International Solar Alliance to replicate India's PM-Kusum scheme in Africa, island nations

The ISA is a global initiative launched in 2015 by India and France at COP21 in Paris. It has 124 member and signatory countries

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) plans to replicate India's solar pumps initiative, known as the PM-Kusum (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan) scheme across developing nations, especially in Africa and small island states, according to Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi, who is also President of the ISA Assembly.

The ISA is a global initiative launched in 2015 by India and France at COP21 in Paris. It has 124 member and signatory countries. The ISA works with governments to improve energy access and security worldwide and promotes solar power as a sustainable transition to a clean energy future.

“We are looking to showcase both the PM-Kusum and the PM Surya Ghar (for rooftop solar installations) programmes in countries which have problems with connectivity. We are doing this in Africa and island countries through the ISA platform,” Joshi said at a curtain-raiser event for the ISA’s eighth General Assembly, scheduled later this month.

The Rs 34,000-crore PM-Kusum programme is meant to boost solar energy infrastructure in agriculture by setting up 100 GW of solar power plants in farmer-owned land, installing 14 lakh solar pumps, and solarising 35 lakh grid-connected agricultural pumps.

ISA director general Ashish Khanna said the move is aimed at bringing irrigation access, energy security and clean power to millions in off-grid communities, reinforcing India’s role as a leader in distributed renewable energy.

“The total percentage of arable land that is irrigated in Africa is just four percent, while that figure is about 60 percent elsewhere. Africa today imports food worth $400 billion even though it has huge arable land — because of absence of irrigation. So, all heads of state are looking for a solar pump story like PM-Kusum. We are trying to create a large, aggregated platform of countries to support Africa in this way," Khanna said.

Speaking at the event Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) said India is now the third largest in solar power, fourth largest in wind power in the world. "Overall, we are now the third largest renewable energy installation in the world. Additionally, in manufacturing of solar modules, we are the second largest after China," he said.

"Our manufacturing is not only confined to solar modules but also extends to areas like green hydrogen which is a pivotal part of our energy security—and is going ahead as per our goal of manufacturing about 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2031," Sarangi said.