India was elected President along with France as Vice President in the 7th Assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). Ashish Khanna of India has been elected as the new Director General of ISA and will take over from Ajay Mathur, in March 2025. The 7^th assembly introduced the Solar Data Portal. It is a useful tool that provides real-time data on solar resources and investment potential for governments, investors, and project developers. Another major attraction of the event was the SolarX Startup Challenge. This challenge will award 30 promising startups across the Asia-Pacific region for innovative solutions within the solar industry.

The International Solar Alliance is a collaborative initiative by India and France, conceptualized following the COP21 in Paris 2015. Following 2020, all UN member states were eligible to participate. Currently, the coalition contains 120 member nations. India and France have consistently served as President and Vice President since its inception. The alliance aims to raise $1 trillion in solar investments by 2030 and lower the technology cost for solar energy solutions.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi expressed his delight at the technological improvements deliberated by the platform. Joshi also revealed that ISA has completed 21 out of 27 demonstration projects, particularly in the least developed countries (LDC) and small island developing states (SIDS).

Addressing the 7^th general assembly of ISA Joshi talked about the flagship scheme of PM Surya Ghar and PM Kusum. Hinting at the effort by the Union Government towards transformation to renewable energy Joshi said, “We have approved 50 solar parks with a total capacity of nearly 37.5 GW and identified potential offshore wind energy sites to reach our 30 GW goal by 2030,”

The assembly also discussed its other key initiative Global Solar Facility for instance is aimed at accelerating commercial investments in solar infrastructure in LDC and SIDS. A pilot project in the Democratic Republic of Congo has already attracted $39 million in investments with hopes of making the facility. ISA Director General Ajay Mathur praised the collaborative spirit of the assembly. “Our collective presence here underscores our commitment to find solutions and share expertise to fuel a new era of solar transformation,” he stated while applauding the role of ISA as a global leader in solar advocacy.

The Assembly discussed its plans. It is about to release its annual flagship report World Solar Report. It will give insights into the trends and investments in solar technology.