18-Oct-2022: Shri R.K Singh inaugurates the 5th Assembly of the International Solar Alliance

The Fifth Assembly of the International Solar Alliance was inaugurated today by Shri Raj Kumar Singh, Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy, India in his capacity as the President, International Solar Alliance. The Republic of India holds the office of the President of the ISA Assembly, with the Government of France as Co-President. Ministers from 20 countries and delegates from across 110 Member and Signatory countries and 18 prospective countries joined the inaugural ceremony of the 5th ISA Assembly.

At the occasion of the opening, Shri Raj Kumar Singh stated that the past two years have provided us multiple reminders that the global dependence on fossil fuels is unhealthy, not just for the environment, but also for the economy. The good news is that we already have the tools we need to counter these, and the development in technology is making sure that even more effective resources are made available in the years to come. It is now up to us to decide how quickly we can deploy these. In this pursuit for energy transition, we also have the responsibility of enabling development in the parts of the world that lack access to energy and energy security.

He further remarked that it is our mission that ISA can assist member nations in formulating and implementing solar-ready policies and regulatory development of national energy landscapes and for engaging with public and private sector entities to leverage low cost financing to achieve ISA’s solarisation agenda. The ISA is structured as an international resource hub with in-house technical expertise that will be readily accessible by member nations and is capable of guiding project implementation at scale. The ISA has come a long way since its formation, and we are moving forward at a great pace, thanks to the guidance and support provided by each and every member of ISA.

The Assembly is the apex decision-making body of ISA, in which each Member Country is represented. This body makes decisions concerning the implementation of the ISA’s Framework Agreement and coordinated actions to be taken to achieve its objective. The Assembly meets annually at the ministerial level at the ISA’s seat.

It assesses the aggregate effect of the programmes and other activities in terms of deployment of solar energy, performance, reliability, cost, and scale of finance. The Fifth Assembly of the ISA will deliberate on the key initiatives of ISA on three critical issues energy access, energy security, and energy transition.

The deliberations and discussions among representatives from 110 Member Countries at the Fifth Assembly of ISA are expected to lead to a greater consensus among the comity for promoting the deployment of solar power. On the sidelines of the Fifth ISA Assembly, the International Solar Alliance, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank and the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, the Government of India will host a High-Level Conference on New Technologies for Clean Energy Transition on 19 October 2022 at Hotel Ashok, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.

The Conference will feature plenary and thematic technical sessions. While the plenary will frame key issues around solar energy technologies, investments, and markets, the thematic discussions will help deepen understanding of these themes. Speakers from diverse backgrounds: academia, think tanks, industry, the financial sector, and policymakers will participate and share insights and ideas.

ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE, The International Solar Alliance is an international organisation with 110 Member and Signatory countries. It works with governments to improve energy access and security worldwide and promote solar power as a sustainable way to transition to a carbon-neutral future. ISA’s mission is to unlock US$ 1 trillion of investments in solar by 2030 while reducing the cost of the technology and its financing. It promotes the use of solar energy in the Agriculture, Health, Transport and Power Generation sectors. ISA member countries are driving change by enacting policies and regulations, sharing best practices, agreeing on common standards, and mobilising investments. Through this work, ISA has identified and designed and tested new business models for solar projects; supported governments to make their energy legislation and policies solar-friendly through Ease of Doing Solar analytics and advisory; pooled demand for solar technology from different countries; and drove down costs; improved access to finance by reducing the risks and making the sector more attractive to private investment; increased access to solar training, data and insights for solar engineers and energy policymakers. With the signing and ratification of the ISA Framework Agreement by 15 countries on 6 December 2017, ISA became the first international intergovernmental organisation to be headquartered in India. ISA is partnering with multilateral development banks (MDBs), development financial institutions (DFIs), private and public sector organisations, civil society, and other international institutions to deploy cost-effective and transformational solutions through solar energy, especially in the least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

6-Oct-2022: International Solar Alliance’s Fifth Assembly to be held in New Delhi from 17th to 20th October, 2022

Shri R.K Singh , Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy today unveiled the curtain raiser to  the Fifth Assembly of the International Solar Alliance along with side events to be held in New Delhi from 17th - 20th October, 2022. India holds the office of the President of the ISA Assembly. Ministers, missions and delegates from 109 Member and Signatory Countries are set to participate in this meeting. The Assembly will be presided over by Shri R.K. Singh, Union Minister for Power, New and Renewable Energy.

Shri R.K Singh in his address today remarked that India's pace of Energy Transition is the fastest in the world. International Solar Alliance is absolutely essential for our planet's goal of Energy Transition. The Minister said that solar being the cheapest source of energy, solar and mini grids are the answer to the universal access of energy in the world.

The Minister in his address further remarked  that ISA is the essential vehicle to fulfill the international pledges on Energy Transition.

The Assembly is the apex decision-making body of ISA, in which each Member Country is represented. This body makes decisions concerning the implementation of the ISA’s Framework Agreement and coordinated actions to be taken to achieve its objective. The Assembly meets annually at the ministerial level at the ISA’s seat. It assesses the aggregate effect of the programmes and other activities in terms of deployment of solar energy, performance, reliability, cost and scale of finance.

The Fifth Assembly of the ISA will deliberate on the key initiatives of ISA on three critical issues of energy access, energy security, and energy transition. World leaders from ISA Member Countries will also discuss the strategic plan of the ISA in Programmatic Support for LDC and SIDS Member Countries, Capacity Building support to all developing Member Countries, and Analytics & Advocacy support to all Member Countries.

The 5th Assembly is expected to lead to a greater consensus among countries for promotion of solar power. Increased international cooperation will be the backbone of energy transition, propelling investment and creating millions of new green jobs in this crucial decade of climate action.

The ISA Secretariat has planned a series of technical sessions on various strategic initiatives of the ISA on October 19, 2022, and technical sessions on various emergent issues in the solar and clean energy sector in collaboration with partner organisations. Following the 5th General Assembly, three analytical reports will also be launched, namely:

• World Solar Technology Report
• World Solar Market Report
• World Solar Investment Report

ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE:

The International Solar Alliance is an international organisation with 109 member and signatory countries. It works with governments to improve energy access and security worldwide and promote solar power as a sustainable way to transition to a carbon-neutral future. ISA’s mission is to unlock US$ 1 trillion of investments in solar by 2030 while reducing the cost of the technology and its financing. It promotes the use of solar energy in the Agriculture, Health, Transport and Power Generation sectors. ISA member countries are driving change by enacting policies and regulations, sharing best practices, agreeing on common standards, and mobilising investments. Through this work, ISA has identified and designed and tested new business models for solar projects; supported governments to make their energy legislation and policies solar-friendly through Ease of Doing Solar analytics and advisory; pooled demand for solar technology from different countries, and drove down costs; improved access to finance by reducing the risks and making the sector more attractive to private investment; increased access to solar training, data and insights for solar engineers and energy policymakers.

