India's rapid growth in solar energy and the expanding global deployment of renewables is reshaping the energy transition. As countries, investors and institutions come together, the International Solar Alliance is helping turn solar cooperation into tangible progress across markets and communities.
Introduction
It was a privilege to participate in the curtain-raiser to the Bharat RE Summit & Expo 2026 alongside Shri Pralhad Joshi, Hon’ble Union Minister, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, Hon’ble Minister of State, and senior leaders from the Government of India, as we unveiled the next chapter of India’s RE journey. The event will be hosted in conjunction with ISA’s Assembly with 129 Member Countries, the International Conference on Green Hydrogen, and the The World Bank Group–convened Energy Storage Partnership (ESP) with 60 partners. The curtain-raiser was more than the launch of a Summit; it was a reflection of how far India has come, and a glimpse of solar’s integral role in the future of the global energy transition.
Two Decisions That Changed the Journey
A decade ago, India took two landmark decisions. It launched RE-INVEST, inviting the world to invest in India’s clean energy future — bringing the world to India.
India co-founded the International Solar Alliance with France, taking India’s vision for solar cooperation to the world. One brought the world to India; the other took India to the world. Those two journeys have now come together.
- A decade ago
India launches RE-INVEST and co-founds the International Solar Alliance with France.
- 2025
More than two-thirds of all new power capacity added worldwide is solar.
- Last 14 months
India installs 50 GW of solar.
- 25–27 August 2026
ISA Regional Committee Meeting, Zimbabwe — Solarising Africa showcased.
- 2–5 November 2026
Bharat RE Summit & Expo, Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
“The vision of Hon’ble PM, Shri Narendra Modi, behind setting up ISA - enabling 1,000 GW - looked ambitious a decade back. Today, the world has commissioned over 2,300 GW of solar.”
“As solar becomes central to energy security and economic growth, its strength lies in the fact that the sun belongs to everyone and can be taken away by none.”
How ISA Enabled Change
A decade ago, enabling 1,000 GW of solar looked out of reach. Turning solar potential into commissioned capacity needed finance, convening capacity and market structures that did not yet exist — particularly for agriculture and rural communities across Africa.
ISA set out to be the convening platform for “Getting Things Done”: solarisation of agriculture across six African countries, the #AfricaSolarFacility for private-sector DRE investment, and capacity-building programmes — brought together under Solarising Africa.
Governments, regulators, the private sector, academia and multilateral institutions — including The World Bank Group and Africa50 — alongside ISA’s Member Countries.
Over 2,300 GW of solar commissioned worldwide, with more than two-thirds of all new capacity added in 2025 being solar. India alone installed 50 GW in the last 14 months.
The True Measure of Progress
Progress is measured not only in installed capacity, but in lives transformed:
- Farmers improving incomes through solar irrigation
- Health centres preserving vaccines with reliable power
- Households reducing monthly electricity expenses
- Communities gaining reliable power for the first time
The Next Chapter Starts in India
Bharat RE Summit & Expo — Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
From 2–5 November 2026, the Bharat RE Summit & Expo at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, will align stakeholders on the next level of policy direction, bringing leading private sector and institutional investors to discuss projects and business opportunities. As countries come together, ISA is honoured to serve as a trusted platform for partnership and collective progress.
“The next chapter of the global energy transition will be written through collaboration, not competition.”