International Solar Alliance (ISA)

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Context (ET): Malta becomes 119^th member of International Solar Alliance (ISA).

International Solar Alliance (ISA) is a treaty-based international organization of solar resource rich countries, lying fully or partially between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
The ISA is the brainchild of India and France “to mobilise efforts against climate change through the deployment of solar energy solutions”.
It was launched at the 21^st Conference of Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Paris, in 2015.

Vision: Let us together make the sun brighter.
Mission: Every home no matter how far away, will have a light at home.
The ISA is guided by its ‘Towards 1000’ strategy, which aims:
- To mobilize USD 1000 billion of investments in solar energy solutions by 2030.
- To deliver energy access to 1000 million people using clean energy solutions.
- To install 1000 GW of solar energy capacity.
- To mitigate global solar emissions to the tune of 1000 million tonnes of CO2 every year.
Membership: More than 120 signatories. All UN member states are now eligible to join the ISA.
- Countries that do not fall within the Tropics can join the alliance with the exception of voting rights.
Headquarters: National Institute for Solar Energy of India, Gurugram.
The United Nations General Assembly granted observer status to the ISA in 2021.

Governance Structure

The ISA Assembly is the apex decision-making body of ISA, in which each Member Country is represented.
It makes decisions concerning the implementation of the ISA’s Framework Agreement and coordinated actions to be taken to achieve its objectives.
The Assembly meets annually at the ministerial level at the ISA’s seat.
It assesses the aggregate effect of the programmes and other activities in terms of deployment of solar energy, performance, reliability, cost and scale of finance.

It is responsible for providing strategic guidance to the ISA and overseeing its operations.
The Steering Committee meets to review progress and make recommendations to the Assembly.

The idea of OSOWOG was first floated by India in 2018 during the first assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
It is a part of ISA and is a trans-national electricity grid supplying solar power across the globe.
Objective: Facilitating global cooperation on building a global ecosystem of interconnected renewable energy resources and building a common grid to transfer solar power.
Vision: The Sun Never Sets
It will help in three energy transitions:
1. Switch of energy production from fossil fuel to clean energy.
2. Switch of energy allocation from local balance to cross-border and global distribution.
3. Switch of energy consumption from coal, oil and gas to electric-centric consumption.
The initiative would be carried out in three phases:
1. Phase 1: Interconnect the grids of the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
2. Phase 2: Connect the Asian grid with the African grid.
3. Phase 3: Create a global grid.

Through the scheme, India has been supporting the ISA by providing training to master trainers in the field of solar energy.
The duration of the training is 21 days and all costs are borne by the GoI.

It is capacity-building & institutional strengthening initiative in developing Member Countries.
It aims to cultivate the desired human capacity and skills among a Member Country’s populace to encourage energy transition activities, creating jobs & contributing to country’s economic growth.
STAR Centres act as hubs of technology, knowledge, and expertise on solar energy and are a go-to place for a Member Country at the regional or country levels.
They act as an interface between countries sharing solar energy development experiences, undertaking joint research, promoting development & demonstration, capacity building, and creating regional & global networks.

Objective: To contribute towards the long-term development needs of member countries, through the creation of a skilled and qualified professional manpower for management of solar energy projects, programmes and policies.
Under this scheme, fellowships in the field of solar energy management will be offered to mid-career professionals from ISA countries for pursuing a master’s degree in renewable energy management and economics.

Malta, or the Republic of Malta, is an archipelago located in the central Mediterranean Sea.
Malta is south of Sicily, north of Libya, and east of Tunisia.
It is at the part of the Mediterranean Sea that separates Italy from the coast of Africa.
Capital: Valletta
The country comprises five islands—Malta (the largest), Gozo, Comino, and the uninhabited islets of Kemmunett (Comminotto) and Filfla.