The International Solar Alliance or ISA aims to unlock $1 trillion in solar investments by 2030.
The Indian government is supporting developing countries in expanding solar power grids, aiming to drive real-world change towards climate targets through collaboration, innovation, and knowledge sharing.
In his opening remarks at the recently held third edition of the High-level Conference on New Technologies for Clean Energy Transition in New Delhi, Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General, ISA, said, “World leaders will convene in Azerbaijan under the aegis of COP29 with two guiding goals: agreed to transition away from fossil fuels, triple renewable power and double energy efficiency by 2030. Both of these goals can be built on the foundations of efficient and clean technologies, hence underlining the importance of today’s proceedings.”
Mr Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister, New and Renewable Energy, India & President of the ISA Assembly, said, “As ISA President, I would like to acknowledge that today the world stands united combining the global efforts towards the energy transition. The significance of advancing solar technology cannot be overstated as we move towards the clean energy transition. With the challenges posed by climate change, our collective efforts to innovate and implement this sustainable solution are more important than ever.”
Mr Prashant Kumar Singh, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, said, “The Government of India (GoI) is actively supporting through financial and technical means to assist developing countries in expanding their solar power grids to meet their energy needs. Solar energy has had a visible impact on the Indian energy scenario during the last few years. In addition to large-scale solar power plants, solar energy-based decentralized and distributed applications have benefited millions of people in Indian villages by meeting their energy needs in an environmentally friendly manner. With the increased support of the GoI policies and improved economics, the solar energy sector has become attractive from an investor’s perspective.”
Ms Mio Oka, Country Director, India Resident Mission, Asian Development Bank, said, “We must ensure that growth is green, and it’s our ADB’s responsibility to facilitate emerging economies’ access to technologies and finance to attain green growth. The good news is that the cost of clean energy has rapidly declined, and the share of renewable energy has increased. The cost of solar PV has declined by over 80% in the last decade to about $0.05 per kilowatt hour.”
Ms Viktoria Martin, President, the International Solar Energy Society, said, “… to think integrated planning in technology, to think about the diverse mix of storage that is needed to connect, for example, electricity generation to the other types of energy services, heating and cooling and transport, that are needed in our green and clean energy systems.”
Mr Emil S. Lauritsen, Head, Strategic Sector Cooperation, Embassy of Denmark, New Delhi, said, “… The objective is to conduct a readiness assessment of the target countries: Egypt, Morocco, Namibia, and Egypt. The report focuses on three categories: country-specific parameters, financing requirements and possible financing methods. It also includes assessing risks and preparing plans to develop a green hydrogen economy in these countries.”
