| After WWI, President Woodrow Wilson said,
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| | Afghanistan and Pakistan have proposed a
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| "the highest and best form of efficiency
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| | transmission line among their states.
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| is the spontaneous cooperation of a free
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| | Calling it a "win-win situation", the
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| people." Where is the evidence of
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| | Krgryz Energy Minister Liaquat Ali Jatoi
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| spontaneous cooperation in our world
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| | stated "we want to bring benefits to the
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| today? Historically, it seems that the
| |
| | common man because if there is economic
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| cause of war -- Pearl Harbor, Iraq's
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| | activity and prosperity, it will be
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| invasion of Kuwait and September 11th --
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| | shared by the people of these countries."
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| will catalyze a society and nations to
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| | Moreover, all 10 nations of the
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| cooperate. Must we have our backs to the
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| | Association of Southeast Asian Nations
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| wall, or is it possible for a compelling
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| | (ASEAN) have pledged to interconnect the
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| vision to create spontaneous cooperation?
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| | grids of its members.
|
| The Critical Question
| |
| | In Africa, NEPAD (New African Partnership
|
| In 1969, Dr. R Buckminster Fuller (most
| |
| | for Development) and the African
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| well known for geodesic domes and
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| | Development Bank are supporting the Kenya
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| Buckyballs) developed a World Game
| |
| | - Ethiopia agreement to supply power to
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| simulation to explore global resources
| |
| | each other. Modeled after the 12 nation
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| and trends. It posed the critical
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| | South African Power Pool, 14 ECOWAS
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| question, "how do we make the world work
| |
| | (Economic Community of West African
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| for 100% of humanity in the shortest
| |
| | States) nations are planning to link
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| possible time through spontaneous
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| | their energy grids.
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| cooperation without ecological damage or
| |
| | The Middle East has seen an wave of
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| disadvantage of anyone?" In other words,
| |
| | integration. Lebanon will be linked to
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| how do we provide a decent living
| |
| | the regional electricity grid that
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| standard for everyone in an
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| | includes Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Turkey
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| environmentally sustainable way? The part
| |
| | as of the beginning of next year. This
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| about "through spontaneous cooperation"
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| | interconnection project also involves the
|
| always remained a puzzle to me. How does
| |
| | joining of Libya and Iraq. Last month,
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| positive change happen spontaneously on a
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| | former enemies Iran and Iraq agreed to
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| global scale?
| |
| | build four cross-border power lines to
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| The premier strategy of Fuller's global
| |
| | transfer 1000 MW of power.
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| simulation was the interconnection of
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| | Mexico's Mesoamerica Initiative plans to
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| electric power grids between regions and
| |
| | integrate the energy grids all Central
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| nations with an emphasis on tapping
| |
| | American nations. The World Bank and the
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| abundant renewable energy resources
| |
| | US DOE are partnering with the Central
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| around the world. Electricity provides
| |
| | American Integration Secretariat to
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| the foundation of our modern society, and
| |
| | encourage clean energy development,
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| power grids act as freeways that deliver
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| | emphasizing renewables over fossil fuel
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| the electricity to power our homes,
| |
| | projects.
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| businesses and industry. During the 20th
| |
| | Most of these projects have been planned
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| Century, transmission lines delivered
| |
| | by engineers for years. The economic
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| electricity from large, centralized
| |
| | benefits -- load leveling, reliability of
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| plants that burned fossil fuels and
| |
| | supply, emergency backup -- are all
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| nuclear energy. Today, developers of
| |
| | proven. Yet international transmission
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| wind, solar and geothermal resources in
| |
| | requires agreement between ministries of
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| remote locations are plugging into these
| |
| | energy and state, financial institutions,
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| expanding grid systems -- decentralizing
| |
| | local utilities and property owners.
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| power production while increasing grid
| |
| | Cooperation must overcome the combined
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| integration.
| |
| | barriers of multiple stakeholders.
|
| But spontaneous cooperation? Hardly. Any
| |
| | Emergence through emergency
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| project developer will tell you all the
| |
| | So what's happened in the world to cause
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| hurdles they face due to regulations,
| |
| | these nations to work together?
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| interconnection and siting issues. In the
| |
| | Buckminster Fuller said that society will
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| energy industry, the time lag between
| |
| | often "emerge through emergency" --
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| project proposal to actual commissioning
| |
| | because when times are good, any change
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| can be 10 - 20 years.
| |
| | at all is difficult. For many developing
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| Yet quietly -- below the radar of most
| |
| | nations the challenge is dire: 1.6
|
| observers -- Fuller's vision of using
| |
| | billion people have no electrical
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| power lines to link nations across
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| | services - no refrigeration of food or
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| borders has recently been energized at a
| |
| | medicine, clean water or lighting. For
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| pace never seen before.
| |
| | the rest of us, scientific consensus on
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| Nations are linking up
| |
| | climate change clearly places the cause
|
| In the past few months, Russia and China
| |
| | on our 'addiction to oil' for
|
| agreed to large-scale power grid
| |
| | transportation, and burning coal and
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| interconnections that will benefit both
| |
| | natural gas for power production.
|
| economies. Additionally, the Chinese have
| |
| | Today, half the nations on the planet are
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| signed deals with Tajikistan and Vietnam
| |
| | linked with a neighbor, but half remain
|
| to build transmission lines across their
| |
| | electric energy islands. The emergencies
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| respective borders. The South Koreans
| |
| | of our time: poverty, climate change,
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| have offered to extend their grid into
| |
| | peace and population growth are in our
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| North Korea and modernize the North
| |
| | face daily. These issues and their
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| Korean network as a part of the
| |
| | solutions transcend political boundaries.
|
| negotiations to scrap the North's nuclear
| |
| | National leaders are seeing the benefits
|
| program.
| |
| | of mutual interdependence over trying to
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| In Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
| |
| | go it alone.
|
