India today called upon more countries to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) to reduce dependence on fossil fuels to meet the growing energy requirement, even as it acknowledged the phenomenal progress made by the Alliance and the growing solar energy capabilities the world over.

Speaking at a Ministerial Plenary on “SOLAR AND THE SIDS – Making the Sun Shine Brighter”, on the sidelines of the 25th session of Conference of Parties under the UN framework convention of Climate Change (UNFCCC COP25), in Madrid, Spain today, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar said “Four years ago in Paris, when PM Shri Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande launched the International Solar Alliance (ISA), it was a new beginning. Now I can say that the four year old child is running fast, but it must run faster because the need of the hour is that we must tap solar in a big way”.

Expressing contentment over 83 countries joining the ISA in just four years, Shri Javadekar stated “When ISA was launched, the idea was that all those countries, who get more solar energy as they fall between Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn , should come together to create consumers’ own market. He further said, “I must also congratulate you all as the International Solar Alliance has aggregated demand from various countries on Solar Agriculture Pumps and have floated a tender in which four parties have submitted their bids.  I am sure that a best deal is on the cards and they will get it soon”.

Listing out the aggressive manner in which India has expanded its renewable energy mix, Shri Javadekar pointed out that “five years ago, India had just 3 GW (of Solar). Today we have 33 GW of solar energy. It is huge.”

“India is going to achieve 100 GW of Solar energy by 2022 i.e. in the next three years it will add 67 GW more of solar energy,” the Minister said pointing to the sharp fall in the prices of solar energy due to enhancement of capacity.   “The prices (of Solar Energy) used to be Rs 20 per unit. Now, it is just 10 per cent of it,” he further added.

Shri Javadekar also spoke at length about making efforts towards increasing renewable energy capacity, “All countries need to do it because the target of UNFCCC is to do away with use of all fossil fuels, not only coal.  We (India) have today 37 per cent energy capacity through renewables.  We want to increase it because our energy demand is rising so we have decided to have 40 per cent of energy capacity through renewal energy – solar, wind, bio-waste”, expressed the Minister.

Shri Javadekar also dwelt upon how earlier on initiatives were made by India in launching of ISA, “PM Shri Narendra Modi, when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat had suggested in 2011 that we should launch this alliance, but there were not many takers at that time, but it happened in 2015 in Paris.  France is cooperating and other countries too. I wish this International Solar Alliance very best,” said the Environment Minister, adding “when we meet in Glasgow next year, I am sure, there will be more progress in ISA.”

Prime Minister of Fiji Mr Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama; Shri Anand Kumar, Secretary Ministry of New and renewable energy, Government of India and Shri Upendra Tripathy, Director General of International Solar Alliance, were among other speakers.

On the sidelines of UNFCCC COP25, in Madrid, Spain today, Shri Javadekar, also held bilateral meeting with the British delegation led by Minister for Climate Change, BEIS, Lord Duncan. Host of issues were discussed ranging from the mechanism of Adaptation, Finance, Technology & many other ClimateAction related issues.

A bilateral meeting with the Australian delegation led by Mr Angus Tylor, Minister of Energy and Emission Reduction was also held earlier in the day.

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GK/LV