Leaders from 120 member countries to attend Seventh Session of International Solar Alliance Assembly in New Delhi

Share

The Seventh Session of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Assembly will be held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, India, from Nov. 3-6, 2024, under the presidency of India and co-presidency of France.

The session will deliberate on ISA initiatives to improve energy access, security and transition among member countries. Currently, ISA has 120 member and signatory countries.

The Assembly is the apex decision-making body of ISA, representing each Member Country. It meets to assess the aggregate effect of ISA programmes and other activities for solar energy deployment, performance, reliability, cost and scale of finance.

At the curtain raiser of the Seventh Session of ISA Assembly, Pralhad Joshi, minister of new and renewable energy, government of India, and president of the ISA Assembly, said, “The progress made by ISA’s member countries in adopting solar energy is remarkable. Solar energy, available year-round and in abundance in some of our Member Countries, holds the potential to be the game-changer in the theatre of global climate action. Its attributes of being clean, reliable, free and easily accessible to all make it central to achieving universal energy access. Our efforts through the ISA focus on expanding solar infrastructure, creating green jobs, supporting livelihoods, and mitigating climate impacts.”

The Seventh Session of ISA Assembly will see participation of ministers, mission heads, and senior government officials from 120 member and signatory countries, along with prospective countries, partner organisations, the private sector, and key stakeholders.

Ajay Yadav, joint secretary, MNRE, Government of India, said, “Global solar deployment presents its challenges: investments, infrastructure, and indigenisation. Countering these challenges demands targeted efforts to support the sector’s expansion.”

Highlighting ISA’s role and substantial contributions, he added, “To address these challenges through various programmes, initiatives, and collaborations with governments, private enterprises, and international organisations and by working with its Member Countries, ISA creates opportunities to diversify global supply chains and boost solar energy demand, contributing to manufacturing capacity growth.”

Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General of the International Solar Alliance, said, “The International Solar Alliance stands at the forefront of global efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDGs 7 and 13 on affordable and clean energy and climate action, respectively. The International Solar Alliance is a force for change. It harmonises and aggregates demand for solar finance, technologies, innovation, research and development, and capacity building. This initiative is more than just a coalition; it is a revolutionary movement reshaping our energy landscape and our planet’s future.”

Mathur said, “As we approach the mark to last five years to realise the goals defined by the 2030 Agenda, this session of the ISA Assembly is an important nudge to accelerate our actions and raise our ambitions. All stakeholders must make this decade count in favour of climate action.”

ISA works with Member Countries to help frame conducive policies to bring in investments in solar energy, a sustainable pipeline of solar-powered projects, and help build skills to sustain solar projects in the long term.

The Assembly’s seventh session will discuss the means and modes to accelerate solar deployment across Member Countries, especially in regions with limited energy access. Additionally, it will provide updates on ISA’s flagship initiatives for entrepreneurs, skill enhancement and capacity building, mobilising finance, and advocacy for solar as energy as a choice. These include SolarX Startup Challenge, STAR-C initiative, Global Solar Facility, and the First International Solar Festival.

The session will be followed by a day-long series of sessions on new technologies for clean energy transition, on Nov. 5, hosted in collaboration with the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, the Government of India, the Asian Development Bank, and the International Solar Energy Society. The Conference will also witness the release of the third edition of ISA’s world solar reports on technology, finance, and markets.

The Assembly proceedings will conclude on Nov. 6, 2024 with a visit to a farm site on the outskirts of New Delhi showcasing the practical implementation of agrivoltaic systems. The site in Najafgarh is maintained by the India Agrivoltaics Alliance, an initiative of the National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI), along with like-minded organisations dedicated to advancing the concept of agrivoltaics in India.

This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.

Popular content

NTPC tenders BoS package for 1.5 GW solar in Rajasthan
16 December 2024 NTPC Green Energy Ltd (NGEL) has tendered the balance-of-system package for 1.5 GW of grid-connected solar PV projects in Bikaner, Rajasthan.