International Solar Alliance

Context: 

International Solar Alliance (ISA), in collaboration with Grid Controller of India Ltd (Grid-India) and West African Power Pool (WAPP), is hosting delegates from the West African Region in New Delhi.

About International Solar Alliance:

• International Solar Alliance is an international organization with 114 Member and Signatory countries. 
• It works with governments to improve energy access and security worldwide and promote solar power as a sustainable transition to a carbon-neutral future. 
• The ISA was conceived as a joint effort by India and France to mobilize efforts against climate change through deployment of solar energy solutions. 
• It was conceptualized on the side-lines of the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Paris in 2015.
• ISA’s mission is to unlock US$ 1 trillion of investments in solar by 2030 while reducing the cost of the technology and its financing. 
• The ISA is guided by its ‘Towards 1000’ strategy which aims to mobilise USD 1,000 billion of investments in solar energy solutions by 2030, while delivering energy access to 1,000 million people using clean energy solutions and resulting in installation of 1,000 GW of solar energy capacity.
• With the signing and ratification of the ISA Framework Agreement by 15 countries in 2017, ISA became the first international intergovernmental organization to be headquartered at Gurugram in India. 
• With the amendment of its Framework Agreement in 2020, all member states of the United Nations are now eligible to join the ISA.

Important Projects of the ISA:

One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG): 

• The OSOWOG focuses on a framework for facilitating global cooperation, building a global ecosystem of interconnected renewable energy resources (mainly solar energy) that can be seamlessly shared.
• The vision behind the OSOWOG is ‘The Sun Never Sets’ and is a constant at some geographical location, globally, at any given point of time.
• It has been taken up under the technical assistance program of the World Bank.

ISA Solar Technology and Application Resource Centre (ISTARC):

• To develop and disseminate a range of training materials for all types of audiences and aim at the setting up of harmonized training programmes using a network of training facilities that would be recognized across the ISA Member countries.

News Source: pib.gov.in