The energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources is leading to a transformation of the global energy system, but also the geopolitical and geo-economic balances. The decentralization or centralization of production and the creation of international or local distribution networks are part of a broad debate that is involving renewable energy actors: the debate about the danger inherent a centrally managed production on an international scale through supergrid. These are not countries that bilaterally exchange energy, whose distribution is managed by smart grids, computerized transmission networks for the management of distributed sources of renewable energy. Supergrids are not comparable to smart grids. The supergrids, in fact, are designed as networks for the distribution of renewable energy produced in a centralized manner. This is the case, for example, of wind offshore mega-plants or solar concentrations plants (SCPs). These plants, by size of investments and structural and financial characteristics, attract the oil majors and oil producing and exporting countries. And in fact, the interest of the two actors of the oil system in the field of renewables is precisely aimed at these two types of interventions, together with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), the production of biofuels and the production of hydrogen.
Control over "critical materials" (rare earths and other basic raw materials for the construction of solar panels, wind turbines and batteries) has often been as a new “resource curse”. In reality, the control over resources could also be that of large plants distributed over geographically distant regions connected by the supergrids, to serve other regions that need energy regardless of weather conditions, sunshine, time of day (overcoming the inconstancy and the unreliability of renewables). Among other things, this condition overlooks some of the key elements of the energy transition: autonomy, sovereignty and energy justice.
Keywords: Supergrids|Energy transition|Energy justice|Resource curse|Oil majors
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