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      • How A Global Solar Alliance Can...
      Tech

      How A Global Solar Alliance Can Help Developing Countries

      By - Xavier Lemaire |
      Published -  8 Dec 2015 2:56 PM IST
    • Boomlive

      A labourer, who works in a salt pan, covers her face beside a solar panel outside a shelter in Little Rann of Kutch in the western Indian state of Gujarat March 2, 2014. Salt pans begin pumping out sub-soil brine water towards the end of the monsoon in October, and this lasts till end-March, after which it is dried till crystals are formed. The crystals are collected by mid-June and it takes another eight months to process them to make edible salt. India is the third largest producer of salt in the world after the U.S. and China. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood (INDIA - Tags: BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT) - RTR3FWUQ

      The International Solar Alliance announced by India at the Paris climate conference invites together 120 countries to support the expansion of solar technologies in the developing world.

      The cost of solar cells has decreased spectacularly over the past four decades, and the trend seems likely to continue. Solar energy has moved from a niche market for providing power in remote places (at the very beginning in 1958 to space satellites) to a mainstream technology which feeds into the national grid.

      Most richer countries have been supporting solar power for some time and the rest of the world is now catching up, turning to solar not only forenergy access in remote areas but to power cities. Emerging countries such as China, India, Brazil, Thailand, South Africa, Morocco or Egyptare investing in large solar plants with ambitious targets. In developing countries such as Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal or Ghana, solar farms or the large roll-out of solar home systems are a solution to unreliable and insufficient electricity supplies.

      Most developing countries benefit from high solar radiation. Source: SolarGIS © 2015 GeoModel Solar

      Large solar farms can be built in just a few months – compared to several years for a coal plant and even longer for a nuclear plant – without generating massive environmental and health damages. Modular decentralised generation with solar is a way to increase access to energy while still remaining on top of rapidly increasing appetites for electricity.

      Culture of innovation

      This alliance could boost the solar market in the Global South by accelerating the circulation of knowledge, facilitating technology transfer and securing investments. Such a partnership would aim to create a common culture among people working in solar energy. Permanent innovation is the key to success in a field where technologies evolve fast and where norms and standards are not yet established. So an alliance could help countries exchange policy ideas while benchmarking performance against each other.

      The decrease of the price of solar cells: a long term trend. Source: Bloomberg New Energy Finance & pv.energytrend.comAuthor provided

      Indeed in developing countries, where regulations and regimes tend to be less stable, investments suffer from a perceived risk. Given that the initial construction of solar plants makes up most of their cost (sunlight, after all, is free so ongoing expenses are minimal), the business model requires them to run for a long period. High risk means higher costs of financing the initial investment. Countries with well-designed regulatory frameworks and policies can reduce risk and attract investors.

      Not California or Spain – this is Egypt. Green Prophet, CC BY

      The alliance could also support a network of universities and local research centres in each country to capitalise on local experience and build knowledge. Research and development can then more easily target the specific needs of developing countries.

      … and the real politics of renewables

      The intensification of globalisation and competition between technology firms and utilities is sparking a revolution in the electricity sector which could result in a new world of energy providers. A number of countries are keen to position themselves as leaders.

      For the moment, both China and India want massive investments in solar only on top of further investments in new coal and gas plants. They need to make their growth less carbon intensive – but do not yet consider solar power as a complete substitute for fossil fuels.

      But renewables accounted for nearly half of all new power generation capacity across the world last year. As the cost of solar power is falling to the same level as traditional energy supplies all over the world, some players in the electricity sector are – willingly or not – shifting away from fossil fuels. The decarbonisation of the electricity sector may be not just an empty political pledge, but an economic necessity.

      This article has been republished from The Conversation.com.

      Tags

      COP21Developing CountriesIndiaInternational Solar AllianceParisParis 2015 climate summitrenewable energysolar energysolar power
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