Solar is India’s energy of choice: Ajay Mathur

Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General, International Solar Alliance, highlights the steps necessary for achieving a green economy.

With the clock ticking away for curbing carbon emissions, the world is looking at International Solar Alliance anew. In an exclusive conversation, Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General, International Solar Alliance ISA), highlighted the steps necessary for achieving a green economy. With India as the founding member of ISA and President of G-20, New Delhi is showing the way in making solar as the energy of the choice. Excerpts:

Q: Combating climate change and fast-tracking climate finance are major priorities of India’s G-20 presidency. How do you look at the role of G-20 and ISA in advancing this agenda of promoting clean energy?

A: Solar is the main source of providing electricity to billions of people across the world and the cheapest way of doing so. It is also the quickest way to reduce carbon emissions because the net carbon emissions of solar are zero. Consequently, weare seeing a huge amount of solar energy being put up in the developed countries, the OECD countries and in China. We need to ramp up the adoption of solar in other countries. So, the G-20’s efforts must focus on how to do that. The main thing that we would like the G-20 to accomplish is to focus on providing the guarantees that will enable private sector finance to flow into the developing countries where right now solar finance is not flowing. As we have talked to various private investors, they say that their primary concern is the risk associated with non-payment.