This can effectively reduce the loss of long-distance transportation and reduce the loss of each wire. The ultra-high voltage DC grid and clean energy at fixed locations are a very efficient combination, which can make the radiation around 500km to 4000km, enabling more people to use clean electricity.
The advantage of SuperGrid lies in the social requirements for the development of full electrification and carbon neutrality. The IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report, which has just taken place, makes ominous predictions about temperature change over the next 20 years. Global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius has become an irreversible fact, but it can still be made the inflection point of warming utilizing carbon neutrality and emission reduction, rather than the transition point of rising to 2.5 degrees or more in the future. SuperGrid is the only real way to expand the use of clean energy faster than fake clean energy, such as nuclear power while maintaining the economy of electricity use. For Europe as a whole, SuperGrid could make up for the lack of natural conditions for clean energy development in many countries and deliver clean energy to every region that needs it.
SuperGrid is still in the planning stage and is expected to cost around 200 billion-300 billion euros in its first phase. The main technology of the project can cooperate with ABB, Siemens, GE Grid Solution, Hitachi, and other large companies. When building, we can learn from the mature construction experience of China and India to reduce mistakes. SuperGrid still has many problems to solve, such as how to coordinate multi-party cooperation and how to set up lines and substations. With the implementation and development of the project, the problems will be solved. It is hoped that the development of the SuperGrid will address the need for carbon neutrality and contribute to reducing global climate change.