Norway to Texas via Yunnan, I.

Between global ambition and self-interest

Can we realistically envisage a globally connected electricity grid? That’s the guiding question of our new Stratnergy series, “Norway to Texas via Yunnan.” By tracing connections across energy systems, the series explores Stratnergy’s core themes—markets, technology, China, and law & morality—and aims to escape from tunnel vision by viewing situations from different perspectives.

I think we can agree that it would be good if we could meet global energy needs with renewable energy production. Even if this aim seems unrealistic, it’s still useful to think about how it might be achieved. To that end, let’s introduce two foundational shifts — two ‘replacements.’