Lessons That Global Biofuel Alliance Can Learn From ISA, Its Elder Sibling

The ISA has been ticking all the right boxes. From visibility to impact, the ISA is not just making its presence known, it is also changing lives.

The global biofuel alliance needs to follow in its footsteps. The International Solar Alliance was launched by India and France on the sidelines of the landmark Paris summit in 2015. Like all things new, the initiative took time to gain momentum.

There was scepticism in some circles as to what and how the ISA will be able to achieve. Since the founding conference in 2018, the ISA has proved that it is here to make a difference. Just four days ago, Hungary became the 95th member country to ratify the ISA treaty. The treaty has been signed by a total of 118 signatories since its inception.

Inclusivity and Equity

The biggest achievement of the ISA is how it places the global South on an equal playing field to the global North by bringing in inclusivity and equity into its playbook. The ISA has taken upon itself to be the collective voice of the global south.

It collaborates with multilateral development banks, civil society, development financial institutions, and other private and public organizations to drive the goals of energy access and energy transition.

Unlike organizations like IEA and OPEC which are based on an exclusionary principle, the membership of the ISA is open to all United Nations Member Nations. The fact that ‘non-sunshine’ countries like Norway and Sweden have joined the ISA is a testimony to ISA’s success.

Another notable member country of the ISA is Saudi Arabia with the second-largest proven oil reserves in the world.

Assisting the most vulnerable

From Africa to the Pacific, the ISA’s commitment to provide energy access to the most vulnerable is commendable. 2023 may be the era of AI and IOT for some, but for an approximate 746 million people, access to electricity is still a distant dream.

The ISA has been working to address the two main hindrances to the adoption of solar energy – lack of technical expertise and adequate financing. To tackle the former - “The organisation has been providing expertise, handholding, and training support. Training centres have been set up across Africa. The projects are a part of ISA’s initiative to launch demonstration projects to meet the needs of Least developed countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS)” said, union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister Shri R. K. Singh at the 6th session of the international solar alliance Assembly in New Delhi, held in October 2023.

At the same summit in New Delhi, the ISA launched the Global Solar Facility, a payment guarantee fund to promote solar investments in Africa. It attempts to tackle the financing crisis by attracting capital inflow into decentralised solar projects in the African continent. If the GSF proves to be successful in mobilising capital for off-grid, rooftop and productive use solar installations for a continent that has until now eluded the faith of investors, it will set an example that can be replicated on a global scale.

The ISA’s efforts to help countries in Sub Saharan Africa achieve energy access through solar projects brings a glimmer of hope. For once, it seems that the African continent is a priority for an international body and not just a forced obligation. The ISA has been promoting decentralized solar energy solutions in the form of solar mini grids to provide energy access to un-served and underserved areas. By consciously choosing to solarise rural health centres and schools, the ISA is achieving the twin objectives of energy access and development.

The ISA’s footprint is not limited to the African continent. It spreads as far as the pacific. The inter-governmental organisation has been assisting the ecologically vulnerable small-island pacific nations through a series of projects. It recently assisted in the solarisation of two rural health care facilities in the Republic of Fiji. The ISA supported the solarisation of a school in the republic of Kiribati. It also facilitated the installation of a solar powered cold storage to benefit the farmers of Seychelles.

The potential of the GBA

The Global Biofuel Alliance was launched during the G20 summit held in New Delhi in September 2023. The establishment of the alliance was one of the main priorities under India’s recently concluded G20 presidency.

Currently, 22 member countries and 12 international organisations are a part of the GBF. This includes Brazil and the United States, leading biofuel producers and consumers. Less than a month ago, India invited the Global South to be a part of the GBA. India has also expressed its willingness to share its expertise.

There are certain differences between the ISA and the GBA. The ISA is an alliance of only member nations which work in tandem with other international organizations. The GBA on the other hand, is a multi-stakeholder alliance of not just countries, but also international organizations and industries.

The ISA was launched with a vision to drive the development and deployment of solar energy. With a mandate to focus on energy transition from fossil-fuel to solar, the ISA took it upon itself to focus on energy access. “Climate action and energy transition will not happen unless we solve the problem of energy access” said Union Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister, R. K. Singh.

The GBA however was launched with a vision to drive development and deployment of biofuels. If the GBA too focuses on not just energy transition but also energy access, it can achieve the same level of success the ISA has, if not more. It must however keep its moral compass in the same direction as its elder sibling does – towards inclusivity and equity.

(Shivani is a Certificate of Merit holder in public policy management from IIM Kozhikode. She specialises in environmental policy. Views expressed are personal)