With the signing and ratification of the ISA Framework Agreement by 15 countries, on 6 December, 2017, ISA became the first international intergovernmental organization to be headquartered in India.  ISA is partnering with multilateral development banks (MDBs), development financial institutions (DFIs), private and public sector organisations, civil society, and other international institutions to deploy cost-effective and transformational solutions through solar energy, especially in the least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

28-Sep-2022: MoU signed between International Solar Alliance(ISA) and international Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)

In a ceremony held on the sidelines of the 42th Session of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Assembly in Montreal on 26 September 2022, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between International Solar Alliance (ISA) and ICAO in the presence of Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Minister of Civil Aviation of India, H.E. Monsieur Clement Beaunne, Minister of Transport of France and Mr. Salvatore Sciacchitano, President of the ICAO Council. The MoU was signed by Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar, Secretary-General, ICAO and Mr. Joshua Wycliffe, Chief of Operations, ISA.

During the visit of Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia to Montreal in May 2022, the idea of ICAO becoming a partner organisation of ISA was mooted by the Minister in his meeting with President of ICAO. In a period of four months, the MoU was agreed and concluded. The conclusion of MoU between ISA and ICAO in the presence of Ministers from India and France carries forward the legacy of the bold initiative laid down by Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India and H.E. Francois Hollande, former President of France in 2015 at COP 21 in Paris.

The ISA is an alliance of 121 signatory countries and 32 partner organizations including many UN organizations. ISA works for efficient consumption of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. ISA strives to devise cost effective and transformational solutions for using renewable energy to member countries with a particular focus in delivering on impact in LDCs and SlDCs.

India has pledged for Net Zero Carbon goal in 2070 in COP 26. Its approach continues to be human-centric, based on respect and national ownership principles, with commitment to one and all. India has pledged a target of installing 175 GW of renewable energy of which 100 GW will be solar energy by 2022 and reduction in emission intensity by 33-35% by 2030, to let solar energy reach the most unconnected villages and communities. Cochin International Airport in India became the world’s first fully Solar powered airport in the world in 2015.

India, with the support of France, has invited nations to facilitate infrastructure for implementation of solar projects. The alliance has committed one trillion dollars as investment, and it is committed to making the costs of solar power more affordable for remote and inaccessible communities.

ICAO is committed towards reducing carbon emissions in aviation sector through its numerous initiatives and goals. In this noble initiative, Partnership between ISA and ICAO through this MoU could not have come at a better time, as it will trigger a range of interventions towards developing capacity of States to use solar energy. It will work towards providing information, providing advocacy, capacity building and demonstration projects. It will enable the solarization of aviation sector across all Member States.

11-Dec-2021: United Nations grants observer status to International Solar Alliance in a historic decision

United Nations grants Observer status to International Solar Alliance. This is going to give impetus to “ One Sun One world one grid “. This will help in bringing equitable energy solutions to the world.

In a congratulatory tweet Union Minister for Power and MNRE Shri R.K Singh said that the historic decision of granting Observer Status to International Solar Alliance by United Nations is going to be a stepping stone in furtherance of Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of One Sun One World One Grid. Shri Singh tweeted on the occasion and said that this will  provide a big boost to the initiative to bring about just and equitable energy solutions through the deployment of solar energy.

Shri Singh also marked that this would immensely help towards achieving the goal of net-zero carbon emissions through global co-operations.

He reaffirmed that  India is progressively contributing to this mission by having a significant share of RE in the power mix.

10-Nov-2021: The United States of America becomes the 101st member country of the International Solar Alliance

In a big boost to accelerate global adoption of solar energy, John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate announced at the UNFCCC COP26 today that the United States of America (USA) has joined the International Solar Alliance (ISA) as a member country. U.S becomes the 101st country to sign the framework agreement of the ISA to catalyze global energy transition through a solar-led approach.

Welcoming the United States of America as the 101st member of the ISA, Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav said, that this move will strengthen the ISA and propel future action on providing a clean source of energy to the world.”

Signing the framework agreement, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, said, “It has long been coming, and we are happy to join the International Solar Alliance, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the lead in making. We worked out the details and this is a process we are pleased to be a part of. This will be an important contribution to more rapid deployment of solar globally. It will be particularly important for developing countries.”

Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director General, the ISA said, “The US’ endorsement of ISA’s framework and approach is an heartening development, especially as our 101st member nation, which is a significant milestone in itself, demonstrating that nations across the world are recognizing the economic and climate mitigating value of solar, as well as this energy source’s potential as a catalyst for global energy transition.”

The launch of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) was announced by H.E. Mr. Narendra Modi, the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India and H.E. Mr. Francois Hollande, former Hon’ble President of France on 30th November 2015, at the 21st session of United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP-21) in Paris, France. Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon attended the launch, alongside the Heads of about 120 nations who affirmed their participation in the Alliance to dedicate efforts for promotion of solar energy.

The framework was first circulated for countries’ support in 2016. The framework emphasizes delivering global relevance and local benefit to all countries through collaborations, with ISA’s key interventions focusing on readiness & enabling activities, risk mitigation & innovative financing instruments to facilitate the promotion and deployment of solar technologies in target markets.

The approach and methods detailed in the framework have already delivered results, with ISA building a solar project pipeline of nearly 5 GW installed capacity. The approach detailed in this framework will culminate in a vision for interconnected global grids, which was formalized and jointly launched as  the ‘Green Grids Initiative – One Sun One World One Grid’ (GGI-OSOWOG), during the World Leaders Summit of the COP26 in Glasgow on 2nd November 2021 by the UK Presidency of COP26 and India Presidency of International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Earlier at COP26, the United States also joined the Steering Committee of the GGI-OSOWOG comprising of 5 members – USA, Australia, France, the United Kingdom, and India — and endorsed the One Sun Declaration along with 80 countries. United States of America’s Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm had said that “the Grid-Sun combination will save the planet. The GGI-OSOWOG is focusing on the two most important pieces of the puzzle. We at the US Department of Energy are happy to be a partner with GGI-OSOWOG.”

U.S.' endorsement of the ISA framework follows remarks by U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry at the Fourth General Assembly of ISA in October 2021, where he had said that ISA is critical to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and has an opportunity to accelerate Solar’s growth with member countries blessed with the world’s strongest sunlight. Stating that, “Solar energy is at the heart of the urgent climate action,” Mr. Kerry urged nations to take dramatic action to keep the 1.5-degree Celsius temperature rise and mid-century net zero emissions targets within reach.

About The International Solar Alliance: The ISA is an inter-governmental treaty-based international organization with a global mandate to catalyze global solar growth by helping to reduce the cost of financing and technology for solar. In fulfilling this mandate, the ISA is committed to establishing solar as a shared solution that simultaneously addresses climate, energy, and economic priorities across geographies, facilitating Energy Transition at a global level, Energy Security at national levels, while also ensuring Energy Access at the local level. The ISA is helping large nations scale global commitments, thereby serving the planet’s needs for reduced carbon emissions, while also helping economically more vulnerable nations establish a self-sustaining energy alternative that reduces trade dependency and drives job creation. Universal, affordable, and reliable last- mile electricity connectivity across socio-economic strata is a crucial pillar and targeted, tangible outcome of these combined efforts towards facilitating economic development and environmental impact.

