The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an alliance of 121 countries initiated by India, most of them being sunshine countries, which lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn .
- The primary objective of the alliance is to work for efficient consumption of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
- The alliance is a treaty-based inter governmental organisation .
- Countries that do not fall within the Tropics can join the alliance and enjoy all benefits as other members, with the exception of voting rights.
- After the United Nations , it is the largest grouping of states world-wide.
- The initiative was launched by Prime Minister Modi at the India Africa Summit , and a meeting of member countries ahead of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in November 2015.
- The framework agreement of the International Solar Alliance opened for signatures in Marrakech , Morocco in November 2016, and 200 countries have joined.
- The ISA is headquartered in GURUGRAM India.
Objective of ISA :
The focus is on solar power utilization.
- The launching of such an alliance in Paris also sends a strong signal to the global communities about the sincerity of the developing nations towards their concern about climate change and to switch to a low-carbon growth path.
India has pledged a target of installing 175 GW of renewable energy of which 100 GW will be solar energy by 2022 and reduction in emission intensity by 33–35% by 2030 to let solar energy reach to the most unconnected villages and communities and also towards creating a clean planet.
- India’s pledge to the Paris summit offered to bring 40% of its electricity generation capacity (not actual production) from non-fossil sources (renewable, large hydro, and nuclear) by 2030.
- It is based on world cooperation.
Importance for India :
- The area of Earth located in between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn is called the tropical (torrid) zone.
- This is the part of the world in which the sun can appear directly overhead, and that more-direct exposure means that the sun’s actual effect is greater here; anywhere north or south of this zone, sunlight always reaches the earth’s surface at an angle and is correspondingly less intense.
- The sunniest countries of the world are on the African continent,
- ranging from Somalia- Horn of Africa-, east to Niger, west and north to Egypt.
- For India, possible additional benefits from the alliance can be a strengthening of ties with the major African countries and increasing goodwill for India among them.
Source : PIB, The Hindu , The Indian Express , Wikipedia , LSTV, RSTV , Google
Disclaimer : The notes are free for students preparing for IAS Exams
