October 9, 2025

Get ready for an energy fiesta! From October 27 to 30, New Delhi will host the Eighth Session of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Assembly, where top leaders will discuss big plans to expand solar power and unlock money for green projects. This high-level meet happens just weeks before the crucial COP30 climate talks in Brazil’s Belem city. The ISA is not just dreaming; it’s acting fast, especially on distributed renewable energy. Why? Because solar power from small systems can light up homes in the poorest countries without the heavy costs of big transmission lines or expensive battery storage. At a special launch event, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, proudly stated, “Owing to its clear vision and the consistent policies, India achieved its renewable energy targets five years ahead of the schedule, crossing the 50 per cent mark in overall installed electricity capacity from non-fossil resources.” India now boasts around 125 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity, making it the world’s third-largest solar producer. Joshi, who is also the President of ISA Assembly, said, “It is because our success story is more than just numbers; it is about the people.” He added how decentralized solar power has “transformed lives, bring light to rural homes, powers local health centres and gives new tools to our farmers.” Thanks to the PM Surya Ghar - Muft Bijli Yojana, over 20 lakh households are enjoying free solar electricity! Joshi also highlighted the PM-KUSUM scheme, aiming to set up 10 GW of small solar plants, support 1.4 million off-grid solar pumps, and solarise 3.5 million farm pumps connected to the grid. This is a huge push for clean, farmer-friendly energy. MNRE Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi praised ISA’s powerful role in sharing know-how and scaling solar projects. “ISA’s role in experience sharing, in cross learning and in deploying solar both at scale as well as at a distributed level has been commendable,” he said, promising continued support from India in funds and technology. Sarangi explained exciting experiments in Africa are showing great results, and India is eager to help other countries copy its solar success. Ashish Khanna, ISA’s Director General, painted a thrilling picture: “It took oil 25 years to reach 1,000 GW, but renewables doubled that in just two years.” He spotlighted a world-changing fact: renewable energy has now passed fossil fuels in electricity generation. Khanna urged the Global South to take charge and called ISA a key platform for turning big promises into real solar projects. With such blazing ambition and tight teamwork, the upcoming ISA Assembly is set to supercharge solar power globally, making the sun shine brighter for a greener, cleaner future.

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Tags: International solar alliance, Solar power, India renewable energy, Pralhad joshi, Distributed renewable energy, Solar capacity,