America finally joins the International Solar Alliance, opening a new world of possibilities.
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India's Solar Alliance finds a strong ally in the US
- A big victory: The US joined the International Solar Alliance (ISA) on 10th Nov., 2021, becoming the 101st country to join the sunshine club. At the signing, India said that this will strengthen the ISA substantially, and propel future action on providing a clean source of energy to the world.
- What the US said: It said that it was to be done, and it was happy to join the International Solar Alliance, which Indian PM took the lead in making. will be an important contribution to more rapid deployment of solar globally, and be particularly important for developing countries. This was coordinated by US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry.
- Initially the US was resistant, and not among the initial signatories. But by 2016, it decided to join the alliance.
- It was put on hold back then, during the Trump administration. Given the criticality of solar energy in the transition to a net-zero economy underpinned by a transition away from fossil fuels and the geopolitical situation, the US participation in the ISA now was a logical step.
- What the ISA DG said: Ajay Mathus (DG, ISA) said that the US' endorsement of ISA's framework and approach was a heartening development, especially as the 101st member nation, a significant milestone in itself. It demonstrated that nations across the world were recognizing the economic and climate mitigating value of solar, as well as this energy source's potential as a catalyst for global energy transition.
- Knowledge centre:
- International Solar Alliance - The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is a treaty based inter-governmental organization working to create a global market system to tap the benefits of solar power and promote clean energy applications. With 75 signatory countries in this global collective, the ISA creates a multi-stakeholder ecosystem where sovereign nations, multilateral organizations, industry, policymakers and innovators work in together to promote the common and shared goal of meeting energy demands of a secure & sustainable world. The Paris Declaration that established the ISA states that the countries share the collective ambition to undertake innovative and concerted efforts to reduce the cost of finance and technology for deployment of solar generation assets. The ISA aims to pave the way for future solar generation, storage and technologies for Member countries’ needs by mobilising over USD 1000 billion by 2030. Achievement of ISA’s objectives will also strengthen the climate action in member countries, helping them fulfil the commitments expressed in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
- Renewable energy - Renewable energy, often called clean energy, comes from natural sources or processes that are constantly replenished. For example, sunlight or wind keep shining and blowing, even if their availability depends on time and weather. Nonrenewable, or “dirty,” energy includes fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal. Nonrenewable sources of energy are only available in limited amounts and take a long time to replenish. When we pump gas at the station, we’re using a finite resource refined from crude oil that’s been around since prehistoric times.
- John Kerry - The United States special presidential envoy for climate is a position in the Executive Office of the President of the US, with authority over energy policy and climate policy within the executive branch. This position is currently held by John Kerry, who is the inaugural envoy. On November 23, 2020, Joe Biden had announced the same. Envoy John Kerry became the first from Biden administration to visit China, in April 21.
- OSOWOG - OSOWOG (One World, One Sun, One Grid) is an ambitious project proposed by India to interconnect renewelable energy systems on a massive scale. The vision behind the OSOWOG mantra is 'The Sun Never Sets' and is a constant at some geographical location, globally, at any given point of time.
- COP26 - COP26 is the next annual UN climate change conference. COP stands for Conference of the Parties, and the summit was attended by the countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – a treaty that came into force in 1994. COP26 was critical because it was the first moment when countries were expected to set out more ambitious goals for ending their contribution to climate change under the Paris Agreement.
- Summary: The ISA's goal is to speed up solar power generation worldwide, to help mitigate the emissions from fossil fuels that are driving global climate change. The need for rapid action was visible, as the COP-26 showed.
- EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) Explain the idea behind One World One Sun One Grid project. (2) Why did the US hesitate to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) initially? Explain. (3) What are the ultimate goals of the ISA network? Explain with reference to the COP26.
#Netzero #emissions #ISA #US #renewables #solar
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