Answer: Established in 2015, the International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an action-oriented collaborative platform for increased deployment of solar energy technologies as a means for bringing energy access, ensuring energy security, and driving energy transition in its member countries. In 2022, global solar capacity was approximately 1 Terawatt (IRENA) out of the total solar energy irradiant (1,73,000 TW), which can be utilized for usable energy generation. Despite the huge economic and environmental benefits of Solar Energy, many countries have not been able to realize its potential. In this regard, ISA can play an important role in the global adaptation of solar energy in the following manner:

• Affordable Finance Mobilization: The Solar alliance with its international reach, and contributions from multilateral development institutions and developed countries has the potential to bring in much-needed affordable funds for the development, deployment, and distribution of solar energy.
  • Towards 1000 strategy, which aims to mobilize USD 1,000 billion of investments in solar energy solutions by 2030 is one such step in this regard.
• Infrastructure development: The creation of solar power plants, evacuation transmission lines, etc. are critical in harnessing solar energy. ISA is hand-holding countries like Benin, Togo, etc. in building solar infrastructures through solar park concepts, which allows for the deployment of solar panels in a cluster-based approach.
• Capacity development: Skilling manpower for the production of solar modules, installations, and operations is critical for the effective large-scale adoption of solar technologies. Initiatives like Solar Mama, ISA Solar Technology and Application Resource Centre (ISTAR C), and ISA Fellowship under the aegis of ISA are helpful in this regard.
• Technology development and standardization: ISA through collaboration and cooperation with different technical institutes and the private sector is promoting technology development and standardization for the smooth adoption of solar energy. Scaling Solar Applications for Agricultural Use (SSAAU) – focuses on decentralized solar applications in rural settings.
• Development of energy markets: Ensuring guaranteed markets for solar energy is critical. ISA is adopting regulatory alignment in this direction. The cue can be taken from India’s example of power purchase agreements (PPA’s) between DISCOMs and solar power generators, creating power exchanges like the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX), and Power Trading Company (PTC).
• Development of interregional integrated grids for reliable access: To tackle the problem of the availability of solar and the prohibitive cost of storage solutions, ISA through its Green Grid Initiative-ONE SUN ONE WORLD ONE GRID is ensuring the reliability and affordability of Solar power.

However, challenges like fossil fuel subsidy, performance of industrial solar panels, commissioning of massive scale solar power plants, addressing adverse raw material and technology transfer dynamics from the developed western world need to be addressed by the International Solar Alliance for better penetration and performance of solar energy and to make it the energy of future.