22-Oct-2021: Fourth Assembly of the International Solar Alliance closes with a promise to achieve $1 trillion global in solar investments by 2030

The fourth general assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), was held virtually between October 18th and October 21st, 2021. It was presided by Union  Minister Shri R.K. Singh, Minister for Power, New and Renewable Energy, Government of India and the President of the ISA Assembly. A total of 108 countries participated in the Assembly, including 74 Member Countries and 34 Observer & Prospective Countries, 23 Partner Organizations and 33 Special Invitee Organisations also participated. U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry delivered the keynote address, and the European Commission Executive Vice President for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, addressed the gathering on October 20th.

Delivering the Presidential address, Shri RK Singh, Minister of Power & Minister of New and Renewable Energy, India, said, that it is time for all of us to get together to make energy access using solar and renewable energy available. We have successfully done this in India, and it can be replicated globally. Solving the problem of energy access is more important than the energy transition. The energy transition is meaningless for those without energy. The ISA can enable energy access for 800 million people worldwide. He emphasized that it is time for developed countries to direct the energy transitions funds they had committed at previous climate conferences. ISA will cover credit guarantees and help in driving green energy investments in these countries. Developed nations must decide whether economic development should take place through clean energy, or by burning coal and firewood , Shri Singh said.

Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director General, the ISA said, “Solar will catalyse the world’s transition to a lower-carbon economy, being the lowest cost and most economical solution for increasing power generation capacity in countries. It also has the potential to help lift no less than a billion people out of energy poverty, but only if adequate investments are mobilized and the right policy frameworks are erected. ISA targets US$1 trillion of investment in solar by 2030, which would be significant in bringing the world closer to energy transitions needed.”

French Minister of Ecological Transition and Co-President at the ISA Assembly, Ms. Barbara Pompili said, “This is an important year for all of us to access modern and sustainable energy. The ideas shared in the first energy summit convened by UN General Assembly are also our priorities in the International Solar Alliance. Closing the energy access gap by 2030, decarbonising energy systems by increasing solar and wind power capacity and mobilising large scale financing and technological dissemination in renewable energy are key objectives. At COP26, we are working hard to ensure no one is left behind. Thus, international cooperation is at the heart of the conference.”

Mr. George Freeman, Member of Parliament; Minister for Science, Technology & Innovation for The United Kingdom, said, “The UK has made clean power transition a top priority. The main challenge is the transition to green power, figuring out how to build and operate electricity grids and meeting our global power needs sustainably, affordably, and reliably. To meet these challenges, we need new transmission lines coordinated with mini grids and off-grid energy access solutions, supported by modern power systems. The IEA has made it clear that without global cooperation, clean transition could be delayed by decades; decades we don’t have. Under the Modi-Johnson leadership, UK and India will together bring the ‘Green Girds Initiative’ and ‘One Sun, One World, One Grid’ at COP26. This is aimed at mobilizing the global technical, financial and research cooperation because it is only by working together that we will deliver the scale and pace of the clean power transition aim.”

U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, said, “Solar energy is the most powerful tool that the world has in its toolkit to combat climate crisis. Building a solar powered economy won’t just slash carbon emissions, it’ll open enormous economic opportunities. The ISA is unique in its focus on spreading solar to emerging economies including small island states. So, I commend the tremendous work that every country here is doing as part of the International Solar Alliance. Solar energy is critical to our collective climate goals.”

Highlighting the important milestones achieved by the ISA since its launch in Paris in 2015, H.E. Frans Timmermans, The European Commission Executive Vice President for the European Green Deal, said “Developing renewable energy will be the engine for our global recovery from the COVID crisis and to keep energy prices in check. It is fast becoming the most cost-effective option to generate electricity and address the needs of a rapidly growing population. Clean and efficient energy investments create new markets, offer new business opportunities and provide good numbers of local skilled jobs. It is more than climate action. Today it is simply smart business.”

Speaking at Enhancing the Capacity of Women to Support Energy Transition session, Shri. Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi, Secretary, The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy shared, “to increase the participation of women in the #RE sector, the private sector has to contribute in a big way. Capacity is essential for ensuring employability. Going ahead the ministry will focus more on women in our skill and capacity building programs. We are working on the concept of Decentralised RE applications & proposes to turn it into a scheme in the coming months, to enable women to use things such as solar dryers and solar grinders etc., and improve women's lives and enable them to earn a livelihood.

During the assembly, two new programmes were launched:  Management of Solar PV panels & battery usage waste & Solar Hydrogen programme. The new Hydrogen initiative is aimed at enabling the use of solar electricity to produce hydrogen at a more affordable rate than what is available currently (USD 5 per KG), by bringing it down to USD 2 per KG. Making hydrogen cost competitive with natural gas presents major challenges for both supply and performance. However, bringing down the costs can unlock a cascade of benefits. The discussions at the Assembly highlighted that the MSME clusters can replace diesel gensets with hydrogen, which are viable even at today’s solar hydrogen prices. The discussions also focused on how ISA’s waste management programme will be pivotal for the growing volume of waste & toxic materials, lack of waste specific legislation, and high cost of waste treatment.

An update on One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) initiative was also discussed at the Assembly. The concept of a single global grid for solar was first outlined at the First Assembly of the ISA in late 2018. It envisions building and scaling inter-regional energy grids to share solar energy across the globe, leveraging the differences of time zones, seasons, resources, and prices between countries and regions. OSOWOG will also help decarbonise energy production, which is today the largest source of global greenhouse gas emissions. Aiming to synergize its efforts and actions with other similar initiatives globally, OSOWOG has joined hands with GGI to form a unified GGI-OSOWOG initiative, which aims to contribute to the collaborative, rapid development of resilient grids globally – building on continental, regional and national grid infrastructure programs. The UK COP Presidency, the Government of India, and the Presidency of the ISA, are expected to announce this collaboration at COP26, to facilitate increased technical, financial, and research cooperation to help deliver the joint vision of the two initiatives. This collaboration will be another leap towards a global ecosystem of interconnected renewables shared for mutual benefits and global sustainability and collectively become as one of the most resilient steps to mitigate Climate change and support the global energy transition.

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) also announced a partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies to mobilize $1 trillion in global investments for solar energy across ISA’s member countries. The two organizations will work with World Resources Institute (WRI) to develop a Solar Investment Action Agenda and a Solar Investment Roadmap, which will be launched at COP26.

18-Oct-2021: Curtain raiser for fourth International Solar Alliance General Assembly

The fourth general assembly of The International Solar Alliance (ISA), is to be held virtually between October 18th and October 21st, 2021, and will be presided over by  Shri R.K. Singh, Minister for Power, New and Renewable Energy, Government of India and the President of the ISA Assembly.  U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry will deliver the keynote address on October 20th, while the European Commission Executive Vice President for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, will also address the gathering on October 20th.

The ISA Secretariat has planned a series of technical sessions on various strategic initiatives of the ISA on October 18th, 2021, and technical sessions on various emergent issues in the solar and clean energy sector in partnership with partner and other organizations on October 20th and 21st, 2021.

The Fourth Assembly of the ISA will deliberate on the key initiatives around the operationalisation of the OSOWOG initiative, the $1 trillion Solar Investment Roadmap for 2030, and approval of a Blended Financial Risk Mitigation Facility. World leaders of ISA member countries will also discuss the strategic plan of the ISA for the next five years encompassing a Country Partnership Framework, Strategy for Private Sector Engagement, and initiatives such as Viability Gap Financing scheme to facilitate affordable finance for solar energy projects across ISA’s membership. The ISA will also discuss the partnership with Global Energy Alliance (GEA) to scale up technical and financial support to LDCs and SIDS.

