The Commonwealth of Nations and the International Solar Alliance (ISA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand solar power in the Commonwealth member countries.

The agreement was signed on June 3, 2019, during the Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Sustainable Energy.

“The Commonwealth is excited to team up with ISA and explore solar opportunities for our countries. No country or group can achieve global clean energy transition alone. Hence it is vital to building partnerships across countries, sectors, and stakeholders,” said Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Arjoon Suddhoo.

“This MoU synergizes the strengths of both our organizations, as institutions and in terms of ideas and actors. Together, ISA and Commonwealth will be able to look at country-wide strategies to promote the Paris Agreement on climate change, and Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 13 on clean, affordable energy and climate action,” said ISA Director-General Upendra Tripathy.

A joint ISA-Commonwealth Solar Fund is in the pipeline to finance and develop solar off-grid projects in member countries. This move is expected to support government policies that drive cost-effective solar energy solutions to help power local communities and improve access to electricity for women and the native community.

The ISA and Commonwealth have at least twenty-eight common member countries. The ISA is a treaty-based international intergovernmental organization headquartered in India. Recently, Bolivia signed the framework agreement of ISA, joining hands with India towards a common goal of sustainability.

The European Union and ISA have also signed a joint declaration for cooperation on solar energy that was concluded at the 24^th conference of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in Katowice, Poland.  The United Kingdom recently became a member of the ISA to work towards developing a sustainable future.

Ramya Ranganath is an Associate Editor and Writer for Mercom Communications India. Before joining Mercom, Ramya worked as a Senior Editor at a digital media supply chain solutions company. Throughout her career, she has developed end-to-end content for various companies in a wide range of domains, including renewables. Ramya holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology and is passionate about environmental issues and permaculture.