In developed countries, our highest priority is to improve our efficiency and sensitivity to the environmental impact of our energy use. In developing countries, their priority is to meet their basic needs. It's hard to care about the environment when you're fighting to survive. Basic survival requires a minimal level of electricity consumption - 2000 kwh/capita/year. This supports health care programs, education programs, communication and transportation. Current research shows that High Voltage DC (Direct current) transmission has an effective distance of 4,000 miles (6,400 kms). Electricity travels at the speed of light - 186,000 miles per second. As the Earth's circumference is 25,000 miles, electricity can theoretically be sent around the globe in a fraction of a second. The challenge with renewable energy resources is that they are usually site specific (not where you and I want to live) and are variable in their output (when the sun shines and/or the wind blows), however The International Engineering Review magazine recently featured a whole series of articles about tapping remote renewable energy and moving power from where it is plentiful to where it is needed - where you and I wish to live. It is possible, achievable and affordable right now!

250,000 people are added to the planet every day. 14% live in the western hemisphere, 86% in the eastern hemisphere; 90% live north of the equator, while only 10% of humanity lives south of the equator. Within nine years, half the world' population will be living in cities. The number of cities with over ten million inhabitants is expected to double, and most of these will be in developing nations. "Birthrates decrease at exactly the same rate that the per capita consumption of inanimate electrical energy increases. The world's population will stop increasing when and if the integrated world electrical grid is realized. The world grid is the world's highest priority objective."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Dr. R. Buckminster Fuller

The Berlin Wall, Apartheid in South Africa, Israel and Jordan, North and South Korea, and even Russia and China are talking again. Out of disharmony is emerging the opportunity for world peace. As we become each others' suppliers and customers, we also become less likely to go to war. Just fifty years ago we were at war with Japan and Germany - now we're so economically linked that we work out any problems.

In Australia, we have an existing grid which looks like this;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Australia, we also have a political attitude of 'denial' as is evidenced by this response to our letter asking the government whether they had considered the possibility of interconnecting to our international neigbours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History and ongoing research have shown that a living standard increase, the 'insurance births' of developing nations decrease. Interconnecting day and night halves of the planet at least doubles available generating capacity, with resultant lowered costs for everyone. Electricity grids, regardless of size, increase reliability of supply, increase efficiency of generator use and decrease total generating capacity needed to meet demand. Increasing the size of grids eliminates inefficiencies created by time zone differences and North/South seasonal and geographic variations.

Electricity is the common denominator of all necessary infrastructure for quality of life.
Fifty nations already have interconnections across their borders.