A detailed report on OSOWOG is expected to be discussed at the Assembly. The concept of a single global grid for solar was first outlined at the First Assembly of the ISA in late 2018. It envisions building and scaling inter-regional energy grids to share solar energy across the globe, leveraging the differences of time zones, seasons, resources, and prices between countries and regions. OSOWOG will also help decarbonise energy production, which is today the largest source of global greenhouse gas emissions.

With India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the World Bank and the ISA signing a tripartite agreement on OSOWOG, the initiative could be the world’s most important renewables catalyst. It can unlock unprecedented economies of scale in energy generation and transmission. Rigorous assessments and modelling have confirmed the initiative’s technical and economic viability, building a strong business case. Its commercial feasibility has been further augmented by multilateral development banks such as World Bank, which are helping create markets by driving down costs of solar power.

The Assembly is the apex decision-making body of ISA, in which each member country is represented. This body makes decisions concerning the implementation of the ISA’s Framework Agreement and coordinated actions to be taken to achieve its objective. The Assembly meets annually at the Ministerial level at the seat of the ISA, assesses the aggregate effect of the programmes and other activities in terms of deployment of solar energy, performance, reliability, as well as cost and scale of finance.

14-Oct-2020: India and France re-elected as President and Co- President of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) at the third assembly of the ISA

The Third Assembly of the International Solar Alliance has been attended by 34 ISA Members ministers. 53 Member countries and 5 Signatory and Prospective Member countries participated to the Assembly.

India and France were re-elected as the President and Co- President of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) for a term of two years at the virtual meeting of the Third Assembly held on 14 October.

Four new Vice-Presidents were also chosen to represent the four regions of ISA. The representatives of Fiji & Nauru for Asia Pacific Region; Mauritius & Niger for Africa Region; UK & Netherlands for Europe and others Region, and Cuba and Guyana for Latin America and Caribbean Region assumed the vice presidency.

The Assembly also approved the initiatives of the ISA Secretariat in institutionalizing ISA’s engagement with the private and public corporate sector through the Coalition for Sustainable Climate Action (CSCA). Ten public sector organisations in India presented a cheque for 1 million USD each at the assembly.

Speaking in the plenary, the President of the ISA assembly, India’s Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister, Mr. R.K. Singh, appreciated the Alliance Members coming together to work for combating climate change. He welcomed the seventh initiative on heating and cooling to be introduced for discussion in the Third Assembly. Shri Singh said that Solar Energy has come a long way in last 5 years and is now the fastest growing energy source globally. He said, “Solar energy is already contributing around 2.8% of global electricity ,and if trends were to continue, by 2030, solar will become most important source of energy for electricity production in large part of the world.”

The President ISA also mentioned about various activities and programmes initiated by ISA since the 2nd Assembly. He said that six programmes and two projects are now underway covering various aspects of solar energy. A robust pipeline of more than US$ 5 Billion has been developed for solar energy applications to meet lighting, irrigation, drinking water and productive energy requirement of the ISA member countries, which have so far been largely deprived of modern energy services. ISA has aggregated a demand for more than 270,000 solar pumps across 22 countries, more than 1 GW of Solar Rooftop across 11 countries, and more than 10GW of Solar Mini-grids across 9 countries under its respective programmes.  Recently ISA has initiated programmes for segregation of demand for 47 million Home Power Systems which will not only meet subsistence energy needs of the rural households but will also contribute to improving health services and availability of portable water.

The Co-President of the Assembly Ms. Barbara Pompili, France’s Minister for Ecological Transition underlined that ISA played an essential role to help redirect funding towards renewable energies, particularly in developing countries, and take up the challenge of an energy at the service of all. She reiterated France’s involvement: pointing out that of the 1.5 billion euros of financing France committed for solar projects in ISA member states up until 2022, 1.15 billion € has been committed to concrete projects.

France has also supported the collaboration with the World Bank to mobilise financing: a facility “Sustainable Renewables Risk Mitigation Initiative” (SRMI) should help mobilize 18 billion € in private investment to finance more than 10 gigawatts of solar projects, and a first project is being launched in Mozambique with the support of France and the European Union. She further announced that, in the frame of the ISA Star-C programme, the French National Institute for Solar Energy (INES) will very soon launch a specific program for the small island states of the Pacific.

The President of COP26, Mr. Alok Sharma, recalled the commitment of the United Kingdom to fight climate change. The UK planned to phase out coal within the next five years and to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. COP26 President discussed 5 key priorities: adaptation and resilience, nature, energy transition, accelerating the move to zero-carbon road transport, and finance. He invited all the Members to participate to the global climate summit on 12 December to mark fifth anniversary of Paris Agreement. Mr. Alok Sharma stressed the UK’s three commitments to the ISA: providing a platform for the Alliance during the COP26; supporting a feasibility study on the implementation of a World Solar Bank; and assisting the ISA Secretariat on the implementation of the One Sun One World One Grid initiative by providing human and financial resources.

For the first time since the inception of the framework agreement of ISA, Solar awards were conferred on countries of the region as well as institutions working for solar. The assembly witnessed the conferment of the Visvesvaraya award which recognizes the countries with maximum floating solar capacity in each of the four regions of ISA. The awards went to Japan for the Asia Pacific region and the Netherlands for Europe and Others region.

The Haryana Chief Minister, Shri M. L.  Khattar announced the Kalpana Chawla awards named after the American astronaut of Indian origin, to Dr. Bhim Singh from IIT Delhi (India) and Dr. Aaesha Alnuaimi from Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (United Arab Emirates. The awards recognise outstanding contribution of scientists and engineers working in the field of solar energy.

Mr. Mahendra Jain, Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Karnataka, announced the awards named after Bharat Ratna M. Visvesvaraya to the representatives of the countries of Japan for the Asia and the Pacific region and the Kingdom of the Netherlands for Europe and other region. The award carries an amount of 12,330 USD as prize money, a scroll and a certificate.

The Diwakar award instituted by ISA out of the contribution made by  India’s Minister for Railways and Commerce & Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal of 25,000 USD received by him from the University of Pennsylvania, has been awarded to Arpan Institute (Haryana) and Arushi Society. The award recognizes organisations & institutions that have been working for the benefit of differently-abled people and have maximised the use of solar energy in the host country.

The ISA assembly was presented the report prepared by the World Resources Institute (WRI). The report identifies the sources of funds, opportunities and constraints, in scaling up solar investments and the contribution of ISA in assisting Member countries. The assembly welcomed the move of the ISA to work with WRI to develop a roadmap for mobilization of USD 1 Trillion by 2030. The Kingdom of the Netherlands, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Bloomberg New Energy Finance and Climate Works Foundation providing the required financial and technical assistance for preparation of the Roadmap. The roadmap will also analyse the potential for mobilising further investments in solar energy going beyond solar power projects to solar energy applications in transportation and cooling and heating and for implementing the vision of One Sun, One World, One Grid.

