India emerging as a role model in the adoption of renewable energy in place of fossil fuels

Introduction

The International Solar Festival (ISF) hosted by the International Solar Alliance (ISA), which was held in India at New Delhi on 5th & 6th of September, 2024 is expected to catalyse global solar adoption by:

1. Forging partnerships;
2. Unlocking innovative financing;
3. Deploying cutting-edge technology, and;
4. Boosting capacity in ISA member countries.

Aligning businesses, policymakers, and financial institutions, the festival is expected to serve as a launchpad for transformative collaborations, fast-tracking the world’s transition to a future, powered by affordable, reliable, and sustainable solar energy.

The International Solar Festival focussed on the Solar Electrification of Public buildings in the India, establishing the country as moving from the use of hydrocarbons, the principal constituents of petroleum and natural gas, serving as fuels, lubricants, and raw materials for various products to renewable green energy sources, consolidating India’s position being at the forefront of providing renewable energy, among the nations in the global south.

It is noteworthy that, as a global leader committed to sustainability, India has set a target of 500 GW of non-fossil energy by 2030.
The International Solar Festival witnessed the presence of countries across the globe, including African and western countries along with many International Forums/Organizations, including the Asian Development Bank, United Nations, and the World Bank who are to finance improvements in the renewable energy segment, with the goal to meet global energy demand, greatly minimising the dependence on fossil fuels internationally.

The International Solar Festival aimed to achieve alignment among all stakeholders on a single platform. Since solar power is the newest energy source quickly catching up with the traditionally used energy sources, it was considered appropriate to organise the International Solar Festival.

International Solar Alliance (ISA)
The ambitious One World, One Sun, One Grid initiative of PM Narendra Modi led to the birth of the International Solar Alliance at the 2015 UN Conference on Climate, COP 21 in Paris. The formation of ISA underlined India’s emergence as a dominant global force in the challenging politics of climate change.

ISA was proposed as a multi-country partnership organisation with membership from the Sunshine Belt countries lying fully or partially between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The ambit however was subsequently expanded to include several European countries and the US. The festival has set the goal to mobilise more than USD 1 trillion in investments to set up 1,000 GWs of solar capacity installations globally, thereby making clean power affordable and universally accessible by 2030.

Currently, climate change impacts are being observed all around the world. Global platforms like the G20 Summit and COP28 had also discussed the dependence on fossil fuels and the issue of embracing renewable energy.

India’s role

Over the years, India has played a key role in the North–South politics of climate negotiations. It is a leading member of the Global South, not only because of its vast population and position as an Emerging Economic Power, but because of its shift away from its earlier defensive Neo-colonial attitude on the matter of climate responsibility to a more proactive and internationalist approach in recent climate engagements.

Emphasising the solarisation of public infrastructure and India’s transition to renewable green energy from fossil fuels, the Solar Festival is expected to boost India’s leadership in the Global South in the renewable energy sector.

The establishment of ISA in November 2015 underscores India’s Progressive and Cooperative Climate Engagement. The alliance, set up jointly by India and France during the Paris Agreement talks, is a treaty-based, member-driven forum aimed at trans-regional solar energy cooperation:

1. To reduce fossil fuel dependence, and;
2. To bring about a more equitable and just energy order.
Most of the ISA’s members are countries in Africa, with the continent contributing 36 out of the 101 ratified members.

The shared Global responsibility underlying the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement primarily aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping global temperature well below 2 degrees Celsius relative to the pre-industrial levels, and preferably below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Limiting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to mitigate climate change however requires transition to a sustainable post-fossil economy by implementing techno-economic, environmental, and energy-efficiency policies, initiatives, and programmes, it is opined.

It is noteworthy that, much before the COP29 Summit hosted by Azerbaijan in its Capital Baku, the International Solar Festival was scheduled to deliberate on the substantial and significant process of transition of India and other developing countries from fossil fuels to renewable energy including solar power.

Epilogue
International climate negotiations provide India an important forum to use diplomatic influence in pursuing its foreign policy objectives and strengthen its role as a globally responsible actor. While India’s historical GHG emissions are low, its current and projected emissions are on a steep rise. It has therefore chosen a cooperative strategy to emphasise its responsibility through diplomacy and sustainable energy investments, buttressing its role as a global powerhouse widening its influence on partner countries.

India has emerged as a model in the renewable energy sector. The country’s path towards a more sustainable energy future distinguished by the use of renewable sources, offers several lessons.  The country has over 35 GW of cumulative solar installations with a target of achieving 300 GW of solar energy capacity by 2030.

Solar energy is one of the cleanest sources of energy with remarkable environmental, social, and economic benefits for society. A recent review has found that solar energy technologies:

1. Improve energy access, security, and resilience;
2. Create employment along their value chain;
3. Reduce energy dependence on imports;
4. Improve public health, and;
5. Afford users greater freedom to deploy electricity for personal and communal benefits.

India’s role as a global powerhouse & leader of the Global South underscores its role in establishing ISA along with France & hosting ISA’s first International Solar Festival in September 2024 in Delhi.