National
ETV Bharat / bharat
By Aroonim Bhuyan
Published : November 15, 2026 at 12:59 PM IST
Updated : November 15, 2026 at 1:33 PM IST
New Delhi: The International Solar Alliance’s (ISA) Five-Year Strategy for 2027–2031, unveiled at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Turkiye, signals a shift in the global solar energy agenda, from expanding installed capacity to building the financial, technological and institutional ecosystem needed for large-scale deployment.
ISA Director General Ashish Khanna said the next challenge is to create conditions for solar energy to expand through grid digitisation, integrated energy planning, energy storage and institutional capacity-building.
The strategy seeks to translate renewable energy commitments into viable projects by combining solar generation with storage, flexible electricity grids and effective regulatory frameworks. It also promotes local-currency financing, supported by guarantees and risk-mitigation mechanisms, to make investments more accessible in developing economies.
The ISA will work with the COP31 Presidency’s Climate Implementation Bridge to connect global climate commitments with national implementation and ensure that solar expansion delivers affordable, reliable and secure energy.
For India, a founding force behind the ISA, the strategy offers an opportunity to consolidate its leadership in the Global South, expand markets for domestic solar technologies and deepen development partnerships with emerging economies.
Global solar capacity has increased from approximately 200 GW in 2015 to around 3 TW. However, developing countries continue to face high financing costs, limited access to technology, inadequate institutional capabilities and difficulties integrating intermittent renewable energy into electricity grids. The ISA aims to address these constraints and help global solar deployment reach 6 TW by 2031, making solar power a driver of affordable electricity, industrial development, energy security and economic growth.
India’s Leadership And Energy Security
India’s importance to the strategy stems from its central role in establishing the Alliance. India and France jointly launched the ISA at the UN climate conference in Paris in November 2015. Headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana, the organisation brings together solar-rich countries to promote cooperation in technology, investment and capacity-building.
The initiative reflected India’s ambition to make renewable energy central to international climate diplomacy while giving developing countries a stronger voice in the global energy transition. The new strategy connects national commitments with investment-ready projects, financial institutions, technology providers and development partners.
It offers India opportunities to deepen engagement across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Small Island Developing States (SIDS), many of which have considerable solar potential but lack the capital and expertise to exploit it. India’s experience in solar parks, rooftop installations and decentralised applications, alongside its expanding manufacturing capabilities, could help Indian companies and financial institutions participate in projects across these markets.
Day 4 at the ISA Solar Hub | #COP31 ☀️ A day of conversations. A shared ambition to accelerate the energy transition. ☀️ ISA Solar Hub brought together leaders, experts and partners to explore pathways for mobilising capital for Africa’s clean energy transition, strengthening domestic institutional investment across the Global South, and building heat resilience in agriculture through #Agrivoltaics. From innovative financing platforms and investment partnerships to climate-resilient agricultural systems, the conversations focused on turning opportunities into scalable solutions. Here’s a glimpse of the conversations and connections that shaped the day. The journey continues at the ISA Solar Hub, #COP31. Stay Tuned. @nsia_nigeria | @Vasudha_Fnd | @climaesociedade | @Ashish_Khanna #ISAatCOP31 #COP31Türkiye #SolarForAll #EnergyTransition #ClimateAction #GlobalSouth #AgriPV
Energy security is another major consideration. India’s dependence on imported fossil fuels exposes it to international price volatility, geopolitical tensions and disruptions to maritime supply routes. Expanding domestic renewable generation is therefore an economic and strategic necessity as well as an environmental priority.
According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India’s installed solar capacity reached approximately 174.55 GW as of October 31, 2026, compared with 2.8 GW in 2014. The country has also achieved its target of deriving 50 percent of installed electricity capacity from non-fossil sources, five years ahead of the 2030 deadline. Its broader ambition is to reach 500 GW of non-fossil electricity capacity by 2030.
Sustaining this expansion will require investment in transmission and distribution networks, battery storage, modern grid infrastructure and digital management systems. Integrating solar generation with storage and flexible grids can improve stability, manage fluctuations in output and reduce dependence on conventional power plants.
Highlights Day 3 at #COP31 ☀️ How do we take solar to the countries and communities that need it most? This was at the heart of the conversations on Day 3 at the ISA Solar Hub. Discussions spanned Africa’s pathway to large-scale solar deployment, ISA’s ambition to enable 6 TW of solar by 2031, the role of states and local governments in accelerating implementation, and the need for more resilient and diversified solar supply chains. Across these conversations, ISA’s strategies to accelerate solar deployment came into focus, connecting countries with finance, technology, institutional support, skilling, capacity building, and partnerships to turn solar potential into projects on the ground. 📺 Watch through for key takeaways. Stay tuned for more highlights and daily updates from ISA Pavilion. @turkiyecop31 | @Ashish_Khanna | @orfonline | @ORFAmerica | @karanmangotra | @RodrigoSauaia | @FCorvaro #ISAatCOP31 #COP31 #SolarForAll #EnergyTransition #ClimateAction #COP31Türkiye
Financing And Manufacturing Opportunities
The strategy’s emphasis on innovative financing could create opportunities for Indian development-finance institutions, banks and private investors. High borrowing costs, currency volatility and investment risks remain major obstacles to solar deployment in developing economies.
The ISA’s proposal to promote local-currency financing, backed by guarantees and risk-mitigation instruments, seeks to make projects financially viable and attract investment. Institutions such as the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), public-sector banks and infrastructure financiers could collaborate with multilateral development banks to structure projects and reduce foreign-exchange exposure.
The proposed Catalytic Finance Hub could aggregate smaller projects into larger portfolios attractive to institutional investors, particularly in decentralised solar installations, rural electrification and solar-plus-storage projects.
