NEW DELHI: India on Monday retained the presidency of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) for a period of two years from 2024 to 2026 and the country’s World Bank veteran Ashish Khanna was unanimously elected as this global body’s third director general.
Both the decisions, besides electing several others including co-president and vice presidents, were taken during the ongoing seventh session of the ISA Assembly here. The co-presidency was retained by France after a contest with Grenada.
Khanna, currently working as the head of the World Bank’s west and central Africa programme, will take charge in March next year after the completion of the tenure of the incumbent Ajay Mathur who has been leading the Alliance since 2021. Mathur is learnt to have not opted for his re-election for personal reasons.
“We look forward to working together with more zeal towards promoting solar energy and sustainable practices worldwide,” President of the ISA Assembly and India’s minister of new and renewable energy, Pralhad Joshi, posted on X while thanking members of the General Assembly for electing India unanimously as the president of the Alliance.
The ISA, set up at the behest of India in partnership with France on the sidelines of the UN climate conference in Paris in 2015, works with governments to improve energy access and security worldwide and promote solar power as a sustainable transition to a carbon-neutral future. Its mission is to unlock $1 trillion of investments in solar by 2030 while reducing the cost of the technology and its financing.
“As a coalition of 120 member and signatory countries, ISA has been at the forefront of mobilising resources and facilitating the deployment of solar projects worldwide, particularly in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS),” said Joshi while delivering his inaugural address at the Assembly.
He also underlined the ISA’s 2030 strategy to deliver energy access to 1,000 million people, installing 1,000 GW of solar energy capacity and mitigate emissions to the tune of 1,000 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.
In India’s context, the minister spoke about a 110% increase in funding for solar power projects in the country’s 2024-25 budget and targeted support for initiatives like the PM-Surya Ghar scheme . “This, along with exemptions on critical mineral imports, underscores our resolve to lead in solar innovation,” said Joshi.
The PM-Surya Ghar scheme aims to transform India’s energy landscape by providing free electricity to households. It seeks to empower households to harness solar energy by offering a substantial subsidy covering up to 40% of the cost of installing solar panels on their rooftops.
“Over the past years, the Assembly has helped shape the ISA into a global leader in the international arena as the definitive voice on driving energy transition through the deployment of solar energy solutions. This year, too, the Assembly shall be taking up some major initiatives and programmes into consideration that will be laying the foundation for the future years,” said Mathur while addressing the Assembly. The session will conclude on November 6.
ISA is the first international intergovernmental organisation to be headquartered in India. It is partnering with multilateral development banks, development financial institutions, private and public sector organisations, civil society, and other international institutions to deploy cost-effective and transformational solutions through solar energy, especially in LDCs and SIDS.
Both the decisions, besides electing several others including co-president and vice presidents, were taken during the ongoing seventh session of the ISA Assembly here. The co-presidency was retained by France after a contest with Grenada.
Khanna, currently working as the head of the World Bank’s west and central Africa programme, will take charge in March next year after the completion of the tenure of the incumbent Ajay Mathur who has been leading the Alliance since 2021. Mathur is learnt to have not opted for his re-election for personal reasons.
“We look forward to working together with more zeal towards promoting solar energy and sustainable practices worldwide,” President of the ISA Assembly and India’s minister of new and renewable energy, Pralhad Joshi, posted on X while thanking members of the General Assembly for electing India unanimously as the president of the Alliance.
The ISA, set up at the behest of India in partnership with France on the sidelines of the UN climate conference in Paris in 2015, works with governments to improve energy access and security worldwide and promote solar power as a sustainable transition to a carbon-neutral future. Its mission is to unlock $1 trillion of investments in solar by 2030 while reducing the cost of the technology and its financing.
“As a coalition of 120 member and signatory countries, ISA has been at the forefront of mobilising resources and facilitating the deployment of solar projects worldwide, particularly in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS),” said Joshi while delivering his inaugural address at the Assembly.
He also underlined the ISA’s 2030 strategy to deliver energy access to 1,000 million people, installing 1,000 GW of solar energy capacity and mitigate emissions to the tune of 1,000 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.
In India’s context, the minister spoke about a 110% increase in funding for solar power projects in the country’s 2024-25 budget and targeted support for initiatives like the PM-Surya Ghar scheme . “This, along with exemptions on critical mineral imports, underscores our resolve to lead in solar innovation,” said Joshi.
The PM-Surya Ghar scheme aims to transform India’s energy landscape by providing free electricity to households. It seeks to empower households to harness solar energy by offering a substantial subsidy covering up to 40% of the cost of installing solar panels on their rooftops.
“Over the past years, the Assembly has helped shape the ISA into a global leader in the international arena as the definitive voice on driving energy transition through the deployment of solar energy solutions. This year, too, the Assembly shall be taking up some major initiatives and programmes into consideration that will be laying the foundation for the future years,” said Mathur while addressing the Assembly. The session will conclude on November 6.
ISA is the first international intergovernmental organisation to be headquartered in India. It is partnering with multilateral development banks, development financial institutions, private and public sector organisations, civil society, and other international institutions to deploy cost-effective and transformational solutions through solar energy, especially in LDCs and SIDS.
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