Founding Conference of the International Solar Alliance (Part 2)

The Founding Conference of the International Solar Alliance was held in New Delhi on March 11, 2018. Apart from Emmanuel  Macron, President of France, and Prime Minister Modi, 21 Heads of State and Heads of Government, 6 Vice Presidents and Deputy Prime Ministers, 19 Ministers as Heads of Delegation attended the conference in addition to many other ministers who were accompanying the Heads of State and Heads of Government. 

Ten heads of multilateral banks, top representatives from UN agencies, the corporate sector (particularly in Renewable Energy), civil society, academic and research institutions and think tanks were present from India and from all over the world.

The leaders of the founding states of the International Solar Alliance adopted the Delhi Solar Agenda. The agenda re-emphasizes the determination of the ISA member states to increase the share of solar energy in their respective national energy mix to facilitate affordable financing including innovative financing mechanisms to facilitate joint research and development effort to undertake off grid solar applications for poorer and or remote communities, to enhance skills, to undertake capacity building and to strengthen ISA to become an action oriented and member driven multilateral organization.

The Prime Minister of India in his inaugural address inter-alia announced India's commitment to extend nearly US$ 1.4 billion worth of lines of credit, which will cover 27 projects in 15 countries. This initiative has been widely welcomed by the International Solar Alliance Founding States and the beneficiary countries. This is indeed one of the largest commitment to financing solar energy projects around the world.

A project preparation facility was also announced by the Prime Minister to assist our development partners towards preparation of project documentation as consultancy support. He also announced a path breaking initiative relating to solar technology mission. The focus is on development of solar technology, which is appropriate, innovative and affordable for scaling up commercially and to become genuine alternative to unsustainable energy sources. Consequently, solar technology innovation and development, including creation of a solar research and development base, is essential. The Solar Technology Mission announced by the Prime Minister envisages a national mission with international focus. 

The Prime Minister further proposed a 10-point action plan:

1.   Ensure that better and affordable solar technology is available and accessible to everyone.

2.   Increase the solar proportion in our energy mix.

3.   Encourage innovation so that solar solutions can be provided for various needs.

4.   Provide concessional financing and low-risk finance for solar projects.

5.   Develop regulatory aspects and standards in order to speed up adoption and development of solar solutions.

6.   Develop consultancy support for bankable solar projects (This is for all the developing countries.)

7.   More emphasis on greater inclusiveness and participation in our efforts.

8.   Build an extensive network of centres of excellence that can take care of the local conditions and factors.

9.   View our solar energy policy from the angle of the totality of development so that we get more and more contribution towards achievements of SDGs.

10.                 Make the ISA Secretariat strong and professional.

Founding Conference of the International Solar Alliance (Part 1)

The International Solar Alliance

International Solar Alliance (ISA) is a coalition of solar-resource rich countries lying fully or partially between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn to specifically address energy needs by harnessing solar energy. The Alliance aims to provide a platform for prospective member countries to collaborate and address the identified gaps through a common agreed approach. ISA has been envisioned as a dedicated platform that aims to contribute towards the common goal of increasing utilization and promote solar energy and solar applications in the prospective member countries to help the world transform to a low-carbon and greener society.

There is no specific body in place to address the specific solar technology deployment needs of the solar resource rich countries located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Most of these countries are geographically located for optimal absorption of the sun’s rays. There is a great amount of sunlight year-round which can lead to cost effective solar power and other end uses. Most of the countries have large agrarian populations. Many countries face gaps in the potential solar energy manufacturing eco-system. Absence of universal energy access, energy equity and affordability are issues common to most of the solar resource rich countries.

International Solar Alliance (ISA) will not duplicate or replicate the efforts that others (like International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership(REEEP), International Energy Agency (IEA), Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), UN bodies, bilateral organizations, etc.) are currently engaged in, but will establish networks and develop synergies with them and supplement their efforts in a sustainable and focused manner.

ISA was launched at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris on 30^th November, 2015 by Mr. Narendra Modi, Hon. Prime Minister of India and Mr. François Hollande, former President of France, in the presence of H.E. Mr. Ban Ki Moon, the then UN Secretary General.

