International Solar Alliance
Not reliant on US fund, says Intl Solar Alliance DG on Trump's exit from group
This story was originally published at 20:39 IST on 18 February 2026
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By Anand JC
NEW DELHI – The International Solar Alliance was not dependent on the US for its funding, its Director General Ashish Khanna told Informist on being asked if the Donald Trump administration's withdrawal from India and France-led renewable energy grouping would impact its operations. "I would say the US innovation system is great, but from the financial side and others, we were not dependent on US," Khanna said.
The US formally withdrew from the International Solar Alliance in January, along with 65 other organisations which were focused on climate-related activities. The US joined the alliance in 2021 and contributed roughly $2.1 million in four years, and its contribution accounted for roughly 1% of the alliance's overall funds.
The International Solar Alliance is playing an increasingly influential role in promoting solar power in the Global South. On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Brazilian President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva in New Delhi. The same day, Donald Trump is scheduled to hold the inaugural meeting of his controversial Board of Peace, a US-led international organisation to advance peacekeeping efforts worldwide.
"The ISA was highlighted as a great success story as the delegations of EU, France including President Macron met Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi," Khanna said on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi. "Regions like the EU and Japan are all very supportive (of ISA)," Khanna said.
"I think clean energy is going to be a lot based out of Asia (going forward) as China and India are now the leaders," Khanna said. The alliance has 125 member and signatory countries as of February, spread across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
The International Solar Alliance is a treaty-based intergovernmental organisation launched by India and France in 2015. Established with a mission to support developing nations and emerging economies, the grouping is India's attempt to bolster its position as a leader in the renewable energy space.
Khanna is hopeful of the alliance's operations remaining strong going forward as more countries adapt solar energy. "What is important, I will say, is that countries will do a lot of solar because it is the least cost solution," Khanna said. China is the world's largest solar market by a wide margin, followed by the US and India.
SOLAR AND AI
Artificial intelligence can help boost the adoption of solar energy, Khanna said. Around 40% of the solar energy in the world now is decentralised, which means end users are sourcing energy which has been generated through rooftop of their houses, solar pumps, and other such sources.
Around 15% of solar energy in India is decentralised. "India, in order to take advantage of solar costs, will have to do a lot more decentralised renewable energy," Khanna said. Decentralised solar energy is low maintenance with zero delivery costs, and it also helps users avoid the hidden costs of traditional power grid.
Power distribution companies are often unhappy with decentralised renewable energy as they do not know how much energy is on the grid, Khanna said. These companies have argued that power generated through solar energy during the day come back on the grid, causing grid instability.
"We want to change this narrative. Distribution companies, rather than opposing, should start loving decentralised renewable energy," Khanna said. Decentralised power, which is produced locally, can help distribution companies eliminate transmission and distribution losses.
As India seeks to increase decentralised solar energy, digitisation of data is paramount, Khanna said. "AI is the foundation for distribution companies to manage this," he said. End
Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury
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