- Why in news
- On 1 November 2026, the PMO said PM Modi will inaugurate the Bharat Renewable Energy Summit & Expo 2026 on 2 November at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The 9th ISA Assembly session is being held alongside it.
- What it is
- The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is a treaty-based intergovernmental organisation that promotes solar energy, mainly in sunshine-rich countries. India and France launched it at the Paris climate conference (COP21) in 2015. Its Assembly, with all member countries, is the top decision-making body and meets once a year.
- ISA focus at this event
- The ISA Assembly will advance cooperation in solar energy, including finance and institutional capacity.
- Summit dates and theme
- The four-day Bharat RE Summit runs 2 to 5 November 2026 with the theme 'Invest. Innovate. Inspire.'
- Origin of ISA
- ISA was launched by India and France at COP21, Paris, in November 2015.
- Headquarters
- ISA is headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana, India.
- Legal basis
- ISA became a treaty-based international organisation when its Framework Agreement entered into force in December 2017.
Don’t confuse with Bharat RE vs ISA Assembly: Bharat RE is India's investment and industry summit, successor to RE-INVEST. The ISA Assembly is the member countries' governing meeting of a separate international organisation.
International bodies and relations: the largest group of news questions in Prelims (61 since 2013), often about background, members and location. In Mains, 27 news-triggered questions, mostly on India's interests.
Why it matters
- Hosting ISA and clean energy events strengthens India's leadership in climate diplomacy and the Global South.
- Investment platforms help mobilise finance and technology for India's renewable energy targets.
Problems
- Solar finance for developing countries is costly and hard to raise.
- Dependence on imported solar components and grid integration remain issues.
Way forward
- Expand concessional and blended finance and risk-guarantee tools for solar projects.
- Build domestic manufacturing and storage capacity alongside deployment.
Put in your answer
Multi-platform cooperation: Bharat RE, the ISA Assembly and the green hydrogen conference are held together to strengthen international cooperation on clean energy.
- 2021Mains GS3 · Q6Explain the Green Grid Initiative and when ISA first floated the idea.
- 2025Mains GS1 · Q6Explain ecological and economic benefits of solar energy generation in India with examples.
- 2020Mains GS3 · Q16Describe benefits of solar electricity over conventional energy and government initiatives for it.
- 2016Prelims Q81Was the International Solar Alliance launched at COP and does it include all UN members?
- 2022Prelims Q84Which statements on India's largest solar park, solar airport and floating solar are correct?
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: International bodies are 61 of 327 Prelims questions. This release is an event notice with few testable facts, so a card only.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.