In the wake of the global pandemic, ISA responded by setting up ISA CARES, an initiative dedicated to deployment of solar energy in healthcare sector in LDC/SIDS ISA Member countries. The initiative aims to solarize one primary health sector in each district of the target Member countries. Australia has provided AUD 92,000 for the ISA CARES initiative in the Pacific to provide ongoing reliable solar energy for health centres in the Pacific, helping remote island communities reduce reliance on costly and uncertain diesel fuel imports.

Recognizing that there is a growing demand globally for cooling and heating utilities, the ISA Secretariat has launched launching a Seventh Programme on Solarizing Heating and Cooling systems, which significantly draws it energy from traditional power sources. Demand for cooling alone outpaced solar deployment in 2017. Heating and cooling systems have scope to directly convert solar radiation and at higher efficiency levels.

Other initiatives presented to the Assembly were the demand aggregation initiative for 47 Million Solar Home Systems and 250 Million LED Lamps in ISA Member Countries launched in August 2020.

SAARC Development Fund Technical Assistance of USD 0.5 Million to Five Prospective Member and Member countries of the ISA- The Technical Assistance is proposed to be implemented jointly with the Asian Development Bank.

IBSA Facility Technical Assistance of USD 2 Million for deployment of Solar Water Pumping Systems demonstration projects in ISA Member countries, in partnership with UNDP, under the Solar Pump Programme of the ISA.

The membership of the ISA has continued to grow since the Second Assembly in 2019. The ISA is now proudly supported by 68 member countries, and a further 20 countries are in the process of becoming members.

The ISA has recently signed a tripartite agreement with the World Bank and the Government of India and is now actively involved in preparing a vision and implementation plan for One Sun One World One Grid Initiative to harness the power of inter-connected grids for enabling energy transition to a low-carbon world.

In 2020, the ISA Secretariat has focussed on operationalising the ISA Solar Technology and Application Resource Centre (ISA STAR C) network, working with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to do so. Since the Second Assembly, ISA has commenced operationalisation of the STAR C project, including working closely with UNIDO to develop the operational framework and project document underpinning this project; Convening a consultation workshop on the development of the ISA STAR-C project in Paris from 25 to 27 February 2020, generously hosted by the Government of France; Developing the program for and launching the STAR C Webinars (the Solinars) to support the capacity development of ISA Members during COVID-19 – reaching approximately 450 people to date – with more sessions planned.

The ISA is an initiative that was launched by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France on 30 November 2015 at Paris, France on the side-lines of the COP-21. The overarching objective of the ISA is to collectively address key common challenges to the scaling up of solar energy in ISA member countries. It also aims to undertake joint efforts required to reduce the cost of finance and the cost of technology, mobilize investments needed for massive deployment of solar energy, and pave the way for future technologies adapted to the needs. ISA has been positioned to help create the conditions that would make funding, developing and deploying solar applications on a large scale a reality. ISA is perceived as a key organisation working towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and objectives of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The First Assembly of the ISA was held from 2 to 5 October 2018 in Greater Noida, India and was inaugurated by Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India and Mr. António Guterres, UN Secretary General. The Second Assembly of the ISA was convened from 30 October to 1 November 2019 at New Delhi, India. 78 countries participated in this Assembly. The Third Assembly of the ISA will be convened o 14 to 16 October 2020 in virtual mode.

8-Sep-2020: Five Petroleum and Gas sector PSUs will join International Solar Alliance

Five Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) under Petroleum & Natural Gas Ministry will be joining International Solar Alliance (ISA)’s Coalition for Sustainable Climate Action (ISA-CSCA) as Corporate Partners. In his inaugural Speech at the First World Solar Technology Summit organized by ISA, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan said that Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and GAIL (India) Limited will be contributing to ISA’s Corpus Fund.

Shri Pradhan said that increasingly and rightly so, Indian Oil & Gas companies are actively taking part in this clean energy transition.  “In order to reduce carbon footprint, these companies will be focusing more on green energy investments such as renewables, biofuels and hydrogen going forward. We are also actively encouraging industry in general, and Oil & Gas companies in particular, become participants to this solar transition.”, he added.

On the achievements made in the sector so far, Shri Pradhan said that our oil & gas companies are also making efforts to deploy solar panels across the value chain of their operations, and current installed solar power capacity is 270 MW. “Additional 60 MW solar capacity will be added in the coming year. We have taken up the mission of solarizing about 50% of fuel stations owned by Public Sector oil companies in the next five years. More than 5000 fuel stations of Indian Oil, the largest Public Sector Oil Marketing company, were solarized last year. A substantial amount of solar PV capacity was also added by Oil & Gas companies during the last few years.”

The Minister said that Oil & Gas PSUs are increasingly evaluating new opportunities in the solar and RE space for diversification. Recently, French major Total has also announced investments for buying about 2 GW operating PV plants in India. “Despite the Covid-19 pandemic presented challenges, we are in the process of overhauling India's supply chains and reduce overdependence on imports for solar modules. Under the ‘Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan’ or Self-Reliant India reforms announced by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our country has received proposals from various players for over 10 GW of fresh solar equipment manufacturing. In line with Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to action for developing low-cost indoor solar cooking solutions, our company IOCL has tied up with M/s Sun Bucket System, a US-based start-up working in the niche area of solar energy-based products. We are encouraging Indian oil & gas companies to develop such innovative and scalable tie-ups in solar sector, which have the potential to make nationwide impact”, he added.

Lauding the role of the ISA for making rapid strides since its launch at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris on 30 November 2015 by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then French President, Shri Pradhan said that as the latest inter-governmental international organization with its headquarters in India, ISA is not only a testament to India's unwavering faith in multilateralism but also a commitment to a better, sustainable and greener future. He said that the Alliance reflects the vision and the firm belief that the beneficence of the Sun could be used to bring together the peoples of this planet for a shared solution to our energy needs.

Shri Pradhan said that there has always been a vision to make solar energy accessible and affordable for the poor by addressing the various financial and technological factors that currently impede such access. “The platform provided by ISA perfectly fits and matches growing energy needs of countries across the globe. The Oil & Gas companies in India will work closely with ISA to explore opportunities for implementation of solar-based projects within India as well as in other countries particularly other developing countries where ISA is focusing for faster development of solar energy infrastructure”, Shri Pradhan emphasized. 

Expressing the confidence that larger energy partnership of Indian oil & gas industry will pave the way for a new era of solar development not only within India but also outside, Shri Pradhan said that the key to this transformation and transition is advances in solar technologies and their deployment at affordable prices globally. He said that with a clear vision and augmentation of sufficient resources, there is a need for collective efforts at all levels -Governments, industry leaders, innovators and academia and technology developers, to ensure that benefits of solar revolution become accessible to all countries across the globe.

30-Oct-2019: MNRE Hosts 2nd Assembly of International Solar Alliance (ISA) on 31 October

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is hosting the second Assembly of International Solar Alliance (ISA) on 30 and 31 October 2019 New Delhi. While on 30 October 2019, coordination and consultation meetings on different aspects of ISA programmes and initiatives will be held, the Assembly would meet on 31 October 2019.

The Assembly is the supreme decision making body of the ISA, and gives directions on various administrative, financial and programme related issues. Shri R.K. Singh, Minister for New and Renewable Energy and Power is President of the ISA Assembly.

