International Solar Alliance appoints Dr Ajay Mathur as its new DG
The International Solar Alliance (ISA) announced Dr. Ajay Mathur as its new Director General following his election at the first special Assembly of ISA members.
A coalition of 73 member countries, ISA was launched at the end of 2015 to accelerate the demand for and use of safe, sustainable, and affordable solar energy for all. It aims to mobilize over $1 trillion of investment into solar projects by 2030 through focused advocacy, policy and regulatory support, capacity building, and by overcoming perceived investment barriers.
Dr. Mathur succeeds Mr. Upendra Tripathy, who has served as Director General since 2017. Dr. Mathur’s leadership appointment to the ISA takes place in a year when addressing global climate change transition commitments will take center stage: 2021 started with the US’s renewed climate focus through the Biden administration and will culminate with COP26, the UN’s Climate Change Conference in the UK in November.
Speaking at the ISA’s Special session of the Assembly, Dr. Mathur, said, “In my first hundred days, I would like us to initiate an assessment of solarisation opportunities in our member countries – including what do we do now, and what do we do as the next step; and to identify the institutional and business models that can help implement these goals. At the same time, we would work with partners to enable the financing of the solarisation initiatives that we would like to take up now, and finalize the first such financing partnerships in my first hundred days.”
