Event deliberates on clean energy transition

By Maitreyi Karthik

The fifth assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) was inaugurated on October 17, 2022, by Raj Kumar Singh, Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy, India, in his capacity as the President of the ISA. India holds the office of the President of the ISA Assembly, with the Government of France as Co-President. Ministers from 20 countries and delegates from across 110 member and signatory countries, apart from 18 prospective countries, joined the inaugural ceremony of the 5th ISA Assembly.

At the opening, Raj Kumar Singh stated, "The past two years have provided us multiple reminders that the global dependence on fossil fuels is unhealthy, not just for the environment, but also for the economy. The good news is that we already have the tools we need to counter these, and the development in technology is making sure that even more effective resources are made available in the years to come. It is now up to us to decide how quickly we can deploy these. In this pursuit for energy transition, we also have the responsibility of enabling development in the parts of the world that lack access to energy and energy security."

It is our mission that ISA can assist member nations in formulating and implementing solar-ready policies and regulatory development of national energy landscapes and for engaging with public and private sector entities to leverage low cost financing to achieve ISA’s solarisation agenda. The ISA is structured as an international resource hub with in-house technical expertise that will be readily accessible by member nations and is capable of guiding project implementation at scale. The ISA has come a long way since its formation, and we are moving forward at a great pace, thanks to the guidance and support provided by each and every member of ISA, the minister added.

Technologies for Clean Energy Transition

On the sidelines of the Assembly, the ISA, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank and the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), the Government of India, hosted a high-level Conference on “New Technologies for Clean Energy Transition” on October 19., 2022 at Hotel Ashok, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. The same day saw the launch of “Global Solar Reports on Technology, Investments & Markets.”

Participants from 109 countries shared their experiences towards a low-carbon economy through the promotion of solar energy at the 4-day event. The plenary session framed the key issues around solar energy technologies, investments, and markets, to enhance the understanding in further thematic sessions. The conference featured speakers from academia, think tanks, industry, the financial sector, and policymakers.

Four technical panel discussions provided perspectives from technology experts, developers, financial experts, and policymakers for the markets for new technologies. The thematic sessions on “New Technologies in Solar Energy” and “Technology Transfer and Absorption in Solar Energy” focussed on new technologies and applications, in the solar PV and related sectors, which are at the precipice of large-scale commercialization to support the economy-wide clean energy transition, including hard-to-abate sectors. New technologies and applications such as green hydrogen and derivative fuels, e-mobility, long-duration storage for round-the-clock green electricity, floating solar PV particularly marine solar, and emerging solar PV technologies were the focus of the conference.

The session on Global Solar Reports highlighted the scope of the reports, evolutions in technology, market, and investment scenario through methodologies, reviewing guidelines, and presented “highlights of the year”. The sessions served as a basis for dialogue among member countries, government agencies, the private sector, research institutions, and academia; enabling international collaboration, that is necessary to achieve global climate goals.

During the thematic technical sessions, experts delved into technology development, policy & regulatory support to create an innovative ecosystem for clean energy transition, catalysing private sector investment in R&D and commercialization, government-academia-corporate linkages, and market creation for new technologies. Each session was followed by a Q&A round providing an interactive platform between the speakers and the audience.

This year’s governance meetings of the ISA began in July 2022. The governance bodies of the ISA, i.e. the Assembly, the Standing Committee, and the Regional Committees provide an integrated approach to governance and decision-making within the Alliance.