Malta joins the International Solar Alliance (ISA)

Malta joins the International Solar Alliance (ISA)

News: Recently, Malta became the 119th country to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

About the International Solar Alliance:
• It was launched by India and France together at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Paris in 2015, to address energy requirements through a common approach.
• It represents a significant step towards a sustainable future, harnessing the power of the sun for a brighter tomorrow.

Formation and Purpose:
• The ISA was conceived as a coalition of solar resource-rich countries, most of them located between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
• The primary objective of the alliance is to work for the efficient consumption of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
• The ISA has set a target of 1 TW of solar energy by 2030, which would require $1 trillion to achieve.

Membership:
• The ISA is open to 121 prospective member countries.
• So far, however, only 56 countries have signed the ISA Framework Agreement.

India’s Role:
• Apart from being a founding-member, India plays a significant role in the alliance in terms of being a host as well as a major contributor to the achievement of the target.
• The ISA is the first international body that will have a secretariat in India.
• India, with a target to produce 100 GW of solar energy by 2022, would account for a tenth of ISA’s goal.