TUNISIA – Tunisia is set to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in order to enhance its partnership with India in the Solar energy field.
A report by Africa Energy Portal indicated that the intent by Tunisia to join International Solar Alliance will mark the starting point for the strengthening of the Tunisian-Indian partnership in the solar energy field.
The intention to join ISA comes even as the The North African country works towards its goal of reducing by 30% its consumption of fossil fuels by 2030.
The move by Tunisia to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) is unprecedented especially due to the fact that the country lies in a non-statutory geographical position.
Although its solar irradiation is not negligible (between 1800 and 2600 Kilowatt-hours per square metre per year), the country is not in the equatorial zone as is the case for the 121 members of the ISA.
Africa Energy Portal however notes that India is keen on lifting the geographical restriction in order to allow countries outside the equatorial zone, such as Tunisia, to join the solar energy promotion initiative.
Early this month, Puneet Kundal, India’s ambassador to Tunisia, gave a courtesy call to the Tunisian Minister of Energy, Mines and Energy Transition, Mongi Marzouk.
During the exchanges, the two authorities are reported to have expressed the mutual desire of their two countries to strengthen their partnership in the field of renewable energy.
Tunisia is in fact preparing to launch major projects in the fields of photovoltaic solar energy and wind power so as to reduce its fossil fuel energy by 30% consumption by 2030.
The support from India, the co-initiator country of the ISA, will thus be more than welcome to help the North African country achieve its goals.
The ISA is a joint initiative of France and India, launched in 2015 at COP 21, in an unprecedented effort in favour of solar energy.
The purpose of the International Solar Alliance is to produce regulations, norms and standards for solar energy, in order to achieve rapid and massive deployment in countries rich in solar radiation, where risks are still perceived as high.
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