New Delhi: The International Solar Alliance (ISA) has expanded into a coalition of more than 120 countries working together to accelerate the global solar transition, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said on March 11. Speaking at the ISA Foundation Day celebrations in New Delhi, Joshi said the alliance, launched by India and France in 2015, has evolved into a major platform for international cooperation on solar energy.
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“What began as a powerful vision has today grown into a coalition of more than 120 countries working collectively to accelerate the global solar transition,” Joshi said.
Joshi said solar energy deployment is accelerating worldwide, noting that while it took nearly 25 years for the world to install the first 1,000 GW of solar capacity, the next 1,000 GW is expected to be achieved much faster.
He added that the centre of gravity of the clean energy transition is increasingly shifting towards the Global South, where rising energy demand and abundant solar resources present an opportunity to expand clean energy deployment.
The ISA, a treaty-based intergovernmental organisation, works with governments, development institutions and industry to scale solar deployment, particularly across Africa, Asia and other developing regions.
Highlighting India’s progress in solar energy deployment, Joshi said the country’s installed solar capacity has reached nearly 136 GW, accounting for close to half of India’s total renewable energy capacity. He attributed the growth to sustained policy support and government initiatives aimed at expanding solar access.
Programmes such as PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana and PM-KUSUM are helping households and farmers adopt solar energy by enabling rooftop generation and solar-powered irrigation systems, he said.
Speaking at the event, MNRE Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi said solar energy has emerged as one of the most valuable public goods in the global energy transition. “Solar energy has truly emerged as one of the most valuable public goods of our time, an abundant, benevolent force that nations are increasingly harnessing for the collective welfare of their people. In India, this understanding has translated into decisive action. Guided by the vision to achieve 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, we have built a strong policy and implementation framework that has accelerated deployment, strengthened domestic manufacturing, and empowered citizens to participate directly in the energy transition,” Sarangi said. He added that India remains committed to sharing its experience with other countries through international platforms such as the ISA.
ISA Director-General Ashish Khanna said the alliance has evolved into a global coalition bringing together governments, institutions and partners working to expand solar deployment.
“On the Foundation Day of the International Solar Alliance, I express my heartfelt gratitude to our Member Countries, partner institutions and colleagues who have shaped and strengthened this Alliance. The Alliance today has grown into a global coalition of 125 Member and Signatory countries united by the belief that the world’s most abundant energy source must also be its most democratic.
Our Members across Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe and the Others are the true custodians of ISA’s progress. Their trust, leadership and ambition define every milestone we achieve. I am equally grateful to our 77 partner organisations and to the growing community of young solar professionals trained at IIT Delhi, who carry this mission forward each day.
ISA will continue to work with humility and purpose, supporting our Member Countries to translate this momentum into tangible outcomes: expanded energy access, stronger livelihoods, and shared prosperity. Together, we will continue to turn sunlight into opportunity, resilience and progress for all,” Khanna said.
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On the occasion, the ISA also announced the Green Hydrogen and Storage Start-up Challenge 2026, aimed at supporting startups working on green hydrogen and energy storage technologies. Selected startups will receive structured acceleration and mentoring support, along with access to markets across ISA member countries to help scale their technologies.