As on date 81 countries of the 121 prospective member countries have signed the Framework Agreement of the ISA. Of these, 58 countries have ratified the same. The Assembly will be attended by the Ministers and delegates from member States, Observer States, ISA Partners, and other invitees. Over 400 delegates are expected to participate in the Assembly.

The first Assembly of the ISA was attended by 78 countries, and they had affirmed their determination to accelerate the deployment of solar energy worldwide for achieving universal energy access at affordable rates. Recognizing that ISA has a major role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals, and objectives of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and that the ISA initiative would benefit the world at large, during the first Assembly of the ISA an Indian resolution to extend the Membership of the organisation to all countries that are Members of the United Nations was adopted.

Since the first Assembly on 3 October 2018, ISA has initiated many activities and programmes. Demand for over 1000 MW solar power and 300000 solar water pumps has been aggregated from ISA member countries. Some of the major activities for building domestic capacity of the ISA member countries include ITEC Master Trainers Programme at NISE Gurugram; M. Tech programme for mid-career professionals at IIT, Delhi; STAR-C programme, and development of the INFOPEDIA. In order to understand the challenges and issues ‘on the ground’ and to strengthen support for ISA programmes, the ISA sent country missions to eight countries over the course of 2019 – to Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Togo, and Uganda. ISA has significantly extended outreach and have partnered with over 40 organizations. These broadly include UN, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), international and regional organizations and foundations, and private sector players.

India has been providing all out support for realizing ISA’s vision and objectives.  The Government of India has allotted 5 acres of land to the ISA in National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) campus, Gurugram and has released a sum of Rs. 160 crore, i.e. US$ 26 million for creating a corpus fund, building infrastructure and meeting day to day recurring expenditure of the ISA up to the year 2012-22. As per commitment, India will release additional Rs. 15 crore, i.e. US$ 2.1 million in the year 2020-21. In addition, various Public Sector Enterprises of Government of India have contributed US$ 8 million for augmenting ISA corpus fund. Apart from these, India has set aside US$ 2 Billion for solar projects in Africa out of Government of India's US$10 Billion concessional Line of Credit (LOC) for Africa. Exim Bank of India is implementing this line of credit in close coordination with ISA countries in Africa. On the 24th September 2019, on the side-lines of the 74th UN General Assembly, India announced   allocation of US$ 12 million grant, and a concessional LOC of US$ 150 Million for Pacific Islands Developing States for undertaking solar, renewable energy and climate related projects.

The ISA, is an Indian initiative that was launched by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France on 30 November 2015 at Paris, France on the side-lines of the COP-21, with 121 solar resource rich countries lying fully or partially between the tropic of Cancer and tropic of Capricorn as prospective members. The overarching objective of the ISA is to collectively address key common challenges to the scaling up of solar energy in ISA member countries.  It also aims to undertake joint efforts required to reduce the cost of finance and the cost of technology, mobilize investments needed for massive deployment of solar energy, and pave the way for future technologies adapted to the needs. ISA has been positioned to help create the conditions that would make funding, developing and deploying solar applications on a large scale a reality. ISA is now perceived as key to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and objectives of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

16-Jul-2019: Palau becomes 76th country to join International Solar Alliance

Palau, an archipelago of over 500 islands in Oceania became the 76th signatory country to join the International Solar Alliance.

Countries which have signed the agreement until now include India, France, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Japan, amongst others. The agreement was opened for signature during the COP22 at Marrakech on November 15, 2016.

The International Solar Alliance is a group of 121 solar resource-rich countries with headquarters in Gurugram, India. The organisation aims to deploy over 1,000 gigawatts of solar energy and mobilise more than USD 1,000 billion into solar power by 2030, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Last year in November, the Centre gave ex-post facto approval for moving a resolution in the first assembly of the International Solar Alliance for amending its Framework Agreement to enable membership for all member countries of the UN. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Inclusion of the UN members to the Alliance will put solar energy in global agenda with the universal appeal for developing and deploying solar energy. According to the release, expanding the membership will lead to ISA initiative benefitting the world at large.

8-Apr-2019: Bolivia signs the framework agreement of the International Solar Alliance

Bolivia has signed the framework agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), joining hands with India towards a common goal of sustainability.

The ISA is an Indian initiative that was jointly launched by Prime Minister Modi and former French President Hollande on November 30, 2015, in Paris, on the sidelines of COP21, the UN Climate Conference. On December 6, 2017, ISA became a treaty-based international intergovernmental organization after Guinea ratified the organization’s framework agreement.

With the joining of Bolivia, a total of 74 countries have signed the framework agreement of the ISA. The agreement between Bolivia and ISA was signed during President Ram Nath Kovind’s visit to Bolivia. Bolivia is the second South American country after Argentina to sign the ISA framework agreement. According to a government official, another South American country Paraguay will be soon joining the ISA.

In February 2019, Argentina and Saudi Arabia signed the framework agreement of the ISA.

Recently, ISA and the European Union signed a joint declaration for cooperation on solar energy. The declaration was inked at the 24th conference of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Katowice, Poland.

In November 2018, the Indian government submitted a resolution to the first assembly of the ISA for the amendments in the framework agreement to open ISA membership to all the countries that are members of the United Nations.

Before the resolution, the ISA mandate addressed overcoming the obstacles to deploying solar energy at scale through the improved harmonization and aggregation of demand from solar-rich countries located fully or partially between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

Earlier, at the inaugural conference of the ISA held in New Delhi, the Government of India pledged $1.4 billion to fund the development of solar projects in 15 African and South Asian countries that are part of the ISA consortium.

18-Feb-2019: Argentina becomes 72nd country to sign solar agreement

Argentina became the 72nd country to sign the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The agreement was inked on the sidelines of the official three-day visit of Argentinian President Mauricio Macri to India by Argentina's Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie in the presence of ISA's Director-General Upendra Tripathy.

Countries which have signed the agreement until now include India, France, Australia, UAE, UK, Japan amongst others. The agreement was opened for signature during the COP22 at Marrakech on November 15, 2016.

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is a group of 121 solar resource-rich countries with headquarters in Gurugram, India. The organisation aims to deploy over 1,000 gigawatt of solar energy and mobilise more than USD 1,000 billion into solar power by 2030, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

1-Nov-2018: Cabinet approves moving a Resolution in the first Assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) for amending the Framework Agreement of the ISA for opening up the ISA membership to all countries that are members of the United Nations

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given ex-post facto approval for moving a Resolution in the first Assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) for amending the Framework Agreement of the ISA for opening up the ISA membership to all countries that are members of the United Nations.

 Benefits: Opening the membership of the ISA will put solar energy in global agenda with the universal appeal for developing and deploying solar energy. It will make ISA inclusive, whereby all member countries that are members of the United Nations could become member. Expanding membership will lead to ISA initiative benefitting the world at large.

19-Jul-2018: Myanmar joins International Solar Alliance

Myanmar joined International Solar Alliance (ISA), becoming its 68th member. Myanmar Minister for International Cooperation Kyaw Tin handed over the ISA Framework Agreement to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during a bilateral meeting here on the margins of this year's Delhi Dialogue, the premier annual track 1.5 event to discuss politico-security, economic and socio-cultural engagement between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc.

Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then French President Francois Hollande at the Paris climate summit in 2015, the ISA was conceived as a coalition of solar resource-rich countries to address their special energy needs and provide a platform to collaborate on dealing with the identified gaps through a common, agreed approach.

It is open to all 121 prospective member countries falling between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.

India is a key development aid partner for Myanmar and is implementing a number of infrastructure projects in that country. These include the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project connecting Mizoram with Sittwe port in Myanmar, the Trilateral Highway Project connecting India with Myanmar and Thailand and the Rhi-Tiddim road.

11-Apr-2018: Cabinet approves Headquarters (Host country) Agreement between India and the International Solar Alliance

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for entering into Headquarters (Host country) Agreement between India and the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and authorizing the Ministry of External Affairs for signing the Headquarter Agreement.  The Agreement was signed on 26th March, 2018.

The Headquarters Agreement will institutionalize the functional arrangements between India and ISA.  It will help in smooth transition of ISA as international inter-governmental organization.  Creation of ISA will lead to accelerated solar technology development and deployment in ISA member countries including India.

26-Mar-2018: ISA and India sign the Host Country Agreement

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has signed the Host Country Agreement. The Agreement will give ISA a juridical personality and gives it power to contract, to acquire and dispose-off movable and immovable properties, to institute and defend legal proceedings. Under this agreement, ISA shall enjoy such privileges, applicable tax concessions and immunities as are necessary for ISA’s Headquarter to independently discharge its function and programmes. ISA shall be deriving its status, privileges and immunities as per Article 10 of Framework Agreement.

Background: The International Solar Alliance is an initiative jointly launched by the Prime Minister of India and President of France on 30th November 2015 at Paris, in the presence of the Secretary General of the UN, on the side lines of COP21 UN Climate Change Conference. The main objective of ISA is to undertake joint efforts required to reduce the cost of finance and the cost of technology, mobilize more than US $ 1000 billion of investments needed by 2030 for massive deployment of solar energy, and pave the way for future technologies adapted to the needs of 121 countries lying fully or partially between the Tropics.

ISA has presently four ongoing programmes: Scaling Solar Applications for Agricultural Use, Affordable Finance at Scale, Scaling Solar Mini Grids and Scaling Solar Rooftop catering to the needs of solar energy in specific areas.

The Framework Agreement coming into force on 6th December 2017, the ISA became the first international intergovernmental treaty based organization to be headquartered in India. ISA celebrated its founding day on 11th March, 2018.

10-Mar-2018: International Solar Alliance drops limits on membership

International Solar Alliance has announced that membership of the body will be thrown open to all countries that want to join the grouping, with no restrictions on duration of sunlight or geographical location.

When the International Solar Alliance was announced in 2015, 121 nations situated between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn and receiving 300 days of sunlight were deemed eligible for membership.

18-Jan-2018: International Solar Alliance Forum at World Future Energy Summit, Abu Dhabi
On receipt of 15 ratifications, the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework Agreement entered into force on the 6th December, 2017 thereby making ISA a de jure treaty based international intergovernmental organisation. So far 19 countries have ratified and 48 countries have signed the ISA Framework Agreement.

In one of its first outreach programmes post-ratification, the ISA hosted a two Day Event ‘International Solar Alliance Forum’ during 17-18th January, 2018 at the Future World Energy Summit (WFES) 2018. WFES is a signature event of a global initiative, Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, hosted by Masdar scheduled during 15-18th January, 2018 at Abu Dhabi (UAE). During the ISA event an ISA Pavilion was also set up for dissemination of information about ISA and its activities and programmes.

On the first day of the ISA Forum, 17th January, 2018 the Ministerial Plenary of ISA Energy Ministers was held. The ISA Ministerial was attended by seven Energy Ministers of ISA Member countries. They presented their views on benefits of collaboration, synergies, and knowledge sharing at the international level to scale up solar energy for universal energy access and investing in Innovations, Technology and R&D for solar projects followed by breakout sessions.

Over the years the Renewable Energy has become cheaper and is set to replace conventional energy, which is a healthy development. India has one of the fastest growing Renewable Energy programmes in the World and the country would achieve its target of 175 GW of installed Renewable Energy capacity well before 2020. ISA shall help mobilize sufficient funds for solar energy projects. During his address, Shri Singh announced setting up of a $ 350 million solar development fund by the Government of India for solar projects financing.

ISA shall stand for translating ‘Action into Transaction’. 100 projects shall be signed by April 2018 under ISA umbrella. 2nd RE-INVEST meet will be held in partnership with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India during 19-21th April, 2018.

The Ministerial Plenary was followed by three technical panel discussions:  ISA a Trillion Dollar Opportunity; Networking of R&D Institutions in ISA Countries for Solar Innovation, Incubation & Start-Ups; and Best Practices for Solar Capacity Building in ISA Countries. These sessions were attended by Energy Ministers, policymakers, Multilateral Banks & Finance Institutions, R&D Institutions & Innovators, solar project developers and manufacturers, investors and other stakeholders.

At the end of the ISA Ministerial session, the YES Bank committed financing solar projects of over $5 Billion. M/s CLP and M/s NTPC Limited announced forging partnership deal with ISA and committed to make voluntary contribution of $1 million each to ISA fund corpus. IEA and GCF also announced entering into partnership with ISA.

Being an action-oriented organisation, ISA promotes actual on ground rolling out of solar projects. Therefore, during first half of the day nine companies exchanged LoIs/MoUs for solar related projects in the ISA Pavilion. The companies are: Vyonarc Development Ltd., Greenko Solar, Gensol Group and SOLARIG from Spain, Shakti Pump, Refex Energy, Amplus Solar, TATA Power, Jackson Solar, Hero Future Group and Zodiac Energy.

6-Dec-2017: ISA becomes treaty-based international intergovernmental organisation

India's global initiative International Solar Alliance (ISA), becomes a treaty-based international intergovernmental organisation.

With Australia ratifying the treaty it has got the status of inter-governmental organisation. It aims to increase solar energy deployment in member countries.

In terms of its Framework Agreement, with ratification by Guinea as the 15th country on 6th November 2017, the International Solar Alliance (ISA) will become a treaty-based international intergovernmental organization today.

The ISA is an Indian initiative, jointly launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the president of France on 30 November 2015 in Paris, on the sidelines of COP-21, the UN climate conference. It aims at addressing obstacles to deployment at a scale of solar energy through better harmonization and aggregation of demand from solar rich countries lying fully or partially between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.

Till date, 46 countries have signed and 19 countries have ratified the framework agreement of the ISA. The ISA interim secretariat has been operational as a de-facto organization since 25 January 2016.

14-Nov-2017: Curtain Raiser Event held for the Founding Ceremony of International Solar Alliance in Bonn, Germany

A Curtain Raiser Event for the Founding Ceremony of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) was held at Bonn, Germany.

Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India hoped that, in the spirit of affirmative action, developed countries will earmark a percentage of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) towards solar energy projects in developing countries. He suggested that Multilateral Development Banks and other financial institutions provide wholehearted support for solar projects through low cost finance, and research & technology institutions worldwide try their utmost to bring the cost of solar power and storage within the reach of all.

