New Delhi: The Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today called upon policymakers and experts in the renewable energy sector to take steps to tap the vast potential of solar energy around the world and make solar energy affordable for all. He urged all the member nations of International Solar Alliance to develop solar resources and related technology so that their reliance on fossil resources is reduced.
Speaking at the inaugural of 24th SUN Meet – i-SUN CaP (International capacity Augmentation Programmes for the “Sunshine Countries of ISA” organized by the Indian Institute of Public Administration in New Delhi, the Vice President said that moving to renewables would not only ensure energy security but also help in protecting the climate and reducing pollution.
Opining that global warming and climate change were affecting every aspect of human life and that there was an urgent need to protect the environment and ensure sustainability in development, the Vice President said that all nations must harness renewable resources to overcome the challenges posed by global-warming, climate change and pollution generated from conventional energy sources.
The Vice President said that he wanted to see every house, institution and organization to have their own solar panels on rooftops to meet their energy demands and vastly reduce carbon footprint.
Observing that India has huge potential to become the leader in the solar energy sector, Venkaiah Naidu expressed happiness over the way renewable energy resources have been developed in India.
Recalling that India and France were the founding countries of International Solar Alliance, the Vice President said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former French President Francois Hollande initiated the project to combine the efforts of both countries to work against climate change and promote renewable energy in place of fossil fuels.
He said that the idea of a concrete road map towards sustainability had also been reiterated by the Prime Minister in the recent UN Climate Action Summit in New York. He said that the solar alliance would play an important role in realizing his dream of “Climate action: Time to Act Now”.
Venkaiah Naidu said that the ISA’s vision includes undertaking joint efforts to reduce the cost of finance and the cost of technology in producing renewable energy across the globe and also to mobilize more than USD 1000 billion of investment by 2030 for massive deployment of solar energy and pave the way for future technologies.
The Vice President lauded IIPA for signing an MoU with International Solar Alliance for capacity-building of its member countries in the area of climate change adaptation and mitigation under ITEC-programme of Ministry of External Affairs.
Botswana also joined the International Solar Alliance by signing ISA framework agreement in the august presence of the Vice President and Minister of State for Power and New and Renewable Energy (IC) and Skill and Entrepreneurship, R. K. Singh. Ambassadors and representatives from more than 50 member countries of ISA attended the event.
