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

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

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

International Solar Alliance Framework agreement 

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

ISA Framework initiative was launched by PM Narendra Modi at India Africa Summit and a meeting of member countries ahead of 2015 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in vember 2015. framework agreement of ISA opened for signatures in Marrakech, Morocco in 2016. Sputnik reported that around 84 countries have signed 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)