A specialised platform for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), aimed at correcting market asymmetries in solar procurement, will be launched soon, International Solar Alliance (ISA) Director General Ashish Khanna announced yesterday.
Unveiling a comprehensive plan to accelerate solar energy deployment across Asia and small island nations, Khanna described the ISA as a central driver of the Global South’s clean energy transition.
Addressing the media after a high-level ministerial dialogue held at the ITC Ratnadeepa Hotel in Colombo, he said:
“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.”
The Director General also highlighted the ISA’s ambitions under the newly signed Country Partnership Frameworks with Sri Lanka, Fiji, and Kiribati. These three- to five-year agreements will formalize ISA’s support for developing national solar strategies and infrastructure in these countries.
Explaining the role of digitalization and scale in lowering costs, Khanna pointed to India’s reverse auction model, which helped reduce solar power prices by 70% over the past decade. He noted that if less developed countries and small States adopt similar procurement models, they could unlock large-scale investment and technological innovation.
To advance institutional capability, Khanna 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.
