International Solar Alliance selects Ashish Khanna as its third DG
The seventh session of the ISA Assembly in progress in New Delhi today
selected Ashish Khanna from the Republic of India as its third Director
General. The other office candidates included Wisdom Ahiataku —Togobo from
Ghana and Gosaye Mengistie Abayneh from Ethiopia.
The Director General of ISA plays a crucial role in supporting the
Assembly in advancing the International Solar Alliance mandate. This includes
supporting to Member Countries in addressing common challenges and engaging in
coordinated action to scale up the deployment of solar energy globally.
The outgoing Director General, Dr Ajay Mathur, wishing his successor
luck, said, “As I step down from my role, I want to take a moment to welcome Mr
Ashish Khanna to this incredible journey ahead warmly. Serving in this position
has been an honour, and I am confident you will bring unique energy, vision,
and passion to this office and role. Your leadership will undoubtedly steer
this Alliance to new heights, building on the progress achieved while carving
your legacy. The challenges ahead are great, but so are the opportunities. My
simple advice is to trust your intuition, lean on the support around you, and
know that you have the skills to make a lasting impact. I wish you the very
best as you begin this new chapter.”
As part of the selection process, the three candidates presented to the
ISA Member Country representatives, focusing on their vision for a solar
energy-dominant world and the role of the Alliance.
Ashish Khanna, Director General – Designate, ISA, expounding on his
plans for expanding ISA’s reach and impact, said the focus has to shift from
‘what’ to ‘how’ as most countries are aware of what needs to be done, but
require assistance in reaching those goals. He added that the Alliance will
benefit from participating in international fora, where the motivation should
be twofold: to explore collaborations, work together, and learn from each
other's experiences. Moving forward, he said he looks forward to building on
what is working well and grooming existing partnerships, and he stressed purity
of intent and passion for results.”
Dr Ajay Mathur, who has led the Alliance since 2021, will conclude his
tenure on 14 March 2025. Under his leadership, the Alliance has achieved
significant milestones, including a monumental rise in Member & Signatory
Countries tallying at 103 and 17, respectively, the completion and launch of
demonstration projects, and the successful identification of 50 start-ups with
potential to dynamise their countries’ journey towards solar energy. His
contributions have laid strong foundations to equal challenges that global
solar deployment presents under the broad ambits of investments – via the
Global Solar Facility, infrastructure through setting up of solar demonstration
projects, and indigenisation – via the STAR-Centres and other ISA
programme-related trainings.
Across the three priority areas of work: advocacy and analytics,
capacity building, and programmatic support, drawing a spotlight on the
Alliance’s accomplishments under his leadership.
· He steered the
aggregation of 9.5 GW of project proposals, including notable projects like a
360 MW solar PV bid in Cuba and a 400 MW approval in Ethiopia. Guided the
preparation of feasibility studies for ground-mounted projects and solar rooftop
DPRs in Comoros, Sao Tome & Principe, and Bangladesh. Pilot projects are
advancing in Ethiopia, and assessments are ongoing in nine countries. Mini-grid
assessments in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Guinea, as well as solar water pumping
studies, were completed in 10 countries.
· The STAR-C initiative, the stellar
capacity-building ISA offering, has trained over 900 professionals through six
centres, with 10 new centres planned. Regulatory workshops in eight countries
have trained over 265 policymakers. ISA also drives knowledge management
through its Knowledge Series, Solar Data Portals, and Green Hydrogen Innovation
Centre. Flagship reports Easing of Doing Solar and World Solar Reports on
Technology, Investment and Finance have been published annually since 2020 and
2022, respectively. The latest addition to this repertoire, ‘Unleashing the
Role of Solar: In Advancing Economic, Social, And Environmental Equity’ report, focuses
on exploring the global adoption of solar (and renewables) through the lens of
socio-economic and developmental priorities for each archetype, utilising a
diverse set of indicators across finance, technology, and policy enablers.
· Among the innovative
financial tools, ISA’s Global Solar Facility, launched at COP27,
aims to unlock $50M in commercial capital for underserved regions, with its
first project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While the SolarX
Startup Challenge, launched at COP27, mentors 50 scalable solar solutions
from Africa and Asia-Pacific, supporting the creation of a project pipeline.
ISA continues to lead global collaboration on solar energy through events at
the Conference of Parties. Since COP27, ISA has been hosting a solar-focussed
space, The Solar Hub, and took its advocacy efforts a notch up with
the launch of the first International Solar Festival in
September 2024, further cementing its role in the global solar transition.
Speaking of his legacy, Dr Mathur noted, “I would like to be remembered
as the Director General who provided some degree of direction for the globalisation
of solar energies while in office at the Alliance.”