In Short :
- India to host International Solar Festival in September 2024
- Focus on supporting, enhancing renewable energy sector
- Several countries, UN agencies, World Bank to attend event
In Detail : India is all set to host the first ever International Solar Festival in September this year. The announcement was made on Monday by the International Solar Alliance in New Delhi.
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.
“India is a global leader, and we are committed to sustainability. Hence, India has set a target of 500 GW of non-fossil energy by 2030, of which nuclear energy will be a small component. And out of 485 GW, 300GW will be achieved by renewing solar energy”, Secretary of Ministry of Renewable energy Bhupender Bhalla said during the announcement.
The International Solar Festival will begin in September in New Delhi where the global forum will participate, including countries from the African continent and the West along with institutions like the Asian Development Bank, United Nations, World Bank and several others, who will offer financial support to enhance the renewable energy sector to meet the global demand and reduce dependency on the fossil-fuels globally.
Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General of International Solar Alliance, told India Today that the festival was being organised to bring all the stakeholders together on one platform to explore all possibilities of empowering the green energy sector globally, as solar is one of the fastest emerging power sectors and festivals like the International Solar Festival will deliberate on this.
Climate change and its adverse impact is now visible around the world. Even international platforms like G20 and COP28 have been discussing ways to reduce dependency on fossil fuels and switch to renewable energy.
The Indian government and several states have also been offering huge subsidies for solar system installation, where every household can cut down on average power consumption considerably.
Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, is scheduled to host the COP29 Summit later this year, and the likely agenda will be the impact of climate change and renewable energy on the planet.
But, much before that, the International Solar Festival will deliberate on the substantial and significant process of transition of India and other developing countries from fossil fuels to renewable energy, including solar power.
