ISA unveils plan to accelerate solar adoption across Asia and small island nations

• ISA Director General Ashish Khanna says electricity access in Asia reaches 97%, but solar uptake remains low, especially in SIDS
• Outlines ISA’s updated approach focuses on policy reform, financing, tech access and partnerships
• Signs Country Partnership Frameworks with Sri Lanka, Fiji and Kiribati
• Launches new solar platform for SIDS to aggregate demand and enable digital tendering
• Cites India’s reverse auction model as way to cut solar prices and woo investment
• Notes 17 STAR-C centres established for technical training and cross-border collaboration

ISA Director General Ashish Khanna

By Charumini de Silva

International Solar Alliance (ISA) Director General Ashish Khanna yesterday unveiled a comprehensive plan to accelerate solar energy deployment across Asia and small island nations, positioning the ISA as a central driver of the Global South’s clean energy transition.

Addressing the media after a high-level ministerial dialogue involving representatives from across the Asia Pacific, he asserted the urgency of translating widespread electricity access into deep solar adoption, particularly in countries still grappling with technological and financial barriers. 

“Asia, home to 4.3 billion people or nearly 60% of the world’s population, has made remarkable progress in ensuring electricity access, with coverage now at 97%. However, the transition to solar energy remains largely unfulfilled, especially among smaller and less developed nations, including island States,” he pointed out.

Khanna said the ISA, which now includes 124 member countries, aims to bridge this divide through an expanded mandate grounded in partnership, innovation, and localised solutions.

He outlined the alliance’s updated operational architecture anchored in four strategic pillars including; policy and regulatory reform, innovative financing mechanisms, capacity-building through technology access, and long-term country partnerships. Together, these pillars are designed to create an enabling environment for solar investments, tailored to each country’s specific conditions.

One of the most significant outcomes of the meeting was the upcoming launch of a specialised platform for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which is a vital step towards correcting market asymmetries in solar procurement. 

“This new platform will bring together island nations with global financiers, including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, ISA, and other partners, to aggregate demand and facilitate digital tendering processes. The aim is to accelerate solar deployment and secure the lowest possible prices for solar power, with tangible results expected in the next two to four years,” he said.

The Director General also highlighted the ISA’s ambitions with the newly signed Country Partnership Frameworks with Sri Lanka, Fiji, and Kiribati. Accordingly, these three-to-five-year agreements will formalise the ISA’s support in developing national solar strategies and infrastructure. 

Explaining the role of digitalisation and scale in lowering costs, Khanna pointed to India’s reverse auction model, which helped reduce solar power prices by 70% over a decade. He noted that similar procurement models, if adopted and applied by less developed countries and small States, could unlock large-scale investment and technological innovation.

To advance institutional capability, he said the ISA has established 17 STAR-C (Solar Technology Application Resource Centres) across its member States. These centres, now set to be digitally interconnected, will serve as hubs of technical expertise, promoting cross-border knowledge sharing and collaboration. 

Responding to questions on gender equality, Khanna said it remains a key priority within the ISA. 

“In many countries, we have observed that women-led groups are highly effective in managing solar mini-grids and community-level solar initiatives. These are best practices we actively share across countries. When we develop Country Partnership Frameworks such as the one with Sri Lanka, we include a strong lens of gender inclusion, ensuring women, startups, and innovators have equal access to opportunities,” he elaborated.

 Pix by Shehan Gunasekara