The International Solar Alliance (ISA) recently conducted its fourth general assembly. There were 108 countries that participated in the assembly, including 74 member countries, 34 observer and prospective countries, 23 partner organisations, and 33 special invitee organisations.
About the International Solar Alliance
The ISA is an intergovernmental, treaty-based organisation with a global mandate to promote solar growth by helping reduce the cost of financing and technology. The ISA, co-founded by India and France during the 2015 climate change conference in Paris, has become key for India’s attempts to assume a global climate leadership role.
One Sun One World One Grid
The ISA is the central agency for implementing the One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) initiative, which aims to transfer solar power generated in one region to meet the electricity demands of others.
India has allocated 5 acres of land to the ISA in the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) campus in Gurugram and released a sum of Rs. 160 crore for creating a corpus fund, building infrastructure and meeting the recurring expenditure of the ISA until the fiscal year 2021-22.
National Institute of Solar Energy
NISE is an autonomous institution of the Ministry of New and Renewable (MNRE) and is considered the top national R&D institution in the field of Solar Energy.
Highlights of the Assembly
The assembly included a commitment to achieving USD 1 trillion in global investments in solar energy by 2030. It also greenlit the “One Sun” political declaration for launching the Green Grids Initiative-One Sun One World One Grid (GGI-OSOWOG) at COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
New ISA Programmes
ISA launched new programmes on the management of solar PV panels and battery usage waste, as well a solar hydrogen programme. The hydrogen initiative aims to make solar electricity more affordable for producing hydrogen.
India’s Solar Energy Initiatives
India has undertaken various initiatives to establish itself as a global leader in solar energy. Some of these include the National Solar Mission, which is a part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change, and government schemes like Solar Park Scheme, Canal Bank & Canal Top Scheme, Bundling Scheme, and Grid Connected Solar Rooftop Scheme.
First Green Hydrogen Mobility Project
National Thermal Power Corporation Limited Renewable Energy Ltd signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Union Territory of Ladakh to set up the country’s first Green Hydrogen Mobility project. Green hydrogen, produced by the electrolysis of water using renewable energy, has a lower carbon footprint.