The $200-million Africa Solar Facility, developed with Africa50, the World Bank Group, Sustainable Energy for All and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, aims to provide flexible, long-term financing for decentralised renewable energy solutions in African communities. The ISA’s SIDS Platform has brought together 18 island countries around a pipeline of solar and storage projects worth approximately $500 million. These initiatives could help smaller economies overcome investment constraints while creating opportunities for Indian companies.
The strategy also complements India’s ambition to become a global hub for solar manufacturing. The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for high-efficiency solar photovoltaic modules, backed by an outlay of ₹24,000 crore, seeks to develop an integrated domestic manufacturing ecosystem, reduce import dependence and strengthen technological capabilities.
As domestic production expands, Indian manufacturers will need larger markets and international partnerships to achieve economies of scale. The ISA’s membership could help them access markets across Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America and island economies. Demand aggregation could generate larger and more predictable requirements for solar modules, inverters, batteries and mini-grid systems.
India could also share its experience in solar parks, rooftop installations and agricultural solarisation. Cooperation on technical standards and technology roadmaps could further improve export prospects for domestic manufacturers.
AI, Digitisation And Energy Storage
The growing share of solar power in electricity generation is creating new demands on grid management. Since solar output depends on weather and sunlight, electricity systems need greater flexibility to balance supply and demand. Battery storage, smart grids, digital monitoring and advanced forecasting are becoming essential.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based forecasting can improve estimates of solar generation and electricity consumption, while digital monitoring can identify equipment failures, improve maintenance and reduce operating costs.
The ISA’s Global Capability Centre, SHINE, its AI-enabled ISA Academy and 17 Solar Technology Application Resource Centres (STAR-Cs) are intended to strengthen expertise and facilitate technology dissemination. These institutions could provide opportunities for Indian universities, technical institutions and companies to participate in international research, training and capacity-building.
India could use the Alliance to expand cooperation in battery technologies, pumped storage, smart-grid solutions and digital energy management. Integrating solar power with storage would improve electricity availability beyond daylight hours, strengthen supply reliability and reduce the need for conventional backup generation.
Partnerships With Africa And Island Nations
The strategy’s focus on energy access is relevant to India’s engagement with Africa and island countries in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. In several African countries, extending conventional electricity grids to remote communities remains expensive and difficult. Decentralised solar installations, mini-grids and solar-powered irrigation can provide practical alternatives, particularly in rural areas with limited grid connectivity.
India’s experience in rural electrification, agricultural solarisation and rooftop installations offers models that could be adapted by partner countries. Initiatives such as ‘PM-KUSUM’, which promotes solarisation of agricultural pumps, and ‘PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana’, which supports household rooftop solar installations, could inform similar programmes abroad.
The Africa Solar Facility could create opportunities for Indian companies specialising in solar engineering, equipment manufacturing and project development. Such projects could strengthen India’s development partnerships through technology transfer, investment and local capacity-building.
Cooperation with SIDS is equally important. Many island economies depend heavily on imported diesel for electricity generation and are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Solar power combined with storage can reduce fuel-import dependence, limit exposure to international price fluctuations and improve energy resilience.
Climate Diplomacy And Global South Leadership
The ISA strategy carries diplomatic significance for India because it addresses developing countries’ longstanding concerns over the gap between climate commitments and the resources available to implement them. Developing economies have consistently called for affordable finance, technology transfer, capacity-building and international cooperation, while emphasising that climate action must account for their development priorities and energy requirements.
By concentrating on project preparation, financing, institutional capacity and technology partnerships, the ISA’s approach addresses several of these concerns. India can use the Alliance to strengthen the collective voice of the Global South in climate negotiations and advocate an energy transition that is environmentally sustainable and economically viable.
The strategy also provides an opportunity to demonstrate that climate cooperation can deliver tangible benefits through affordable electricity, employment, industrial growth and improved energy access. As host of the ISA headquarters, India is well placed to help shape international standards, investment frameworks and technology partnerships in the solar sector.
Challenges And The Road Ahead
The strategy’s success will depend on overcoming significant practical constraints. Mobilising affordable finance on the required scale will be difficult. Achieving the proposed 6 TW global solar deployment target by 2031 will require substantial investment not only in generation but also in storage, transmission, distribution and supporting technologies.
Developing countries will need stronger institutional capabilities to identify projects, prepare bankable proposals, negotiate financing arrangements and maintain infrastructure. The ISA’s Global Capability Centre and STAR-Cs could help address these gaps through technical assistance and training.
Grid infrastructure is another critical requirement. Without adequate transmission capacity, storage and modern management systems, expanding solar generation may not translate into reliable electricity supplies. The Alliance must also ensure that its initiatives reach countries with limited financial and institutional resources, particularly least developed countries and small island economies.
For India, international leadership will need to be matched by domestic progress in solar manufacturing, reducing dependence on imported critical components, upgrading grid infrastructure and ensuring the financial viability of renewable energy projects.
The central test for the ISA strategy will be whether its financing, technology and capacity-building initiatives enable developing countries to convert solar potential into reliable and affordable electricity. Achieving the 6 TW target will require sustained investment and coordination among governments, multilateral institutions and private-sector partners. For India, the opportunity lies in translating its domestic experience into practical cooperation while expanding its role in the global clean-energy transition.
According to Uttam Kumar Sinha, Senior Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) and an expert on climate change issues, India, in the last 10 years since COP15 in Paris, has been a climate leader in terms of forming alliances with bodies like the ISA.
“Also, India has formed a climate change disaster study,” Sinha told ETV Bharat. “India has made a lot of individual commitments,” Sinha explained that India’s global leadership role on the climate change issue is also respected for what the country is doing domestically. “India is not just speaking but also committing itself to green policies and renewables like solar and wind,” he said.
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