The seat of ISA shall be in India. On 25^th January, 2016, the Prime Minister of India and the then President of France jointly laid the foundation stone of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Headquarters and inaugurated the interim Secretariat of the ISA in National Institute of Solar Energy campus, Gurugram, Haryana.

Features of ISA

·      ISA is being designed as a unique, lean, and action-oriented hands-on organization and will have member-driven plans and programs to achieve collective objectives.

·      ISA will create cross-country platforms and deliver programs through institutional partnerships and institutional networks.

·      ISA will make solar energy affordable for the poor by way of channelizing capital, reducing cost of capital through innovative financial mechanisms, aggregating demands, promoting universal energy access and spread of best practices, promoting networked R&D in solar applications, and helping in the creation of test centres and common standards to ensure proper quality of products used by member countries.

·      ISA will also ensure training of thousands of youth to create a workforce for looking after maintenance of solar works, facilitating investments to create employment in the member countries.

There are over 120 potential members of ISA. As of March 2018, 61 countries have signed the ISA Framework Agreement and 32 of them have ratified it.

The Founding Conference of the International Solar Alliance was held on March 11, 2018. See the next blog post for the details.

(This blog relates to Chapters 8 and 9 of the book.)

The Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2017

The Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2017 was introduced in Lok Sabha by the then Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ms. Uma Bharti, on March 14, 2017.  The Bill seeks to amend the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956.

 

The proposed Bill subsumes all tribunals into one. The new set-up will have non-judicial experts. The conflicts over equitable water-sharing will no longer be solely looked at from a legal point of view. More weightage will be given to ecological concepts such as the water basin’s capacity, environmental flows and groundwater management.

 

The features of the Bill are:

• Disputes Resolution Committee:  Under the existing Act, when a complaint is received from a state government regarding a water dispute, the central government may ask the affected states to undertake negotiations to settle the dispute.  If the dispute cannot be settled through negotiations, the central government has to set up a Water Disputes Tribunal within a year of receiving such a complaint.

• The Bill replaces this provision and requires the central government to set up a Disputes Resolution Committee (DRC), for resolving any inter-state water dispute amicably.  The DRC will get a period of one year, extendable by six months, to submit its report to the central government.

• Members of DRC:  Members of the DRC will be from relevant fields, as deemed fit by the central government.

• Tribunal:  The Bill proposes to set up an Inter-State River Water Disputes Tribunal, for adjudication of water disputes, if a dispute is not resolved through the DRC.  This tribunal can have multiple benches.

• All existing tribunals will be dissolved and the water disputes pending adjudication before such existing tribunals will be transferred to this newly formed tribunal.

• Composition of the Tribunal:  The tribunal shall consist of a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and not more than six nominated members (judges of the Supreme Court or of a High Court), nominated by the Chief Justice of India.  The central government may appoint two experts serving in the Central Water Engineering Service, not below the rank of Chief Engineer, as assessors to advise the bench in its proceedings.

• Time allotted to Tribunal to take its decision:  Under the Act, any water disputes tribunal has to give its decision on a dispute within a period of three years.  This period is extendable by a maximum of two years.  Under the Bill, the proposed tribunal has to give its decision on a dispute within a period of two years.  This period is extendable by a maximum of one year. 

• Under the Act, if the matter is again referred to the tribunal by a state for further consideration, the tribunal has to submit its report to the central government within a period of one year.  This period of one year can be extended by the central government for such a period as it may consider necessary.  The Bill amends this to specify that the extension may be up to a maximum of six months.

• Decision of the Tribunal:  Under the Act, the decision of the tribunal must be published by the central government in the official gazette.  After publication, the decision has the same force as that of an order of the Supreme Court.

• Under the Bill, the requirement of publication in the official gazette has been removed.  The Bill also adds that the decision of the bench of the tribunal will be final and binding on the parties involved in the dispute.  This decision will have the same force as that of an order of the Supreme Court.

• Maintenance of data bank and information:  Under the Act, the central government maintains a data bank and information system at the national level for each river basin.  Under the Bill, the central government will appoint or authorise an agency to maintain a data bank and information system at the national level for each river basin.

• Additional rule -making powers:  The Bill gives the central government powers to make rules in which water will be distributed during stress situations arising from shortage in the availability of water.