The International Solar Alliance plans to help member countries deploy around 3 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity and mobilise about $1 billion in financing over the next five years, its Director General Ashish Khanna said at the organisation’s ninth Assembly in New Delhi.
The target was announced alongside the Bharat Renewable Energy Summit & Expo 2026, where India was elected President of the ISA for a third consecutive term and France retained the Vice-President position. The Assembly is the alliance’s highest decision-making body.
“We aim to deploy around 3 GW of RE capacities in member countries, and also aim to mobilise around $1 billion in the next five years,” Khanna told The Hindu BusinessLine.
The financing effort includes existing initiatives such as the $200 million Africa Solar Facility, which includes an Indian commitment of roughly $25 million to expand affordable solar access. Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi also highlighted the $300 million Nigeria Distributed Renewable Energy Fund, which can be scaled up, according to the report.
The alliance’s focus is on making solar and storage projects viable in countries where dependence on imported diesel and oil keeps electricity costs high. Khanna said utility tariffs in small island countries such as Fiji and Mauritius can reach ₹25-30, largely because of diesel and oil prices. By comparison, he said solar and storage that costs about ₹3-4 in India could cost roughly ₹10 in those markets while remaining about one-third of prevailing expenditure.
The cost gap has increased interest in solar-plus-storage systems among small island states and other member countries. Khanna said African countries were also seeking to expand solarisation in agriculture, where renewable energy could support jobs while reducing energy costs.
The ISA’s approach is centred on enabling private-sector investment through policy support and financing instruments. “Our main focus is on enabling private sector investment through getting the right policy and right instruments, because that is where these countries are really requesting support,” Khanna said.
Projects supported by the alliance in Fiji, Madagascar, Comoros and Seychelles have used solar energy for healthcare facilities and schools, clean drinking water and agricultural cold storage. These applications link renewable energy access with essential urban and rural services, particularly in locations exposed to high energy costs and climate-related pressures.
The alliance is also developing aggregated solar and storage opportunities, beginning with Mauritius, to create scalable models for Small Island Developing States. The model is intended to combine projects and financing needs so that renewable energy deployment can be expanded beyond individual installations.
The five-year target places financing mobilisation alongside capacity deployment as a central measure of the ISA’s next phase. Implementation will depend on the development of policy frameworks, investment instruments and country-level projects, with the alliance’s planned initiatives providing the next milestones.
