New Delhi 22 October, 2021: The International Solar Alliance (ISA) will provide a grant of up to USD 50,000 to Least Developed Countries (LDC) and Small Island Developing States (SID) member countries to undertake Demonstration Solar projects. The Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of 11 ISA member countries from this cohort – Comoros, Ethiopia, Fiji, Guyana, Jamaica, Kiribati, Malawi, Senegal, Togo, Tonga, and Niger – have been formally approved by Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director General, International Solar Alliance. A formal signing-in ceremony was hosted by the International Solar Alliance (ISA) at the Fourth Assembly of the ISA.
The Demonstration Solar Projects initiative has four objectives: to provide technical and financial support to LDCs and SIDS Member Countries of the ISA to implement demonstration projects; to support resilience building in key sectors such as agriculture and health in the backdrop of Covid crisis; to create markets for innovative solar technologies and to increase their access in LDCs and SIDS Member Countries; and to foster innovation in business model, finance, technology and implementation modalities.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director General, the ISA said, “The ISA is continuously looking at ways and means to support the socio-economic goals of our member countries. These grants reflect our commitment to their accelerated solarization. The projects supported through these grants will also help identify the modifications in national policies and processes that will enable fast replication.”
As on date, expressions of interest to initiative solar demonstration projects from 27 Member Countries have been received, and 77 bilateral meetings have been organized with the Member Countries to discuss the initiative in detail and to provide clarifications and assistance to develop the detail project reports.
The project proposals received from Member Countries include 17 countries from the African region – Benin, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gambia, Mali, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, Seychelles, Sudan, Togo, and Uganda; six countries from the Asia-Pacific region – Cambodia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Tonga; and four countries from Latin America and the Caribbean region – Cuba, Guyana, Jamaica and Suriname.
Seven Member Countries – Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Fiji, Senegal, and Sudan – have opted for demonstration project implementation by the ISA. These projects will be implemented through NTPC, which is ISA’s Project Management Consultancy. 13 Member Countries – Benin, Cambodia, Cuba, Guyana, Jamaica, Kiribati, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Suriname, Tonga, Togo and Uganda- have opted for direct implementation. The other seven Member Countries are yet to decide the implementation modality. However, DPRs for 18 out of 27 countries are being prepared by NTPC.
The proposal on the ISA’s initiative of providing technical and financial support of up to USD 50,000 for financing 47 demonstration solar projects for LDCs and SIDS Member Countries was approved during the Third Assembly of the ISA. The initiative was earlier recommended by the Third Standing Committee on 27 May 2020.
Dignitaries from eight Member Countries attended this session of the Signing-in Ceremony for demonstration solar projects and delivered special addresses.
From Africa Region:
- Comoros: H.E. Mr. Kanahiya Lal Ganju, Honorary Consul General, Honorary Consulate of Union of Comoros.
- Ethiopia: H.E. Dr. Frehiwot Woldehanna, Hon’ble State Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy
- Malawi: H.E. Mr. George Mkondiwa, High Commissioner, High Commission of the Republic of Malawi
- Niger (Vice-President of Africa Region): H.E Mr. Balla Mahaman Rabiou, Secrétaire Général du Ministère de l’Energie, Niger
- Togo: E. Mr. Kondi Mani, Charge d Affairs, Embassy of Togo in India
From Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Region:
- Guyana (Vice-President of LAC Region): H.E. Mr. Deodat Indar, Hon’ble Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Vice-President of ISA’s LAC Region
- Jamaica: H.E. John Clarke, Deputy High Commissioner, High Commission of Jamaica in India
From Asia-Pacific Region:
- Tonga: E. Mr. Poasi Mataele Tei, Hon’ble Minister for Meteorology, Energy, Information Management, Environment, Climate Change & Communications (MEIDECC) – through recorded video message, and H.E. Mr. Desh Sahae, Honorary Consul, Consulate of Tonga in India
About The International Solar Alliance:
The ISA is an inter-governmental treaty-based international organization with a global mandate to catalyse global solar growth by helping to reduce the cost of financing and technology for solar. In fulfilling this mandate, the ISA is committed to establishing solar as a shared solution that simultaneously addresses climate, energy, and economic priorities across geographies, facilitating Energy Transition at a global level, Energy Security at national levels, while also ensuring Energy Access at the local level. The ISA is helping large nations scale global commitments, thereby serving the planet’s needs for reduced carbon emissions, while also helping economically more vulnerable nations establish a self-sustaining energy alternative that reduces trade dependency and drives job creation. Universal, affordable, and reliable last-mile electricity connectivity across socio-economic strata is a crucial pillar and targeted, tangible outcome of these combined efforts towards facilitating economic development and environmental impact.
For further information, contact:
Dr. Megha Pushpendra
Lead Strategic Communication
The International Solar Alliance
Phone: +91 9899376164
E mail ID:
meghapushpendra@isolaralliance.org
Rakhi Aurora
Senior Account Manager
Edelman India
Phone: +91 9599067185
E mail ID: rakhi.aurora@edelman.com