Norwegian diplomat highlights India's 'global first' as it leads way in 'solar revolution'

Norwegian diplomat and former politician Erik Solheim has shared a post from his Twitter handle that said India is the first and only country to have a fully solar-powered airport and railway station in the country. This may be a small but significant achievement for India to lead the world to increasingly adopt solar power in the future.

Solheim's tweet was in the context of the Guwahati railway station of Assam and the Cochin International Airport which run on solar power and have led India to achieve a significant feat.

The Guwahati railway station in the capital city of Assam is the first railway station in the country to be fully solar-powered. According to reports, the station handles nearly 20,000 passengers on an average every day. Commissioned in April 2017, the solar power plant at Guwahati railway station was solar-powered to not only reduce the carbon footprint significantly but also result in electricity cost savings.

The Cochin International Airport has more stunning achievements to showcase as it was the first in the world to be fully powered by solar energy, declared by airport officials in 2015 as per reports. What started as a curious effort to reduce the ever-increasing electricity bills led the airport authorities to opt for solar energy and reduce carbon emissions while standing as a shining example in the world that solar is the way forward. In 2018, the airport won one of the United Nations' top environmental honors: the Champions of the Earth award for Entrepreneurial Vision.

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India re-elected as President in ISA

India has always encouraged the usage of solar energy in order to reduce the greenhouse effect and has actively led the fight against climate change. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 initiated the International Solar Alliance at the 21st session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP-21) in Paris, France. During this year's meeting of the International Solar Alliance on Wednesday, October 14, India was re-elected as the President of the organisation for a term of two years with France as the Co-President. Four new Vice-Presidents were also voted in to represent the four regions of the ISA at its third assembly that was attended by 34 members. The ISA has been constituted with an aim to provide a dedicated platform for cooperation among solar-resource-rich countries, through which the global community, including governments, bilateral and multilateral organizations, corporates, industry, and other stakeholders, can contribute to help achieve the common goal of increasing the use and quality of solar energy in meeting energy needs of prospective ISA member countries in a safe, convenient, affordable, equitable and sustainable manner.

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