9th ISA Assembly and Bharat RE Summit: India's Push for a Solar-Powered World

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In news

• The 9th Session of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Assembly is being held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from 2 to 5 November 2026.
• It is held together with the Bharat Renewable Energy (BRE) Summit and Expo 2026 and the 4th International Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH).
• This is the first time the three events share one platform.

Key facts

Item	Detail
Venue	Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
Scale	75+ countries, 500+ speakers, 400+ exhibitors
Focus areas	Solar markets, green hydrogen, distributed RE, clean energy manufacturing, green finance, AI in energy
Organiser	Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), with ISA

About the International Solar Alliance

• Launched: 30 November 2015, at COP21 in Paris, by India and France.
• Legal status: a treaty-based intergovernmental organisation. Its Framework Agreement entered into force on 6 December 2017.
• Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana, on the National Institute of Solar Energy campus. It is the first international intergovernmental body headquartered in India.
• Membership: first meant for solar-rich countries between the Tropics. A 2020 amendment opened it to all UN member countries.
• Members: over 120 member and signatory countries.
• Observer status at the UN General Assembly.
• Assembly: the apex decision-making body. India is the President and France the Co-President.

Major ISA initiatives

• "Towards 1000" strategy: mobilise US$1,000 billion of solar investment, provide energy access to 1,000 million people and install 1,000 GW of solar capacity by 2030.
• One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG): a vision of a global interconnected solar grid. Its first step, the Green Grids Initiative, was launched with the UK at COP26 (2021).
• Global Solar Facility: a fund to attract investment into solar projects in underserved regions, mainly Africa.
• STAR-C: a network of Solar Technology Application Resource Centres for skills and training.
• SolarX Startup Challenge: support for solar startups.

India's renewable energy progress

• India's non-fossil power capacity crossed 300 GW in August 2026.
• Non-fossil sources now form over half of India's installed power capacity.
• India met its NDC target of 50% non-fossil installed capacity in 2025, five years before 2030.
• India has the world's third-largest renewable energy capacity.
• Target: 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030.

Key schemes

• PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (2024): rooftop solar for 1 crore households, with up to 300 units of free power a month.
• National Green Hydrogen Mission (2023): target of 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen a year by 2030.
• PLI for high-efficiency solar PV modules: to build domestic manufacturing.
• PM-KUSUM: solar pumps and solar plants for farmers.
• Solar parks and Green Energy Corridors for transmission.

Why it matters

• Energy security: less dependence on imported oil and gas.
• Climate action: supports India's net zero by 2070 goal and the Panchamrit pledges of COP26.
• Global South leadership: ISA gives developing countries a voice in clean energy finance and technology.
• Soft power: ISA is a flagship of Indian climate diplomacy, along with CDRI and Mission LiFE.
• Jobs and manufacturing: solar, batteries and green hydrogen are new growth sectors.

Challenges

• Import dependence: India relies heavily on China for solar cells, wafers and polysilicon.
• Storage gap: solar power is intermittent. Battery and pumped storage capacity is still low.
• Transmission: grid lines and land acquisition lag behind new solar capacity.
• Finance: high cost of capital in developing countries.
• DISCOM health: financially weak power distribution companies delay payments.
• ISA's own limits: pledges outpace actual investment on the ground.

Static connect

• COP26 Panchamrit (2021): 500 GW non-fossil capacity by 2030; 50% of energy needs from renewables by 2030; cut 1 billion tonnes of emissions by 2030; reduce emissions intensity of GDP by 45% from 2005 levels; net zero by 2070.
• CDRI (Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure): launched by India in 2019.
• Global Biofuels Alliance: launched during India's G20 Presidency (2023).
• IRENA: the International Renewable Energy Agency, headquartered in Abu Dhabi.

Way forward

• Build a full domestic solar supply chain, from polysilicon to modules.
• Scale up battery energy storage and pumped hydro.
• Speed up transmission and green energy corridors.
• Use ISA to channel affordable finance to Africa and small island States.
• Push green hydrogen for hard-to-abate sectors such as steel and fertilisers.

Exam relevance: UPSC Prelims, GS-2 (International institutions) and GS-3 (Energy, Climate change); TGPSC, APPSC (Science and Technology, Environment).