Mumbai, July 14 -- Rajasthan has become the first Indian state to sign the Framework for Action - Advanced Clean Energy, Driven Sustainable Development with the International Solar Alliance (ISA), advancing plans to expand renewable power and modernise the electricity system. The agreement was signed by the state energy secretary Aarti Dogra and the ISA director general Ashish Khanna in the presence of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, and is designed to coordinate renewable generation, transmission, storage and digitalisation. The partnership aligns with the state target of 125 gigawatt (GW) of clean energy capacity under the integrated clean energy policy.
The roadmap will support the state transition plans for the 2030-35 period and will prioritise renewable capacity expansion, transmission upgrades, energy storage deployment, energy efficiency, demand side measures, policy reform and institutional capacity building. The chief minister indicated the collaboration would strengthen Rajasthan's leadership in renewables while supporting affordable and reliable electricity for consumers. The framework also provides for measures to integrate decentralised solar and strengthen distribution planning.
Rajasthan currently has more than 42 GW of installed solar capacity and an overall clean energy portfolio approaching 48 GW, while the state aims to reach 125 GW. Officials noted that future growth will require investments in battery storage, smart grids, digital tools and upgrades to transmission and distribution networks to manage variability. A major technology initiative under the partnership will be an artificial intelligence enabled digital twin pilot at Ajmer Vidyut Vitran Nigam that is expected to improve demand forecasting, network planning and renewable integration.
The government highlighted that under the PM KUSUM scheme more than four GW of solar capacity is supplying daytime electricity to farmers across 26 districts to reduce reliance on conventional sources. The alliance will also support training and technical assistance for state engineers and officials through international programmes and knowledge sharing. During a departmental review the chief minister directed officials to accelerate the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana and asked the chief secretary to monitor progress to ensure timely rooftop solar deployment.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.