Government plans to increase the share of renewable energy in India’s energy mix, especially towards achieving cumulative installed renewable power capacity of 175GW by 2022. There is a need for arranging technologies, finance and capacity building for solar energy projects, as well as for developing storage technologies. There is a need to work in the areas of renewable power evacuation and application of off-grid solar energy.

Interim Director General of the ISA, Shri Upendra Tripathy, informed that ISA will become a treaty-based international intergovernmental organisation on 6 December 2017. 44 countries have already signed the ISA treaty, and many more are set to join. He spoke on the ISA’s three ongoing programmes: facilitating affordable finance for solar, scaling up solar applications for agriculture, and promoting solar mini-grids in Member Nations. The discussions also covered the ISA’s Common Risk Mitigation Mechanism (CRMM) project, aimed at de-risking investments into solar energy projects in developing countries, and thereby, encouraging flow of funds into the sector.

The ISA was jointly launched on 30 November 2015 by Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, and then-President of France, H.E. François Hollande, on the side lines of the UNFCCC Conference of Parties 21 (CoP21) at Paris, France. The ISA is a treaty-based alliance of 121 prospective solar-rich Member Nations situated fully or partially between the Tropics, and aims at accelerating development and deployment of solar energy globally.

26-Sep-2017: Fiji, Niger and Tuvalu deposited instrument of ratification of the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance

Fiji, Niger and Tuvalu deposited instrument of ratification of the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in the 5th meeting of International Steering Committee (ISC) of the ISA that was held in New Delhi . In this meeting representatives from 121 prospective member countries, who either completely or partially lie between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn participated. The meeting was Chaired by Shri Anand Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and Co-chaired by Mrs. Ségoléné  Royale, Ambassador for Arctic and Antarctic Poles and Special Envoy for the Implementation  of the  International Solar Alliance, Government of France. Till date 40 countries have signed and 11 countries have ratified the Framework Agreement of the ISA. With ratifications by 15 countries, the ISA will become a treaty based inter-governmental international organization.

The Co-Chair, Mrs. Ségoléné Royale detailed the actions taken by her Government for supporting solar energy projects in ISA countries. She stated that concerted actions undertaken in the context of the Alliance should focus on realizing the objectives enshrined in the Paris Declaration, which included: bringing our efforts together to reduce the cost of finance for solar energy and mobilize up to US$ 1000 billion investments by 2030, and: developing new, cost efficient and reliable solar technologies and applications. On her suggestion the Committee agreed to include a programme on solar supported e-mobility.

Shri Upendra Tripathy, interim Director General of the ISA informed about the progress in implementation of various activities under ISA. He specifically mentioned about the progress under the three programmes launched under the ISA “Affordable finance at scale”, “Scaling solar applications for agricultural use”, and “Scaling Solar Mini Grids”. He further informed about the ISA Secretariat’s initiative “ Common Risk Mitigating Mechanism (CRMM)” . The objective of the mechanism is de-risking and reducing the financial cost of solar projects in the ISA member countries. The instrument will help diversify and pool risks on mutual public resources and unlock significant investments. He informed that an international expert group has been working on the blue print of the mechanism and it will be rolled out by December 2018.

International Steering Committee was establishment under the mandate of the Paris Declaration of ISA to provide the guidance and direction to establish the ISA.  India has offered a contribution of Rs 175 crore for creating ISA corpus fund and for meeting the cost of ISA secretariat for initial five years.

The ISA is an Indian initiative jointly launched by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France on 30 November 2015 at Paris, on the sidelines of COP-21. It aims at addressing obstacles to deployment at scale of solar energy through better harmonization and aggregation of demand from solar rich countries lying fully or partially between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn.

22-May-2017: World's smallest nation ratifies Solar Alliance Pact

The world’s smallest republic, the tiny island nation of Nauru — has become the sixth country to ratify the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework pact initiated by the Indian and French Governments at the climate change summit held at Paris in 2015.  Five more nations, from Africa, — Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire, Somalia, Ghana and Djibouti — have committed to sign the pact during the ongoing meeting of the African Development bank in India.

19-May-2017: Commissioning a Study on Common Risk Mitigation Mechanism for Solar Power Generation Projects in Solar Resource Rich Countries Under Aegis of ISA.

Argentina, Burkina-Faso, Chad, France, India, Ivory Coast, Mali, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Sénégal, Uganda and Yemen have jointly supported commissioning of a study to define and structure a Common Risk Mitigation Mechanism (CRMM) for solar power generation projects in solar rich countries today . This is a major step in the implementation of the Paris Declaration of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) adopted on 30 November 2015 and of the ISA Programme aimed at mobilising “Affordable finance at scale”. This instrument will dramatically lower the cost of finance for renewable energy and the overall price of electricity.

Today, the cost of capital represents a substantial amount of the final costs of renewable energy, in particular solar PV. The Council on Energy, Environment and Water calculates that in India it represents 70% of the total cost of solar power. The proposed CRMM will offer a simple and affordable tool that will create a secure environment for private institutional investment in solar assets. The instrument will help diversify and pool risks on mutualized public resources and unlock significant investments.

The study was entrusted by the Interim Secretariat to a task force chaired by Terawatt Initiative (TWI), the World Bank Group, the Currency Exchange Fund (TCX), the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and also the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). Public and private stakeholders and partners will be consulted to contribute to the initiative and to ensure collective buy-in and validation. Participating countries may each appoint a qualified representative who will liaise with the task force and convey information regarding countries’ specific expectations, experience and needs. They call all other countries lying fully or partially between the Tropics to join them and support this initiative to attract investments into the solar sector.

Background on ISA:

The International Solar Alliance is an initiative jointly launched by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France on 30 November 2015 at Paris, in the presence of the Secretary General of the UN, on the side lines of COP21. Under the ISA, solar rich countries lying fully or partially between the Tropics are invited to share and aggregate data regarding their needs and objectives; emulate successful practices; and set up common mechanisms and instruments, in order to address obstacles to deployment at scale of solar energy.

21-Mar-2017: Upendra Tripathy Appointed as Full Time Interim Director General of ISA

Mr. Upendra Tripathy appointed as the Interim Director General (IDG) of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) on a full time basis.

Mr. Upendra Tripathy was the Former Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy from 1st April, 2014 until 31st October 2016. Mr. Tripathy is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Karnataka Cadre. He has worked with local, provincial and union governments in India for the last 36 years.

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) was launched on 30th November, 2015 as a coalition of the solar resource rich countries jointly by Shri. Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India and Mr. François Hollande, Hon’ble President of France in the presence of Mr. Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations on the first day of the Paris Climate Conference or CoP21. ISA’s mission and vision is to provide a dedicated platform for cooperation among solar resource rich countries where the global community including bilateral and multilateral organizations, corporates, industry, and stakeholders can make a positive contribution to assist and help achieve the common goals of increasing use of the solar energy in meeting energy needs of prospective ISA member countries in a safe, convenient, affordable, equitable and sustainable manner. On 25 January 2016, Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi, and the Hon’ble French President François Hollande jointly laid the foundation stone of the ISA headquarters and inaugurated the Interim Secretariat of the ISA at the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) in Gwalpahari, Gurugram. The Government of the Republic of India shall contribute US$ 27 million to the ISA for creating corpus, building infrastructure and recurring expenditure over 5 year duration.