ISA Advances Global Mission on AI for Energy at India AI Impact Summit 2026

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) convened a session at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, in partnership with the Ministries of Power & Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India and REC Limited, to advance global dialogue on the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the clean energy transition. Titled ‘Global Mission on AI for Energy – Scaling through Citizen-Centric India Energy Stack,’ the session took place on February 16 as part of the ongoing India AI Impact Summit 2026.

As countries worldwide accelerate their energy transitions, AI is emerging as a powerful enabler to improve energy planning, grid management and service delivery—particularly in developing and emerging economies where access to reliable electricity remains uneven. This session explored how AI-driven solutions can help leapfrog traditional infrastructure pathways, reduce costs and extend clean, affordable power, aiming to align policy, build capacity, strengthen data infrastructure, foster innovation and mobilise finance to move from pilots to system-wide transformation. It also spotlighted the ISA-led Global Mission on AI for Energy, conceived as a collective effort to bring together governments, industry, financial institutions and multilateral partners to build citizen-centric energy systems.

During the session hosted at the India AI Impact Summit, in New Delhi, J.V. N. Subramanyam, Joint Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India, noted, “India today stands at nearly 520GW of installed capacity, with over 52 percent from non-fossil sources and 140GW from solar. What is truly remarkable is the pace of distributed renewables, nearly 15GW of DRE added under PM SuryaGhar in just the last 18 months. What changed in India’s rooftop solar story was not intent, it was technology. By bringing consumers, vendors, banks and DISCOMs together on a single digital platform, we created trust, speed and scale. Distributed renewable energy is no longer a pilot, it is scaling at unprecedented speed, and the next frontier is intelligence. With millions of prosumers and bidirectional grids, AI will be the backbone that makes our energy ecosystem smarter, more resilient and truly participative. This mission has the potential to be a true game changer, demonstrating how digital public infrastructure and AI can enable countries to leapfrog legacy energy systems and accelerate the shift to a smarter, faster, and more inclusive clean energy future."

Shashank Misra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Power, Government of India, observed, “India’s Energy Stack demonstrates how digital public infrastructure can transform the energy sector—by integrating data, markets, payments and consumers into a unified, interoperable system. The 'Global Mission on AI for Energy', anchored by ISA - builds on this very principle, taking India’s experience to a global scale. By aligning AI with digital energy stacks, the Mission will help countries modernise grids, scale decentralised renewables, improve financial viability and place citizens at the centre of the transition. Together, these approaches offer a powerful pathway for nations to leapfrog toward clean, resilient, and inclusive energy systems.”

Ashish Khanna, Director General, ISA, remarked, “The International Solar Alliance is working at the intersection of AI and energy because the scale of the transition has changed. Nearly 40 percent of the 1,000 GW of solar added globally in the last two years has been decentralised, placing new demands on grids and financial models. Digitisation and AI are therefore essential to efficiently and affordably scale decentralised clean energy, which can be a force multiplier for clean power, livelihoods and citizen-centric growth. Through a Global Mission on AI for Energy, launching at the AI Summit, ISA will bring together policy, innovation, skills and finance to ensure consumers benefit and that all 125 Member Countries can digitally leapfrog, leaving no one behind.”

The occasion also witnessed the launch of a report, ‘Smarter and Citizen-Centric Power for Shared Prosperity: Unleashing the Potential of Digitally and AI-Enabled Power Systems’, which spotlights the two transformative shifts currently underway: the clean energy revolution and the AI revolution. The clean energy revolution cannot scale without digitalisation and AI, and the AI revolution cannot scale without affordable, accessible clean power. The report unwraps this virtuous cycle.

During the week-long Summit, ISA is hosting a dedicated pavilion highlighting the Global Mission for AI for Energy, along with innovation models that offer operational proof-of-concept solutions for replication across ISA Member Countries. Among the key showcases is the Digital Consumer Interface – One Solar App, developed by BSES Rajdhani Power (BRPL), which streamlines rooftop solar adoption through digital registration, transparent net-metering, performance tracking, and integrated service access.

The pavilion also features Digital Twin solutions for DISCOMs, where Indian startups are deploying virtual replicas of distribution networks to enable real-time simulation, renewable energy integration modelling, predictive maintenance and scenario-based planning. These tools enhance operational efficiency while reducing losses and investment risks. Additionally, GIS-based distribution modernisation initiatives, including those undertaken by Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution (APEPDCL), demonstrate how geospatial mapping can provide asset-level visibility and optimise infrastructure planning, strengthening outage management, capital allocation and preparedness for renewable energy integration.