International Solar Alliance | IASbaba

International Solar Alliance

Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS-III- Economy & Environment

Context: The fourth general assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), was held virtually between October 18th and October 21st, 2021. 

• A total of 108 countries participated in the Assembly, including 74 Member Countries and 34 Observer & Prospective Countries, 23 Partner Organizations and 33 Special Invitee Organisations also participated.

Key Takeaways from the conference:

• Fourth Assembly of the International Solar Alliance closes with a promise to achieve $1 trillion global in solar investments by 2030,including a blended finance risk mitigation facility.
• ISA Assembly gives a green light to the “One Sun”political declaration for the launch of Green Grids Initiative-One Sun One World One Grid (GGI-OSOWOG) at COP26
• ISA forges partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies and Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet
• New ISA programmes launched on management of solar PV panels & battery usage, waste and solar hydrogen programme

What is ISA?

• The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an alliance of 121 countries initiated by India, most of them being sunshine countries, which lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
• The primary objective of the alliance is to work for efficient consumption of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
• The alliance is a treaty-based inter-governmental organization. Countries that do not fall within the Tropics can join the alliance and enjoy all benefits as other members, with the exception of voting rights.
• The initiative was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Paris Climate Summit, and a meeting of member countries ahead of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in November 2015.
• The framework agreement of the International Solar Alliance opened for signatures in Marrakech, Morocco in November 2016, and 200 countries have joined.
• The ISA is headquartered in Gurugram.
• The focus is on solar power utilization. The launching of such an alliance in Paris also sends a strong signal to the global communities about the sincerity of the developing nations towards their concern about climate change and to switch to a low-carbon growth path.