Key Highlights from ISA Annual Assembly

India has been re-elected as the President of International Solar Alliance or ISA.

Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy on Monday said India will be the ISA President from 2024 to 2026.

India’s election to the President post is a testament to the impactful work the country, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been doing over the years for the global good in advancing solar energy adoption across the globe and boosting investment in essential solar projects, including mini-grids and healthcare solutions, he said during the press conference at 7th General Assembly of the ISA.

Agenda and key highlights:

Mr Joshi said that an important topic of discussion for the new committee will be the guidelines for the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) Scheme. The VGF provides for 10 percent to 35 percent of the total solar project cost to be given as a grant for developing solar projects in LDCs and SIDS identified by the countries themselves. This is provided 90 percent of the project cost is locked in.

The ISA Assembly will also consider a proposal for promotion of greater involvement of women in ISA’s initiatives, programs, and support activities, wherever feasible, across member countries, he said.

Some of the key interventions of ISA, which are globally pushing the solar agenda include:

• The Solar Data Portal provides real-time data on solar resources, project performance, and investment opportunities, transforming government, investor, and developer engagement with solar projects through transparent insights.
• The Global Solar Facility is aiming to secure commercial capital for solar projects in underserved Africa, with a pilot project in the Democratic Republic of Congo underway.
• The SolarX Startup Challenge has identified and supported innovative solar solutions, with 30 winners from Asia and Pacific, including India, and preparations underway for the third edition.
• The ISA Knowledge Series and Green Hydrogen Innovation Centre are advancing solar energy research, while global events like the International Solar Festival and CEO Caucus promote solar participation.

The new committee:

ISA Member Countries have also selected the third Director General of the Alliance. Ashish Khanna is the Director General Designate and will assume office in March 2025, when the tenure of the incumbent Director General, Ajay Mathur, comes to a close, Mr Joshi said.

Eight Vice Presidents of the Standing Committee, two from each of the four ISA geographical regions, were also selected by the Assembly.

From the Africa Region, Ghana and Seychelles have been selected as the Vice Presidents, while South Sudan and the Comoros will support the Vice Presidents as Vice-Chairs of Africa.

From the Asia and the Pacific Region, Australia and Sri Lanka have been selected as Vice Presidents, with the United Arab Emirates and Papua New Guinea as the Vice Chairs.

Germany and Italy have been selected as Vice Presidents from the Europe and the Others Region, along with Greece and Norway as Vice-Chair.

Leading the Regional Committee of the Latin America and the Caribbean region will be Grenada and Suriname, Jamaica and Haiti as Vice-Chairs.

Thought leadership:

The Co-President of the ISA Assembly, H.E. Mr H.E. Thani Mohamed Soilihi, France’s Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships, via a video message, said:

“… France has honoured its pledge at the outset of the International Solar Alliance to contribute €1.5 billion to finance solar projects in the organisation’s Member Countries. That is why we renewed our financial support for the Alliance in 2024, which is based on three priorities: First, support for the STAR-C programme which plays a key role in local capacity building. Second, France wishes to facilitate access to financing for developing economies which are transitioning towards sustainable development. Third, France wants to step up the ISA Secretariat’s internationalization process to increase its outreach. France will continue to support the International Solar Alliance, to enhance collaboration and speed up the development of solar energy. It will thus encourage new partner countries to join the Alliance and will synergise with the initiatives and organisations in developing renewable energies.”

In his welcome address, Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General of the International Solar Alliance, said, “… Our collective presence symbolises our intention—to explore ground breaking solutions, exchange expertise, and strengthen partnerships that will drive a new era of solar transformation. In this spirit of global cooperation, we find the collective strength to confront the critical challenges of our time. Over the past years, the Assembly has helped shape the ISA into a global leader in the international arena as the definitive voice on driving energy transition through the deployment of solar energy solutions. This year, too, the Assembly shall be taking up some major initiatives and programmes into consideration that will be laying the foundation for the future.”

Backdrop:

Demonstration Projects were started by ISA in 2020 to address the needs of SIDS and LDCs.

The objective was to demonstrate scalable solar technology applications and increase member nations’ ability to duplicate these solar-powered solutions.

Eleven of these projects, according to Joshi, were dedicated to the citizens of the following nations: Ethiopia, Mauritius, Samoa, Senegal, The Gambia, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cuba, Djibouti, and Tonga.

According to him, ISA is still dedicated to helping governments expand solar energy projects and enhance the quality of life for their citizens.