International Solar Alliance: India retains Presidency, France elected as Co-President

New Delhi: India has been re-elected as the President of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), a group of 120 countries focused on solar energy, from 2024 to 2026. France was elected as Co-President during the ISA’s 7th General Assembly, held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi shared that India’s re-election highlights its global leadership in promoting solar energy and investments in projects like solar mini-grids and healthcare solutions. The ISA, led by India and France, aims to increase solar power use worldwide, with a goal of mobilizing $1,000 billion in solar investments by 2030.

The Assembly also elected eight Vice Presidents, two from each ISA region: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Ashish Khanna has been selected as the next Director General and will take over in March 2025 when Dr. Ajay Mathur’s term ends.

To support developing nations and small island states, the ISA started demonstration projects in 2020. These projects aim to showcase scalable solar solutions, and 11 projects were dedicated to countries like Bhutan, Cuba, and Ethiopia.

ISA has also been advancing solar skills training through its STAR-Centres, developed with support from France. These centers, set up in seven countries including Ethiopia and Bangladesh, provide specialized training to build a skilled workforce in solar technology.

The Assembly will review work plans for the coming year, with discussions on key projects and guidelines for Viability Gap Funding, which aims to make solar projects more affordable.

(IANS with edits)