Context:
International Solar Alliance (ISA) hosted its 5th regional meeting in Kigali, Rwanda where various solar initiatives were launched for African Countries.
About ISA:
- Headquarters: Gurugram, India
- Genesis: Launched jointly by India and France on the side-lines of the UNFCCC COP-21.
- Aim – Mobilizing more than USD 1000 billion of investment needed by 2030 for deployment of solar energy.
- Membership –
- 116 Signatory countries (94 countries signed and ratified – Singapore (June 2023))
- All member states of the United Nations are eligible to join. (After amendment on 2020)
- Current President: India
- United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has granted Observer Status to ISA.
- Assembly of the ISA – Apex decision-making body that comprises representatives from each Member Country.
- Guided by its ‘Towards 1000’ strategy –
- Delivering energy access to 1,000 million people using clean energy solutions.
- Installation of 1,000 GW of solar energy capacity.
- Help mitigate global solar emissions to the tune of 1,000 million tonnes of CO2 every year.
- Initiatives – ‘STAR-C’, ‘SolarX Startup Challenge’ and ‘Global Finance Facility’ for capacity building and investment in solar sector.
Green Grids Initiative — One Sun, One World, One Grid (GGI-OSOWOG):
- Jointly launched by – India and UK
- Purpose – To provide power to about 140 countries through a common grid.
- Vision: ‘The Sun Never Sets’
- Aim –
- To build a framework for global cooperation on the effective utilization of renewable resources
- To help ensure that clean and efficient energy is a reliable option for all nations to meet their energy requirements by 2030.
- 3 Stages of Grid Connection –
- Indian grids + Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asian (MESASEA) grids
- MESASEA grids’ + African power grid
- Global interconnectivity
Solar Facility:
- It is a payment guarantee mechanism expected to stimulate investments into solar projects.
- Primary Objective — To attract private capital to flow into “underserved markets” in Africa.
- 2 financial components –
- Solar Payment Guarantee Fund: It will provide a partial guarantee.
- Solar Insurance Fund: It will reduce the burden of insurance premium for solar developers in pre-revenue phase of project.
Source: PIB
Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements:
1. The International Solar Alliance was launched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2015.
2. The Alliance includes all the member countries of the United Nations.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2016 Prelims]
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (a)
