International Solar Alliance Assembly Kicks Off in New Delhi

The Seventh Session of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Assembly will be held in New Delhi from November 3-6, 2024, with representatives from 120 countries attending. Led by Shri Pralhad Joshi, India’s Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy, the assembly focused on strengthening international cooperation on solar energy to tackle energy access problems and climate change.

Purpose of the ISA Assembly

The ISA Assembly is the top decision-making body of the International Solar Alliance. Its main goal is to encourage the use of solar energy among its members. It aims to improve energy access, boost energy security, and help countries transition to renewable energy, especially solar power.

Key Initiatives Discussed

Several important projects were presented at the assembly:

SolarX Startup Challenge: This program supports new businesses in the solar energy sector and promotes innovative business ideas that can be easily copied by others.

STAR-C Initiative: This project aims to provide training and infrastructure to ensure that solar products meet high standards of quality.

Global Solar Facility: A plan to increase investments in areas that lack access to solar energy.

First International Solar Festival: This event encourages creativity and global cooperation to push for more solar energy advancements.

Challenges in Expanding Solar Energy

The assembly identified several challenges to increasing the use of solar energy, including:

• Lack of investments to fund projects
• Infrastructure issues that make it hard to install and maintain solar energy systems

The need for countries to develop their own manufacturing capacity to reduce reliance on imports The participants proposed joint efforts to address these problems and make it easier to adopt solar energy worldwide.

International Cooperation and Leadership

India and France led the assembly, highlighting strong international teamwork. This collaboration is important to ensure that solar energy investments grow and that technology is shared to help achieve global sustainable development goals, including actions to fight climate change.

Future Plans

The discussions focused on practical steps to expand solar energy, especially in regions with little or no access to reliable energy. The assembly emphasized the need to:

• Increase funding for solar projects
• Support local entrepreneurs in the solar sector
• Strengthen policies that encourage the use of solar energy

The assembly stressed the importance of making solar energy more available and affordable as a clean and reliable source of power. The collective efforts of the ISA’s member countries are essential for moving towards a more sustainable future and addressing climate change.

About the International Solar Alliance

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) was created in 2015 by India and France to promote the use of solar energy in over 120 countries. The ISA headquarters is in Gurugram, India. Its main goal is to make solar technology cheaper and more accessible, to achieve a total solar energy capacity of 1,000 GW by 2030. The ISA helps its members by sharing technology and providing funding. It is also the first international organization based in India and works with many organizations, including the United Nations.

Month: Current Affairs - October, 2024

Category: Summits and Conferences