India is all set to host its first-ever international solar festival in September, said the International Solar Alliance during a press release in New Delhi on Monday. This event will focus on the solar electrification of public buildings and establish India as moving from the use of hydrocarbons to renewable green energy sources. The festival is expected to consolidate India's position at the forefront of providing renewable energy among nations in the global south.

solar festival
Image Source: Earth.Org

During the announcement, Bhupender Bhalla, Secretary of the Ministry of Renewable Energy, provided further details and said, "India is a global leader, and we are committed to sustainability. Hence, India has set a target of 500 GW of non-fossil energy by 2030, of which nuclear energy will be a small component. And out of 485 GW, 300 GW will be achieved by renewing solar energy.”

The International Solar Festival is scheduled for September this year in New Delhi, where countries across the globe, including African and western countries, and many international forum organizations, including the Asian Development Bank, United Nations, and the World Bank, will participate. It is these organizations that will finance improvements in the renewable energy segment with the goal of meeting global energy demand and greatly minimizing the dependence on fossil fuels internationally.

Dr. Ajay Mathur on the Importance of the Solar Festival

Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director General, International Solar Alliance, expressed that the goal of the festival is to achieve alignment among all stakeholders on a single platform with the intent of discovering how the global green energy sector can be forged. Since solar power is the newest energy source that is quickly catching pace with the traditionally used energy sources, it will be useful to have an international solar festival that will describe the sphere and its developments.

Currently, climate change impacts are being observed all around the world, and thus, global platforms like the G20 Summit and COP28 are discussing dependence on fossil fuels and embracing renewable energy. Consequently, the Indian government, along with different states, is offering rather generous subsidies to support solar system installation in households, thus enabling common citizens to considerably decrease their daily average power consumption.

In this case, the probability of climate change being at the center of discussion at the COP29 Summit that is scheduled for later this year in Baku, which is the capital of Azerbaijan, is high because the primary topic of concern at these international gatherings is often the effects of climate change and the significance of renewable energy. Before that, the International Solar Festival will deliberate on a very significant and vital shift that India and all such developing nations are planning and setting itself towards shifting away from fossil fuels to solar energy.

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