US Joins International Solar Alliance

• 12 Nov 2021

Why in News

Recently, the United States of America has become the 101^st member country to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

• Earlier, the fourth general assembly of ISA was held.

Key Points

• About:
  
  • The ISA is an intergovernmental treaty-based organisation with a global mandate to catalyse solar growth by helping to reduce the cost of financing and technology.
  • ISA is the nodal agency for implementing One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG), which seeks to transfer solar power generated in one region to feed the electricity demands of others.
• Launch:
  
  • It is an Indian initiative that was launched by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France on 30^th November 2015 in Paris, France on the side-lines of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP-21), with 121 solar resource rich countries lying fully or partially between the tropic of Cancer and tropic of Capricorn as prospective members.
• Members:
  
  • 101 members, after being joined by the US.
• Headquarters:
  
  • The Headquarters is in India with its Interim Secretariat being set up in Gurugram.
• Objectives:
  
  • To collectively address key common challenges to the scaling up of solar energy in ISA member countries.
• New ISA Programmes:
  
  • New ISA programmes have been launched on management of solar PV panels & battery usage waste and solar hydrogen programme.
    
    • The new Hydrogen initiative is aimed at enabling the use of solar electricity to produce hydrogen at a more affordable rate than what is available currently (USD 5 per KG), by bringing it down to USD 2 per KG.

Source: IE