Tonga’s effort in promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency has been recognized when it was elected as Vice President of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) representing the Asia Pacific region at its first General Assembly in New Delhi, India, on 1-3 October 2018.

Tonga also ratified the ISA and currently hosts the Pacific region’s Pacific Centre of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (PCREEE) which was established in April 2017.

Energy Minister, Hon Poasi Tei attended the meeting with Dr Tevita Tukunga and Mr ‘Ofa Sefana from the Department of Energy (MEIDECC), joining 120 countries, and over 275 speakers and global energy leaders deliberating on the roadmap for a new energy future.

Hon Poasi Tei said Tonga will be holding the ISA Vice President position for a two-year term.

“This is a significant position held by Tonga in one of the newest and largest international solar organizations in the world.”

Tonga has officially lodged solar projects worth millions to the ISA for funding and proposes to bring a total of 3.23MWp of solar technology capacity to the kingdom, focusing mostly on providing household electricity to the outer-islands as well as to the agriculture, tourism, water supply sectors and capacity development.

At the assembly, India’s Prime Minister Hon Narendra Modi said the ISA will play the role of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in the future. OPEC is a group which involves the world’s major oil-exporting nations.

“The role played by oil wells today will be taken over by the sun rays. ISA will meet the energy requirement of the world in the years to come.”

He said nature is now indicating that options such as solar, wind and water, offer more sustainable energy solutions.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Climate Change is an existential threat to us all.

“The solution is act now to reduce gas emissions and this ISA represents exactly what needs to be done and represents the future.”

He applauded the ISA’s goal of mobilizing US $1 trillion towards the deployment of 1,000 gigawatts of solar energy by 2030 and said it is clear that we are witnessing a global renewable energy revolution, and solar energy is at the centre of this revolution.

The ISA seeks to serve solar technology deployment requirements of the solar resource rich member countries located between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. Most of these countries are geographically located for optimal absorption of the sun’s rays.