Germany handsover instrument of accession to ISA after ratifying alliance agreement: MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on 10 September informed that Germany has handed the instrument of accession to the International Solar Alliance (ISA) after signing the alliance agreement. MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that the ISA was handed over during a meeting of German Parliamentary Secretaries, German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development with Secretary (ER) Dammu Ravi and Joint Secretary (Enforcement Directorate) Noor Rahman Sheikh.  . 

According to ANI, membership in ISA was limited to 11 sun-belt countries lying between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. However, now the alliance is starting to look beyond the tropics. It is worth noting that there are currently 124 member nations and ISA’s main objective is to work for the efficient consumption of solar energy in a bid to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. 

International Solar Alliance Framework agreement 

Earlier, major solar energy economies such as Germany weren’t allowed to join the alliance as it was increasingly seen as a foreign policy tool. But now, Germany’s membership in the ISA is expected to help with India’s cross-border power grid plan - One Sun, One World, One Grid. The plan seeks to transfer solar power generated in one region to feed the electricity demands of others. 

The ISA Framework initiative was launched by PM Narendra Modi at the India Africa Summit and a meeting of member countries ahead of the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in November 2015. The framework agreement of the ISA opened for signatures in Marrakech, Morocco in 2016. Sputnik reported that around 84 countries have signed the ISA agreement framework, and about 67 have ratified it. Germany is aiming at generating two-thirds of its electricity needs from solar and wind by 2030. 

(With inputs from ANI)