Palau Becomes 76th Nation to Join ISA

With headquarters in India, the International Solar Alliance brings together 121 countries with high solar resource potential. According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the organisation intends to deploy more than 1,000 megawatts of solar energy and mobilise more than USD 1,000 billion for solar power by 2030.

This alliance is also known as the International Agency for Solar Policy and Application (IASPA) and is composed of 121 countries rich in solar energy resources between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. In conjunction with the 21st Conference of Parties (COP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), India and France jointly launched the report on November 30, 2015 in Paris, France. Marrakech, Morocco, hosted the CoP-22, which led to the signing of the Framework Agreement. In October 2018, the ISA convened its first assembly in New Delhi.

By bringing countries together, the ISA hopes to address the most common challenges to the massive deployment of solar energy based on technology, finance, and capacity. An objective of the ISA is to mobilise member countries, seek commitments from international organisations, and mobilise the private sector in order to support rural and decentralised applications, affordable financing, island and village solar microgrids, rooftop installations, and solar e-mobility.

Key Focus Areas of the International Solar Alliance

• Promotion of solar applications through the creation of new projects and programs
• Propagation of solar technologies, adoption of new business models, and investment in solar sectors to ensure prosperity
• Support member countries’ capacity building for fostering and participating in solar technologies and research
• A reduction in capital costs through the use of innovative financial mechanisms

Palau Becomes 76th Nation To Join ISA

An archipelago of over 500 islands in Oceania, Palau signed the Framework Agreement for the International Solar Alliance on 16th July. It became the 76th country to sign up for the Alliance.

A special ceremony took place at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN when President Tommy Remengesau signed the ISA Framework Agreement. The ISA has been acknowledged as a key initiative to encourage sustainable energy by Remengesau. In recognizing India as an important partner for South-South Cooperation, Remengesau hailed the India-UN Development Fund for its significant contribution towards sustainable development initiatives in partner countries.

Taking small countries like Palau into consideration and treating them with mutual understanding, he found it admirable that India made no distinction between countries based on their size. Moreover, he announced that Palau will host the 2020 edition of the Our Oceans conference that will address topics such as sustainable fisheries, pollution in the ocean, and climate change.

Countries that have signed the International Solar Alliance (ISA)

A treaty-based organisation, the alliance consists of intergovernmental bodies. The alliance is open to countries outside the tropics, except that they cannot vote. The alliance’s advantages are the same as those enjoyed by other members.

A framework agreement for the International Solar Alliance opened for signature in November 2016 in Marrakech, Morocco, alongside the Marrakech Climate Change Conference (COP 22). Sixteen countries signed the agreement on its first day (15 November): India, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Dominican Republic, Mali, Nauru, Niger, Tanzania, Tuvalu, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Bangladesh, and Madagascar. Aware of the agreement, Guinea-Bissau, Fiji, and France also signed it on November 17. The Nigerian Foreign Minister, Mamady Toure, met with Sushma Swaraj, India’s External Affairs Minister, on November 6, 2017. The Instrument of Accession to Guinea’s International Solar Alliance (ISA) was presented by Mamady Toure during this meeting. The agreement was also signed by Vanuatu and Liberia. There were 107 additional countries that joined the agreement afterward, including Mexico, Peru, Chile, Paraguay, Brazil, India, Argentina, and Australia, which are located between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.

By signing the International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement, the initiative led by India as part of a global green energy initiative, Antigua and Barbuda became the 102nd member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). 

Conclusion

As the primary objective of the alliance is to make solar energy more efficient so that fossil fuel dependence can be reduced, the alliance aims to work toward this end. French support has led India to invite nations to ease the implementation of solar projects by developing infrastructure. A trillion dollars have been committed as investments by the alliance, and it is dedicated to bringing solar energy to remote and inaccessible communities at an affordable price. 

By 2022, India hopes to generate 100 GW of solar energy and 175 GW of renewable energy through the alliance. In addition to research and development, the countries should collaborate on other high level projects. As well as forming an alliance, it is seen as a joint effort by developing countries to conduct research and development for solar energy equipment in developing countries.