New Delhi: India and France were re-elected as the President and Co- President of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) for a term of two years at the virtual meeting of the Third Assembly held today.
All 53 member countries and 5 Signatory and prospective member countries participated to the Assembly.
Four new vice-presidents were also chosen to represent the four regions of ISA. The representatives of Fiji and Nauru for Asia Pacific region; Mauritius and Niger for Africa region; UK and Netherlands for Europe region, and Cuba and Guyana for Latin America and Caribbean region assumed the vice presidency.
The Assembly also approved the initiatives of the ISA Secretariat in institutionalising ISA’s engagement with the private and public corporate sector through the Coalition for Sustainable Climate Action (CSCA). Ten public sector organisations in India presented a cheque for 1 million USD each at the assembly.
The ISA assembly was presented the report prepared by the World Resources Institute (WRI). The report identifies the sources of funds, opportunities and constraints, in scaling up solar investments and the contribution of ISA in assisting Member countries. The assembly welcomed the move of the ISA to work with WRI to develop a roadmap for mobilization of USD One Trillion by 2030. The Kingdom of the Netherlands, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Bloomberg New Energy Finance and Climate Works Foundation providing the required financial and technical assistance for preparation of the roadmap. The roadmap will also analyse the potential for mobilising further investments in solar energy going beyond solar power projects to solar energy applications in transportation and cooling and heating and for implementing the vision of One Sun, One World, One Grid.
Recognizing that there is a growing demand globally for cooling and heating utilities, the ISA Secretariat has launched launching a Seventh Programme on Solarizing Heating and Cooling systems, which significantly draws it energy from traditional power sources. Demand for cooling alone outpaced solar deployment in 2017. Heating and cooling systems have scope to directly convert solar radiation and at higher efficiency levels.
The ISA is an initiative that was launched by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France on November 30, 2015 at Paris, France on the sidelines of the COP-21. The overarching objective of the ISA is to collectively address key common challenges to the scaling up of solar energy in ISA member countries. It also aims to undertake joint efforts required to reduce the cost of finance and the cost of technology, mobilize investments needed for massive deployment of solar energy, and pave the way for future technologies adapted to the needs. ISA has been positioned to help create the conditions that would make funding, developing and deploying solar applications on a large scale a reality. ISA is perceived as a key organisation working towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and objectives of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The First Assembly of the ISA was held from October 2 to 5, 2018 in Greater Noida and was inaugurated by Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India and António Guterres, UN Secretary General. The Second Assembly of the ISA was convened from October 30 to November 1, 2019 in New Delhi. 78 countries participated in this Assembly.
– globalbihari bureau
